Some mornings can make you feel like you didn’t sleep at all especially, on Mondays. Try these tips to fight the temptation of pulling the sheets over your head and wake up feeling energized.
Eat A High-Protein Breakfast. The protein you eat will be converted into dopamine, which energizes you. Say yes to meat, poultry, seafood, beans, eggs, processed soy products, nuts and seeds. Don’t go overboard with carbs such as breads, cereals and processed foods with a lot of added sugar, they can make you feel groggy.
Exercise Every Morning. Stick to a morning exercise routine when you first wake up, your body will get used to being revved up in the morning. Your energy and attitude will be amazing. It doesn’t have to be rigorous, gentle yoga and tai chi routines have been shown to be effective in getting the brain and body ready for the day. Try finding routines on YouTube and perform them in a bright, stimulating environment.
Try Yoga Breathing. A study at Oxford found that pranayama or yoga breathing, had a stimulating effect on perceptions of both mental and physical energy and increased high positive mood. Try the most common form lying in bed called Three Part Breath Dirgha Breath: Inhale deeply through your nose, filling up belly your belly first. Expand your belly like a balloon. Continue to inhale, expanding ribs like gills on a fish. When you are completely full, empty yourself slowly by completely exhaling through your nose. Do six to 10 rounds.
Early Light Exposure. Light is the main cue influencing circadian rhythms, turning on or turning off genes that control our internal clocks. Open your shades as soon as you wake up. If you can’t get natural light in your bedroom, try getting a lightbox or an alarm that slowly gets brighter, simulating dawn. Even flipping on a regular light as soon as you open your eyes has a great effect.
Drink Water When You First Wake Up. During sleep, a lot of fluids are lost which can brings on dehydration. Dehyrdation can make you feel sluggish and sleepy. By rehydrating you’ll feel more alert. No need to chug, just quench your thirst.
Don’t Touch The Snooze Button. Set your alarm to the time you must get up without leaving time to snooze. Hitting the snooze button only leaves time for fragmented sleep, making you more tired. Try moving the alarm away from the bed where you will have to get up to turn it off.
Get Up At The Same Time EVERY day. Yes, even on the weekends. Our circadian rhythm, sleep-wake cycle, needs consistency in order to work properly. By sticking to a schedule, over time your body will start telling you when it’s time to go to bed to get the amount of rest itself gotten used to.
Go To Sleep The Right Way. No caffeine after lunch, stick to one glass of wine at dinner, keep your bedroom cool, don’t exercise near bedtime, and stay away from electronics an hour before bedtime.
A great way to track your progress is to use a sleep diary. You’ll be able to see where you should make changes as your record your sleep quality and lifestyle factors that affect your rest.
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