Tired and hefty mornings. A familiar feeling? Well, most of us suffer from morning blues. Blame technological advancement that connects us to the world, but is a nemesis to sleep. Yeah, mobile phones, keeping you up all night. While it is considered that DNA changes are responsible for some individuals being a morning person and others being not, there are some ways which can help everyone. Because even morning persons may sometime find it hard to wake up from the bed and go on with the day.

This article will share tips and tricks which will help you feel more awake during the morning. Yeah, we did not forget about your favourite coffee, but what about some healthier alternatives and some good ol’ exercises? Read on to know these and also to understand why you need to wake up early, in the first place.

  1. How to wake up early
  2. Benefits of waking up early in the morning

In this era of technological advancement, there are very few of us who are early risers. Tiredness, fatigue and sleep deprivation drives most our mornings. But, that’s not the ultimate fate. That’s not how it should always be, right? What if we say that a change in sleeping habits and a more precise morning routine can help achieve the unexpected? If you do not believe, let’s explore what research has to say.

Better night’s sleep to wake up early in the morning

Sleeping well at night will make sure that you feel fresher in the mornings. Makes sense? But, how do you sleep better? Maybe ditch your phone before bedtime.

Several studies have related the use of cell phones at night with sleep disturbances and have even considered it as a risk factor for insomnia. A recent study found that poor sleep due to cell phone use can lead to changes in physiological and psychological functioning, increasing the risk of depression, anxiety and other mental illnesses. It also increases the risk of other illnesses due to changes in normal body functioning. This study conducted on adolescents found that those who used cell phones in bed found it harder to fall asleep and stay asleep during the night, leading to disrupted sleep patterns and tiring mornings.

But these findings are not just true for adolescents, a negative association between sleep quality and nighttime mobile phone use has also been noted in adults. It is also likely to further aid to the development of a long-term habit of cell phone use.

So, what can you do to protect yourself from this risk?

Experts suggest leaving your phones alone at least an hour before bedtime. It will be better to keep it totally away from your vicinity. This is because the light rays emitted from the phone have an independent risk of causing sleep disturbances.

Other than this, it is also important that you take a long good night’s sleep. It is recommended to take a daily sleep of 7 to 9 hours to feel refreshed the next day.

Exercise to wake up in the morning

It is no surprise that physical activity helps you wake up better in the mornings. Imagine going for a refreshing walk in the morning, being connected with nature. Isn’t that a refreshing experience?

Research suggests that physically active individuals tend to have better sleep quality and quantity. This means that they are able to sleep better and wake up earlier in the mornings.

These findings suggest that it is time you start indulging in a morning workout routine. Majority of individuals take between 11 to 30 minutes to get ready. So, set your alarms half an hour earlier and indulge in some form of exercise.

Morning walk is a great way to begin exercising and has a number of health benefits. You can also include a morning session of yoga or indulge in a workout of your choice in the morning.

Additionally, you must increase your physical activity during the entire day to have a better night’s sleep to allow you to wake up on time.

Water to help you wake up in the morning

Is headache keeping you away from witnessing those beautiful morning views and you do not know what to do? Well, relax and have a glass of water. When you wake up in the morning, you are likely to be in a state of dehydration, if you do not wake up several times to sip some. Either way, you can develop a headache, whether dehydration induced or due to a disturbed sleep.

So, having a glass of water in the morning is the best practice for better mornings. It will immediately reverse the state of dehydration and will make you feel more energised during the day.

The only thing you need to take care of when having water in the morning is its temperature. Cold water can trigger migraine attacks in the morning. So, it is better to refrain from its consumption. Instead, have a cup of warm water. It will additionally help in achieving a better concentration during the day, allowing you to focus more on your tasks. Now, that's what may make you a morning person.

Coffee to wake up better in the mornings

Morning cup of tea or coffee may already be a part of your daily routine. Sure, caffeine induces awakeness and is a great help in the mornings. But, what is its long-term implication?

Does coffee actually help? Well, the evidence is contradicting.

Caffeine consumption helps in enhancing brain function and in improving cognitive functioning other than stimulating specific centres of your brain to wake you up. These mechanisms will collectively help you be more awake during the mornings.

But, the effects of long-term use of caffeine can be counterintuitive.

High intake of caffeine raises blood cholesterol levels, which may increase the risk of cardiovascular disorders. It may also cause muscle fatigue.

So, instead of caffeine, you can have a glass of lemon water in the morning, which will help you in waking up and will provide you with optimal levels of energy throughout the day. The freshness of lemon will surely help you have an energised morning.

Apples to wake up in the morning

Apples are a great way to start your day. They are packed with the best phytonutrients and micronutrients, which will help in waking up and will also keep you going throughout the day. Although apples contain no caffeine, which can stimulate awakeness, they are packed with natural sugars, which can provoke a similar response.

A medium apple contains around 13 grams of sugar, which slowly releases its vitamins and nutrients, responsible for making you feel more awake. Apples are a more natural way to start your day and have no side effects like that of caffeine.

The feeling of awakeness lasts as long it takes for your body to digest an apple. Other than this, an increased level of energy is also experienced by the person due to a constant supply of glucose in the body, which feeds body cells.

