You know how you feel when you hear the sound of your alarm clock right in the middle of that deep, sweet sleep? It’s like, Oh my gosh! Can I get an extra 5 minutes of sleep? How is it daybreak already? Eventually, you manage to get out of bed, but you feel so tired and lazy that if you had your way, you’d go right back to sleep. You know what? We all feel this way at times. So, how can we wake up early and not feel tired?
In this blog post, we’ll be sharing with you how to wake up early and not feel tired.
First, let’s talk about why we should even wake up early- the benefits of waking up early.
There are so many benefits why you should wake up early. However, here are a few reasons to do so:
- Waking up early gives you enough time to achieve your daily to-do list in good time. This doesn’t mean that waking up early miraculously provides some extra time for you, unlike the rest of the world, it means you’ll start the day with some time for yourself, you’ll feel better for the rest of the day and accomplish things you’ve been putting off for a while.
- You will have time to exercise, de-stress and boost your energy level for the day.
- You’ll also have enough time to take care of yourself physically, such as planning and preparing a healthy breakfast to start your day with, and get mentally prepared because you’ll have enough time to reflect on certain things.
How to wake up early and not feel tired
- Give yourself a compelling reason to wake up early
We are all familiar with what they say about successful people waking up at 5 am, right? So, we have to do the same.
You see, if you are trying to wake up early just for the sake of it, there’s every likelihood that you will fail. I mean, waking up early isn’t a fun thing to do, so why bother if you have nothing special to do in the early hours of the day?
Oh! You’ve heard talks about journaling when you wake up early in the morning, but be honest with yourself. Is that what you want to do? If not, then there is no point.
However, giving yourself reasons such as working out, learning something new, making plans for your side business and the likes are examples of compelling reasons to wake up early. The thought of these things will be exciting for you and you’ll be surprised at how much you look forward to the routine.
Ensure you do the things that make you feel good, such as drinking some lemon water, meditating while doing yoga, putting down some creative ideas, etc. As long as the thought of it makes you feel good, then go for it.
- Start with a time that’s easy for you
It doesn’t have to be 4:30 am or 5:00 am. Choose a time that is easy for you to start with. For instance, if you are used to waking up at 7:00 am, try waking up at least 30 minutes earlier every day until you eventually reach your desired waking time.
That someone else is bragging about waking up at 5:00 am every day shouldn’t be a reason for you to wake up that early as well. It should be a gradual transition. So, start small and work your way up.
- Don’t jump out of bed immediately
If you want to enjoy your new habit, then jumping out of bed immediately after your alarm clock rings is not the way to go. You do not want to feel stressed at all. Instead, you want to feel relaxed and happy to begin your day. So, take your time to yawn and stretch on the bed before eventually getting up for your activities.
- Take a glass of water
Starting your day with a simple glass of water, even before taking breakfast, can kick-start your metabolism, for example, helping you to wake up quickly and feel instantly more alert.
Also, reduce your intake of caffeinated drinks such as coffee the night before going to bed. They can make you feel tired when you wake up.
- Do it every day, including during the weekends
The popular quote “Thank God it’s Friday” comes with many interpretations such as its a work-free day tomorrow, so I’ve got time to hang out with friends and do some fun stuff. Also, I get to sleep for as long as I want, etc. While you are allowed to have fun with your friends and do so many other things, waking up late isn’t one thing you want to be caught doing even though it’s the weekend.
You see, consistency is the key to developing a new habit. When you allow yourself to sleep beyond your new waking-up time because it is the weekend, you will disrupt your consistent routine. So, like every other day, prepare a fun activity that will motivate you to wake up early during the weekend as well.
Another tip to help you wake up early and be refreshed is to sleep early. “Early to bed, early to rise.” I’m pretty sure a majority of us have heard those words repeatedly, most especially when we were kids. Let’s face it, why do I want to go to bed so early when I want to watch one more series of the latest blockbuster? Or why should it matter if I go to bed late?
Well, sorry to burst your bubbles but it matters if you do not go to bed early because you wouldn’t be getting the adequate number of hours of sleep needed for maximum productivity during the day, which is why you might end up starting your day feeling tired.
It’s like this: one sleep cycle requires an average of 90 mins and the average person needs 7.5 hours of sleep, which is 5 cycles/day. So, to feel well rested, you need to complete each sleep cycle, which is why they say early to bed, early to rise.
Another thing you should consider is, don’t drink water or any liquid substance 2 hours before bedtime. This will save you from breaking your sleep circle many times during the night because you want to go to the bathroom and this will help you to wake up more refreshed because you’ll sleep better.
You should also consider sleeping in a well-ventilated room as heat can make your sleep very uncomfortable and this will lead to tiredness when you wake up because you won’t sleep well. Sleeping naked is also generally advised because of the above reason.
The most important thing about waking up early is to take a few precautions as discussed in this blog post and enjoy why you do it and it will only be a matter of time before you become used to it.
Thank you.