For many of us, the blaring of our alarm is the last thing we want to hear in the morning. We’ll slap our hand around in the darkness, fumbling until we manage to turn the thing off. Then, we’ll slowly pull ourselves from the warmth of our bed, reluctant to leave sleep behind. That morning “mental fog” often sticks around until we manage to find the shower or a cup of coffee. But is there a better way? Are there things we can do to wake up and feel rested and healthy? Here are some tips for waking up feeling refreshed:
- Place your alarm clock across the room – The biggest cause of drowsiness is hitting the snooze button. Drifting in and out of sleep in 5-minute increments makes it much harder to actually wake up. Force yourself out of bed to turn the alarm off, and sleep will wear off sooner.
- Drink a glass of water – This helps replenish the water you lose by sweating and exhaling throughout the night.
- Get some sun ASAP – Sunlight turns off melatonin production, the hormone that makes us sleepy. As much as you might not want to see it, the sun will help you wake up much quicker.
- Exercise – It doesn’t have to be intense, but even a bit of light yoga and/or stretching will help wake you up and get your blood flowing.Eat breakfast – This is very important to get your metabolism working and to fuel you up for the day ahead.
- Turn on some music – Playing songs you enjoy can get you stimulated and moving
- Light a candle – Some scents can be invigorating in the morning, and if you don’t like candles, try an aroma diffuser. Good scents include: peppermint, spearmint, orange, lemon, bergamot, grapefruit, clove, and patchouli.
- Customize your alarm – Choose something that won’t be irritating first thing in the morning, but is still enough to wake you up.
These are just some suggestions, but if you struggle to escape hibernation in the morning, trying a few of these out might just make your early routine a little easier.