Hate the mornings? You’re not alone. There are plenty of people out there who grimace in confusion at morning people who find joy in watching the sunrise or getting up at an ungodly hour to get a fitness session in before the kids wake up.
While it may work for them, you might not like the idea of getting up in the morning so early and being so…productive.
However, there will come times in your life where life very much forces you to become a morning person even when you’re still a night owl. Having children or starting a new job with earlier starting hours might do that.
With that being said, here are some helpful tips to become a morning person when you’re a night owl.
Gradually shift your sleep schedule
Sleep is something that can really influence how well you wake up in the morning versus now, which is probably not great.
In order to become a morning person from a night owl, you need to gradually shift your sleep schedule. This isn’t going to happen overnight, but you can gradually introduce your body and mind to an earlier wake up time and an earlier bedtime.
Shifting your bedtime by thirty minutes to an hour earlier can make a big difference to how well and refreshed you wake up the following day.
It might also be helpful to look into sleep apps and particularly one that has been noticeably popular for those who are looking to wake up their body at the right point. Sleep Cycle, for example, is an intelligent app that monitors and analyses your sleep patterns every night in order to wake you up in your lightest phase of sleep.
It means that hopefully, you’ll wake up feeling more awake and less groggy in the mornings.
Optimise your sleep environment for a better night’s sleep
To help with the quality of sleep you’re getting each night, it’s good to optimise your sleep environment and ensure sleep hygiene is up to scratch. That can mean doing a number of things before you go to bed. A few changes to consider within your sleep space are:
White noise or spa music
Sometimes, the noise from inside the home or outside of the property can cause you to wake up or struggle to fall asleep. Therefore, introducing some music within the space is often a great way to help improve your sleep environment.
For example, white noise or spa music is useful and can be a great way to help drown out any noise that might be causing you trouble in getting to sleep at night.
Blackout blinds or an eye mask
Blackout blinds are an investment but useful for when you want to block out any and all light from the outside. If you don’t have the money for blackout blinds, then an eye mask will suffice.
Temperature
The temperature of the room and what you’re wearing can also determine how much of a good night’s sleep you’ll get. That’s why it’s a good idea to set a temperature that you’ll feel comfortable with and to adjust it, as well as what you wear to ensure you have a better night’s sleep in general.
Expose yourself to sunlight or bright light
Exposing yourself to sunlight or bright light is a great way of forcing your body to wake up because when you sit in the darkness of your bedroom, it’s easier to just fall back asleep.
So as harsh as it might feel to your eyes when you’ve just woken up, hit the bedroom light or if you’re lucky enough, open your automated blinds or curtains to expose yourself to sunlight.
Natural daylight is of course, the best type of light to wake your body up to naturally, but artificial light will do the same thing – only a little more in your face.
Do some morning exercise that you can enjoy
Some people despise the thought of exercise in the morning, but not all exercise needs to be quite so invasive and extreme. After all, your body is only waking up from a – hopefully – deep slumber, so you want to do workouts that aren’t too harsh.
Meditation can be a form of exercise, especially when combined with yoga. Otherwise, you could do a gentle cycle or run on a machine if you have one at home. If you’re able to make it to the gym, keep the weights light and don’t overexert your body too much, otherwise it’s not going to set you up ahead for the day.
Establish a morning routine
Morning routines are important because once you get a routine in place, the habit is established and getting up every morning will become a little easier on both your mind and body.
From freshly roasted coffee so that you have a pint-sized mug ready to caffeinate your body into action, to reading the newspaper or doing a puzzle. Anything that will get your mind and body going, the better.
Taking a warm shower or a bath every morning might also be part of your morning routine. Find what works for you and then you’ll soon see how easy it is to transition from the night owl to an early bird.
Try to wind down in the evening quicker
It’s important to try and wind down your body in the evening as quickly as possible. The quicker you can get your mind and body into a state of relaxation, the easier and quicker it will be to get to sleep.
With that in mind, think about how you could switch up your routine to wind down quickly. From reading a book in bed rather than using your phone, to taking a bath and getting into your comfies earlier. Look at what helps to get you into bed mode as opposed to staying up longer.
Being a morning owl takes time, but if you’re patient and you’re mindful of the progress you make, you’ll find yourself getting into that morning mode soon enough.
