Many people set the alarm clock with the intention to wake up early the next morning, knowing that it’s the perfect time to wake up to meet their daily demands. Every morning, the alarm clock rings before they’re ready to rise, so they’re hit snooze and, eventually, get late.
The key to unlocking this lock of laziness lies inside your body. “An important section to wake up before time in the next morning is the timing of one’s circadian rhythm, or ‘body clock,’” as depicted by sleep researcher Leon C. Lack, who is the PhD professor emeritus in the school of psychology at Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia.
Know Why You Want to Change Your Wake-Up Routine
Have you set your motivation? Do you want to wake up early to have breakfast with your family? Get in some exercise? Have a few moments of reflection to be better prepared for your day? Or you are just tired of running late every morning.
Firstly you have to find your reason; after that, the second step must be taken - tell your family or roommates about the change you want to make. Accountability works similar to an alarm clock.
Balance Your Mornings to Gain Time
After deciding what you want to do when you wake up and what it takes to get more sleep.
Track your failures and trim your morning activities accordingly. This could let you set the alarm clock for a few minutes (or more) later.
In case you want time to have breakfast with your family, try to save some time during the night on a prior basis by managing your clothes, shoes, and bags. Do not spend too much time standing in a queue at the café to get coffee.
Analyze Your Internal Body Clock
If you’re facing issues while taking sleep and suffering a deprivation roller coaster for a while, you are not aware of how much sleep your body naturally wants. Unawareness results in constantly slapping around the alarm clock in the morning.
One way to figure out your hours is to calculate bedtime, which starts from eight hours before your alarm rings. Stick to the decision for several weeks to analyze how well your body responds. It is observed that some people are naturally night owls and find it hard to go to bed early, even if they have to wake up early as well.
Prefer Melatonin Supplement to Get Back on Track
The body generates melatonin to stimulate your sleep; those who suffer from sleep can take a melatonin supplement to help reorient their body clock. Begin with the lowest possible dose, that is 0.5 to 5 milligrams. The supplements should be taken five to six hours before bedtime for a few days. After spending nights, this should result in an early awakening in the morning.
Melatonin doesn’t suit all; these pills can result in drowsiness for some people. Prior to taking the piles, take recommendations from the doctor or your healthcare provider, as there can be some side effects and interactions with other medications you may be taking. People with autoimmune disorders or diabetes, and those taking birth control pills, blood thinners, sedatives, or some kinds of blood pressure medication, should not take melatonin without the consultation of a healthcare professional.
Shutdown Your Devices and Switch Off the TV Before Bedtime
Waking up early depends upon the sleep the night before. Preparing for bed is a process of winding down. It is analyzed that spending time in front of screens of TV, laptop, or phone. Use the alarm clock to set a reminder to make an hour free before you turn in with no excuses.
Get Bright Light in the Morning
Sitting in front of the bright lights of your flat-screen of TV before going to bed can prevent sleep, but bright light for an hour or two when you open your eyes after having a tight sleep can accept your wake-up time. This light can belong as sunlight or artificial bright light. Making a habit of visiting outside your home in the morning for a walk in the sun or a restful breakfast on the patio would be better for your mood and better sleep as well.
Reorganize Your Evening Schedule
Look around your daily schedule and plan your day and also consider how you spend your evenings. You may require reorganizing some of your daily activities. For instance, if you have slotted your gym time after having dinner, this time slot can affect your sleep badly. Find another time to work out earlier in the day.
According to a National Sleep Foundation survey, about 12% of adults believe that their work schedule prevents their sleep and makes it hard too. If you’re overburdened on the job and constantly working late till evening, try to find a way to divert the load with a partner or colleague.
Get an Evaluation to analyze What’s Affecting Your Sleep
Sleeping disorders, such as obstructive sleep apnea, health issues, allergies or depression, can lead to poor quality sleep. Regardless of how hard you try to get to bed on time and wake up on time, you’ll still be tired in the morning.
For sleep apnea, your sleep partner might have a habit of snoring or gasping; this also can lead to morning headaches. Talk to your doctor about finding out if you have an underlying condition that’s making sleep difficult.
Make Hitting ‘Snooze’ More of a Challenge
After finding the obstacles to sleeping on time, it’s time to create some reasons for staying in bed. If you place the alarm right next to your bed and the big “snooze” button is easy to reach without raising your head off the pillow, you will sleep for longer hours. Place your alarm clock at the other end of your bedroom so that you have to leave your bed to turn it off.
Also, try to place a second alarm — far away — if you’re having a lot of difficulties getting up. When you want to reset your sleep and wake times, take the help of your family members or roommates to help you get up until you’re in sync.
Stick to Your Sleep and Wake-up Schedule on Weekends
But compensating on the weekends actually feeds into your sleepiness the following week as it interrupts your natural body clock, which doesn’t have a weekend set.
Whatever your bedtime and wake-up time for the weekday, you’ll have to stick to them on the weekends too. As per the research that was published in the journal Chronobiology International, consistent sleep on the weekends seems to lead to better sleep and easier waking during the weekdays as well.
Keep a Sleep Log and Evaluate It Weekly
Try to track the better sleep efforts you’re making and also try to mention how you feel. Do you have more energy by using the same? Are you in a good mood? Are you feeling more patient with your family? Are you still feeling sleepy or hitting that alarm clock snooze button?
