How To Be a Morning Person (Yes, it's Possible)

Even after years of waking up early for class and work, I still to this day dread getting out of bed after hearing the “silk” alarm sound play on my iPhone at 6:00 AM each morning. I’ve always wanted to be a morning person… I envision morning people to spring out of their beds like bread from a toaster as they pull back their large lavish curtains to reveal the sun’s rays. Let’s be real… that scenario is probably not going to happen so how do we make mornings suck a little less?

• Beauty sleep: Yes, you’ve heard this plenty of times before, but I cannot stress enough the importance of getting enough sleep. Some people do fine with just 6 hours while others like me need 8-9 hours to be nice. To ensure that you’re going to get your required hours of sleep, think about what time you have to be up in the morning and then go to bed that many hours before. Part of getting good sleep depends on what you’re doing before you actually go to bed. As much as we’d like to keep scrolling through Instagram waiting for that DM, the blue light from your phone screen suppresses melatonin, the hormone that controls your sleep cycle which then results in making it harder for you to fall asleep.

• Keep it movin’: Now that you’re awake, it is crucial that you keep your body active so you don’t continue feeling groggy. Do whatever activity is going to wake you up. For some, this means morning showers, exercise, walking your dog, etc.

• Eat breakfast: Back when I was younger, I always skipped breakfast to score myself an extra 10-15 minutes of sleep. Skipping breakfast is never a good idea because you’re keeping your body from receiving key nutrients that it needs to start the day. The lack of nutrients will result in a lack of energy - the perfect recipe for a sluggish morning. If you don’t have time to prepare breakfast in the morning, pick up a quick bite on your way to school/work.

• Write down your goals for the day: Don’t type out your goals in the Notes app on your phone, physically write them down with pen and paper. Studies show that you’re more inclined to achieve your goals when you’ve taken the time to write them down. These goals don’t have to be anything major, they just have to be anything that’s going to make you feel good when you check them off at the end of the day.

• Go to bed and wake up at the same time everyday (even on the weekends): Just like with anything that we want to see results from, we have to make a routine out of it. Having a steady schedule requires you to wake up at the same time each morning, but in order to do that, we must first allow ourselves to fall asleep at the same time each night. Doing so will create an internal clock, allowing for quality sleep every night. If you’ve worked so hard to keep a nighttime routine during the week, why allow the weekends to throw it off? Try your best to wake up early even on the weekends to be as productive as possible with your day!

Author: Jasmeet Gosal @jasmeetgosal