Trouble With Your Sleep Schedule? A Checklist (Part 2)

So, we’ve discussed ways to help you in your efforts to get to sleep a bit earlier in a previous post.. But what about that OTHER hard part—WAKING UP in the morning. OMG.  While you’re working to change your bedtime, you’ll find there may be an awkward period where those first early mornings can be a bit, er…”challenging” to say the least. Just like you did when trying to get to bed earlier, setting a plan in place and creating morning rituals can certainly ease the pain.

Other than coffee, of course, here are a few things you may want to consider to help yourself get out of bed a bit more like an early bird rather than an angry vampire pterodactyl awakened from its slumber.

Try your very hardest not to hit snooze. I know. It’s the hardest thing in the world at first not to allow yourself those extra decadent minutes while you’re laying there in the early morning and your bed is nice and warm. However, hitting snooze is maddening to your body’s rhythm. Bite the bullet and get up. You’ll feel better and those extra eight minutes aren’t going to make a difference in how tired you do or don’t feel.

Just like you want to make your bedroom as dark as possible in the evening, it’s a great idea to let in as much natural light as possible in the morning. Fling open those curtains or, if you can, take your coffee and sit on the front porch while the sun comes up. It’s a nice moment to pause and think about your day. You’ll already feel ahead of the game.

Brush your teeth before you have that coffee. AND before you have that coffee, drink a large glass of water. Our bodies need water. We know this. But especially after a night’s sleep when your body has been healing and cleansing, water first thing in the morning is a like a reboot and can replenish your system. Think of it as a shower for your insides.

Stretch and move a bit. Now, you may be an “exercise in the morning” person. If so, I salute you. I, however, am not one of those people. I prefer to exercise in the afternoon. BUT, even if you just move a bit and stretch, it can kindly help your body wake up.

Plan a healthy breakfast that you’ll look forward to enjoying. Yeah, I know the sugary and overly heavy breakfast options are tempting, but it’ll weigh you down and make you want to go right back to sleep. So, choose something that is delicious but truly nourishing and you’ll feel a hundred times better. Save the “treat” breakfasts for Saturday morning.

I’m sure there are many more things we could add to this list, but I’ve found these to be indispensable basics. You get extra points for meditating and/or writing in a journal.

Have a beautiful day!