How become a morning person? Here are 3 useful tips!
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Being irritable in the morning is completely normal. In fact, don’t take offense if your roommate or partner just isn’t one for chitchat in the wee hours of the morning. Embedded deep inside your DNA exists a small pool of genes that determine whether or not you’re a morning or evening person. In addition to this collection of genes, other factors including hormones, sunlight, and age can have a powerful influence on deciding which type of person you are. If, for whatever reason, you are looking to change your sleep schedule and lifestyle, here are three tips to help you become a morning person:
Manage your bedtime
How much sleep you get and what hours you turn in for bed are important factors to consider when recalibrating your sleep cycle. One simply cannot will himself/herself to sleep at a time that’s too early when compared to their usual sleep time. For instance, if your body clock is used to sleeping well after midnight, forcing yourself to sleep at 10 PM will likely be met with resistance. Instead, slowly adjust your bedtime by 20~30 minutes earlier than usual for a week. If successful, push it back for another 20~30 minutes the following week.
You should also configure your room’s lighting conditions. The human body’s circadian rhythms respond to changes in its surrounding. A bright light shone during the morning time can induce a feeling of alertness. Natural light is still the most ideal type of lighting to use when trying to adjust your circadian rhythm, so it’s best that you either go outside early or open your bedroom window to let in some sunlight. You can also try installing light therapy lamps that emulate the brightness of natural sunlight.
Make your morning routine more enticing
Move your schedule around so that many pleasurable activities or items on the agenda are put the first thing in the morning. As experts recommend, schedule something to look forward to, such as a freshly brewed cup of Kona coffee sipped in complete silence or a daily newspaper read concerning a topic of your choosing.
Another way to entice yourself is to identify the main reason for trying to wake up much earlier. It could be for an upcoming promotion at work, more bonding time for you and your family, or even as simple as buying your favorite breakfast meal before the line at the diner starts to form. And of course, don’t forget to reward yourself when you do hit a milestone. Rewards can be as simple as an hour of video games or your favorite ice cream sundae.
Tire yourself out throughout the day
If you have too much energy left overcome nighttime, it’ll take more time to actually fall asleep and get up early the next morning. Develop an active lifestyle that includes running errands, exercising, and solving problems at work. All of these activities culminate in more energy spent than stored in your body.
You should also have a nighttime routine to ease your way into the normal sleep cycle. Routines or activities that trigger bedtime signal/s will vary from one person to the next. Some examples include, but are not limited to, aromatherapy, deep breathing, meditation, and other calming techniques that can eventually put you to sleep.
Last but certainly not least is the best advice on how to become more of a morning person than a night owl is to track positive impacts. As your circadian rhythm changes for the better, you may notice an increase in your energy levels and mood. However, there are metrics that can reveal otherwise. Make a mental or actual note of said changes. These bodily changes can help you review the positive impact that can help you stay motivated at times when it’s hard to sleep or socialize.
Final thoughts
As a final piece of advice, make changes to your regular dietary habits. A 2020 report revolving around diet patterns and chronotype suggest that night owls tend to eat dinner much later into the night compared to morning people. Night owls also tend to avoid breakfast meals and consume fewer veggies. By constantly improving your dietary lifestyle, it’s easier to get quality sleep.