Morning routine

Make waking up early your habit.

Habits refer to the actions that are triggered automatically in response to a cue and are not merely repeated actions. This is why habits are likely to continue even after external motivation dissipates due to the process of automation.

Scientists have found that habit formation can be used to promote long-term behavioural change in individuals. Keeping this in mind, repeating an action consistently in a similar manner can help to form a habit.

This requires you to:

  • plan a goal, that is health improvement or diminished tiredness throughout the day;
  • choose an action, that is waking up early;
  • plan your act. Decide a particular time of the day and decipher how you will perform this activity.
  • If you do not trust your instincts, it is best to set an alarm the night before.

This may seem hard at first but is likely to form a habit within 10 weeks and you may not even need an alarm, which must anyway be avoided for a healthy sleep.

Keep in mind your long-term goals, which are only achievable if you wake up on time.

Other tips to help you wake up early in the morning

Aforementioned tips are helpful in helping you wake up in the morning. But, it is important that you personalise your plan. Maybe having a healthy breakfast helps you wake up or it is your morning cup of warm water. Keeping away from cell phone and electronic devices definitely goes a long way as well.

Nevertheless, there are a few other tips, which may help you in waking up in the morning but these currently lack sufficient research evidence. Keeping your alarm phone away from your body and having a bath with cold water may help. Some have also reported being benefitted from listening to music.

So, you can experiment to see what works the best for your body.

Long goes the saying ‘Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise. But, does waking up early have any particular health benefits? Let's explore.

Waking up early keeps you active during the day

Waking up early gives an excellent start to your day and helps you in staying fit and active. Through a study on school going children, researchers found that children who slept early and woke up on time reported less subjective feelings of tiredness, fatigue and even yawned lesser during the day. This can be explained because exposure to sunlight aids the regulation of the circadian rhythm (biological sleep-wake cycle).

Early rising for brain functioning

Waking up early helps to avoid sleep disturbances and ensures a healthy sleep cycle. Researches have found that disruption of sleep cycle can diminish cognitive performance regardless of sleep loss. This means that limited cognition, attention and brain function are more likely to occur if your sleep cycle is disturbed even if you have a long sleep. This can only be avoided if you sleep and wake up at a single time, which is achievable by early rising.

Waking up early prevents insomnia

Insomnia refers to a disturbance in the sleep cycle, causing reduced a reduced or ineffective sleep time. Studies have found that waking up early can help to prevent insomnia since it helps to regulate the biological clocks responsible for sleep. Further, waking up early ensures that you get in bed on time and get a sound sleep of 7 to 9 hours.

Waking up early for weight loss

Weight issues are very common in the modern world. If you have tried a number of tips, which have failed, try waking up early and forming an exercise routine.

Researchers have found that waking up early in the morning may aid in BMI (body mass index) reduction. Morning walks are a great way to achieve weight loss. Also, you are more likely to continue with an exercise regimen if you make it a morning habit, as discussed above.

Waking up early will additionally allow you to have breakfast on time. This will help in keeping you satiated throughout the day allowing you to binge lesser.

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Waking up early to prevent headache

Disrupted sleep cycles can trigger headaches, particularly migraine. This occurs due to nitric oxide released at the end of the sleep cycle. Disrupted sleep cycle is also likely to cause stress, which further stimulates headache. You can completely avoid this risk by waking up on time and having a glass of water as soon as you do.

Rising early for good health

Waking up early and going for a morning walk has immense benefits since it helps to avoid obesity and mood disorders. This helps to keep you away from the risk of chronic health disorders and depression. Further, morning exercise may aid in better exercise performance and is also likely to keep you more active during the day.

References

  1. Sue K. Adams, Jennifer F. Daly, Desireé N. Williford. Adolescent Sleep and Cellular Phone Use: Recent Trends and Implications for Research . Health Serv Insights. 2013; 6: 99–103. PMID: 25114565
  2. Exelmans L, Van den Bulck J. Bedtime mobile phone use and sleep in adults. Soc Sci Med. 2016 Jan;148:93-101. PMID: 26688552
  3. Amra B et al. The association of sleep and late-night cell phone use among adolescents. J Pediatr (Rio J). 2017 Nov - Dec;93(6):560-567. PMID: 28257717
  4. Butt MS, Sultan MT. Coffee and its consumption: benefits and risks. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2011 Apr;51(4):363-73. PMID: 21432699
  5. Benjamin Gardner et al. Making health habitual: the psychology of ‘habit-formation’ and general practice. Br J Gen Pract. 2012 Dec; 62(605): 664–666. PMID: 23211256
  6. Thomas Schäfer et al. The psychological functions of music listening . Front Psychol. 2013; 4: 511. PMID: 23964257
  7. Jun Kohyama. Early rising children are more active than late risers . Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2007 Dec; 3(6): 959–963. PMID: 19300634
  8. Hu Y et al. GWAS of 89,283 individuals identifies genetic variants associated with self-reporting of being a morning person.. Nat Commun. 2016 Feb 2;7:10448. PMID: 26835600
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