Hate Getting Out Of Bed In The Morning?
Here's How To Change That in 6 Simple Steps.
The clocks will soon be changing, winter will be drawing in, and it’ll be that much darker in the mornings, as we’re trying to get ourselves out of our beds, and up and out for the day ahead. Some of you lucky people reading this may be early birds, and jump out of bed with a spring in your step every day. However, if any of you are like us, you’ll appreciate just how much of a struggle it can sometimes be. Wrapped up in the comfort of warm duvets and slumberous sleep, how tempting is it to just keep on pressing that snooze button? That’s why we thought we would do some thinking about how to change that feeling. And how to make getting out of bed that much easier.
LIGHT
Why suffer waking up in pitch darkness when you can bring a sense of dawn, positivity and morning light to your bedroom in the mornings. All it takes is a dawn simulator, which can easily be brought online for under £50.00. Providing a gradual sunrise, they can ease you awake. There’s no denying that sunshine and daylight can have a positive effect on us, and so by exposing ourselves naturally and gently to light in the mornings, we can boost our energy and align our daily rhythm. Rather than jolting straight awake with an annoying beep, a dawn simulator will gradually bring you to your senses, so that by the time you open your eyes, you're properly awake, alert and feeling ready for the day ahead.
TIMING
Whether you choose to sleep 10 hours or 4, or somewhere in between, we all have sleep cycles that can so easily be disrupted and jeopardised, be it through snoozing for too long or waking up 5 minutes into a deep sleep. With sleep cycles lasting about 90 minutes, we fluctuate between our first state of our sleep cycles in a light sleep, followed by deep sleep and a dream state, known as REM-sleep. This is where apps, such as Sleep Cycle, can be so effective. Your phone can analyse your sleep and wake you up in your lightest sleep phase, rather than a normal alarm which may wake you up when you’re in your deepest sleep state. As we sleep, our movements vary with each sleep phase, and these clever apps use sound analysis to track our movements and identify which state we are in. By setting a wake up phase, normally set for 30 minutes, the app works out when your body is in the best state to wake you and will bring you out of your rest in the lightest possible sleep state. People may worry about having their phones nearby, but you can easily set it to flight mode - which is never a bad thing, a good way to stop notifications and the temptation to have a scroll in the night!
FUEL
How many of us snooze those extra 10 minutes and then run out of time for breakfast in the morning? Why add to that temptation by only stocking your kitchen cupboards with that same monotonous boring box of cereal which you’ve been eating for months. Get creative, and reward yourself! Be it yoghurts, special granolas, smoothies, a cup of tea, or even just some weetabix with a chopped banana, mix up your breakfasts and make sure you have time to grab something! It may be something for on-the-go, or to have at your desk when you get in the office, but we need to fuel ourselves for our long work days and more often than not an old cereal bar just does not cut it.
MUSIC
Beep. Beep. Beep. Alarms can be painful and annoying. That’s where radio and iPod alarm clocks can mix things up. If you struggle to get out of bed in the mornings, sometimes a bit of music, a selection of your favourite songs, or even just the sound of someone else speaking across the radio waves (who has been awake hours before you in order to get to the radio station in time!), can give you that motivation to kick back the sheets and get out of bed.
PREP
Our morning routines are hard enough work without the stress of having to decide what to wear in a panic, gather together all of our work essentials, grab lunch, gym kits, laptops and whatever it may be that you need for the day ahead. It might be the last thing you want to do the hour before you go to bed, but a little bit of planning can make getting of bed in the morning that much easier. Prep and you won't regret it.
ACTION!
If you have to physically jump out of bed, do it. Kick back those sheets and you’ll have no choice but to leap into your day. Some people find that exercising in the morning is a great way to start the day and motivate themselves up and out in the morning. For others, it may be a walk to the station or cycling into work. Yet, for some people this may not appeal at all. Taking action can be physical, yes, but it can also be a mental attitude to your mornings. You’ve woken up, have maybe hit snooze a couple of times, and instead of being weighed down by any feelings of dread or tiredness, start thinking about what you are going to achieve that day instead. Even if it’s just one thing. And take action. Let it motivate you and let it be that fuel to push you up and out of bed.
What tricks do you find work for you? Share with us below, we would love to hear your tips!