How to become a morning person

By Ayesha Habib Sleeping is a natural and vital process for the survival of human beings. It is a relaxed state of mind and body characteriz...

By Ayesha Habib

Sleeping is a natural and vital process for the survival of human beings. It is a relaxed state of mind and body characterized by an altered state of consciousness. Sleeping for an average of 7-9  hours of the night seems ideal for young persons. Waking up at the early hours of the day can contribute to the more effective performance of an individual. 

No doubt, the emergence of COVID 19 has changed our lives drastically. Among many, one considerable lifestyle change was on our sleep schedules. Shifting all sorts of activities such as educational and others to the online platforms with flexible time schedules was the core reason behind. Thankfully as the affected number of cases is getting down, we are gradually getting back to pre-COVID life. Now, It's high time to fix our upset sleeping routine to welcome the old offline system of daily activities. 

CIRCADIAN RHYTHM is the force behind the sleep/wake cycle. It is the body's internal clock, controls the body's natural tendency to sleep at night and be awake during the day. It releases the Cortisol hormone to make us alert during the daytime. In the night, it produces the hormone Melatonin to help us relax and sleep.

If you are struggling to become a morning person, here are  Five lifestyle adjustments to follow:

1) AVOID CAFFEINE BEFORE SLEEPING:

Caffeine is a natural central nervous system stimulater found in coffee, tea, energy drinks, dark chocolates, and others. The habit of not consuming caffeine-containing foods and, drinks at least 6 hours before bedtime can help you get a night of quality sleep. Excessive consumption of caffeine can lead to Insomnia. Although, consumption of a controlled amount of caffeine is advised in the early morning hours to refresh.

2) NO GADGETS BEFORE BEDTIME:

It is advised not to use your smartphones or other electronic gadgets at least an hour before bedtime. The blue light-emitting devices decline the release of Melatonin, resulting in increased alertness for the brain and delaying sleeping hours. 

The habit of reading a book can help avoid the use of smartphones before sleeping hours. It can help to release stress in your brain. It also aids your brain to sleep faster by engaging your mind to gain new information.

3) STOP HITTING THE SNOOZE BUTTON:

The snooze option available with the alarm is not beneficial for you. Hitting it more often to earn 5 or 10 minutes of more sleep is not healthy. It only disturbs the quality of your sleep by giving you mixed feelings of alertness or not. Try to get to the bed a little earlier instead of longing your brain for five extra minutes of snooze. Another way to wake up with the first beep of your alarm clock is to set that with melodious birds singing or sea waves sound and keep it away from you.

4) SET EXCITING GOALS FOR THE NEXT MORNING:

Before getting into your bed, plan for the upcoming morning. Start your morning with anything that excites you. It is not supposed to be big but something that stimulates your mind to wake up early in the morning. For instance, having an outdoor walk early in the morning with the hues of fresh air or seeing the sun rising. It can also be for having breakfast with loved ones or to working on some new projects or to watch something good or journaling or reading your favourite book, anything that you like to do.

5)  BE PATIENT:

The change in your sleep routine won't happen overnight. But you will get to see the impact over time. Consistency along patience are the keys to unlocking your early rising habit. 

Do you need a little motivation to follow the above tips? Let's have a look at a few advantages of being a morning person. 

There are many benefits associated with being an early riser. Waking up at early hours has a very positive role in one's success. Early risers tend to have more focused minds than the night owls. Another fruit of being a morning person is improved mental health,  enhanced productivity, and less procrastination. The core quality of highly successful people is to get out of bed early. As the saying goes by: 

"EARLY INVOLVEMENT OFTEN GET REWARDED"