Waking up in the morning is easy, but getting out of bed with energy is hard. Since we can’t create more hours in a day, many of us are constantly wondering how to have more energy. With an endless cycle of early mornings and late nights, it’s no wonder that we’re reaching for caffeine and sugar mid-morning and early in the afternoon. Plus, sleep deprivation leads to inflammation, disease, and poor food choices. All in all, it’s a recipe for poor focus and low morale.
This is partly due to the fact that modern society isn’t necessarily conducive to our natural sleeping pattern. Some researchers have even compared working in the early morning to torture.
Why It’s Hard To Work In The Morning
Monday mornings are just the worst, aren’t they? We all look for a way on how to wake up fast, but it’s never easy.
If you ever wondered why it’s so hard to wake up early, just ask Dr. Paul Kelley. The researcher from Oxford University argues that the modern workday should be updated to start no earlier than 10 am. He argues that early morning work had devastating effects on the physical and emotional performance of systems in the body.
According to the Telegraph, “Just one week with less than six hours’ sleep each night leads to 711 changes in how genes function.” (1)
This is because your body naturally follows the sun. Hence, your waking hours should follow sunlight hours. In our efficiency-focused society, health has faded to the background in favor of 24/7 production. And it isn’t really working: “Lack of sleep impacts performance, attention, long-term memory and encourages drug and alcohol use.”
Your sleep cycle changes as you age. The younger you are, the later you naturally go to sleep, which extends into a late morning.
“Staff should start at 10 am,” insists Dr. Kelley. “You don’t get back to (the 9am) starting point till 55. Staff are usually sleep-deprived. We’ve got a sleep-deprived society.”
Dr. Kelley and other neuroscientists insist that sleep deprivation begins in adolescence. This is because teens are biologically predisposed to go to sleep at around midnight. In turn, they aren’t fully awake until about 10 in the morning (2). With school schedules following the 9-5 lifestyle, teens lose an average of 10 hours of sleep a week (3).
Combined with a drastically different sleep pattern on weekends, teenagers simply can’t adjust to the early-to-bed, early-to-rise sleep cycle. This, in turn, may contribute to the mood problems responsible for the “grumpy teenager” stereotype.
By pushing back school to 10 am in test schools, British scientists have found that attendance levels, grades, and general productivity improved.
And it isn’t just teenagers who are missing out, most 10-55 years olds skip out on 2-3 hours of sleep each day.
Why Waking Up Early Is Good for You
The 9-5 lifestyle probably won’t change anytime soon, and in some ways, it’s a good thing.
According to Forbes Magazine, early risers are more productive and more optimistic. Plus they have a better ability to anticipate problems and resolve them, making them better planners. In order to wake up early, they typically sleep earlier too, meaning they sleep better than late risers (4).
This is also due to the fact that late risers can only sleep in on weekends, throwing off their weekday schedule. Morning risers are also more likely to have better focus since the morning is a relatively quiet time.
So how do you transition from a night owl to morning person?
How to Have More Energy In The Morning
Here are a few things you can do to utilize your mornings!
Things To Do Before Bed
How to increase energy starts at night!
1. Open Those Blinds
There’s nothing better than a little sunshine to tell your reptilian brain that it’s time to wake up! Morning sun will make you feel more alert, positive and ready to start your day.
Best of all, morning sunlight actually helps you sleep. When daylight fades, your body starts to release melatonin, a hormone that regulates your sleep cycle. For better sleep, stay in well-light spaces during daylight hours and switch to darker rooms before winding down to sleep (5).
2. Grab A Snack
Indulge in those nighttime cravings by grabbing a healthy snack an hour or so before bed, these are healthy eating habits that you need to have. Late-night hunger can cause poor sleep and morning crankiness. Having a banana or a few carrots with hummus as you wind down from your day is a great trick to get a good night’s sleep and feel better when you awake.
3. Skip Out On The Coffee In The Afternoon
To get the best sleep, stop eating or drinking things with caffeine or sugar at least eight hours before you want to go to bed. These stimulants, along with tobacco, keep you buzzed late into the night while you’re trying to fall asleep (6).
4. Don’t Drink Late At Night
Drinking alcohol will act as a sedative and will make you drowsy, but it results in poor sleep quality into the night.
“Alcohol may seem to be helping you to sleep, as it helps induce sleep, but overall it is more disruptive to sleep, particularly in the second half of the night,” says researcher Irshaad Ebrahim, the medical director at The London Sleep Centre in the U.K. “Alcohol also suppresses breathing and can precipitate sleep apnea, or pauses in breathing that happen throughout the night.”(7)
5. Ditch The Screens
Screens on your laptop, tablet, tv, and cell phone emit a blue light that messes up your sleep cycle by slowing the release of melatonin (8). Ideally, you should shut off all electronics and dim the lights at least 1-2 hours before bedtime (9).
6. Set Your Thermostat
According to Sleep Medicine Reviews, sleeping in a colder room can actually prevent insomnia since your body naturally heats up later in the night. Experts argue that the ideal sleep temp is 68 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit (10).
7. Write Out Your Plans For The Next Day
One of the largest obstacles to restful sleep is feeling like you haven’t accomplished enough in the day. In fact, many people start writing a mental list of their tasks for the next day the second their head hits the pillow. Ease this anxiety by writing down your goals, chores, or thoughts out on paper before starting your bedtime routine. In the morning, consult the list after getting ready for your day (11).
8. Try Meditation
Meditation is a great way to clear your head and relax. By focusing on your breath and closing your eyes, your body will naturally ease tension in your muscles and wind down into a restful sleep.
9. Listen To Some White Noise
White noise is a bunch of frequencies equally distributed over the whole hearing range. It’s mainly used to camouflage other noises that may be going on while you’re trying to sleep. However, in some people, white noise increases sensitivity to underlying sounds (12).
Things To Do In The Morning
Here’s how to get more energy in the morning and start your day on the right foot!
10. Drink More Water
Dehydration is one of the major causes of sleepiness and low energy first thing in the morning. Drinking a tall glass of water as soon as you wake up will do wonders for your metabolism. Try drinking lemon water or water with apple cider vinegar so even more benefits.
11. Get Up To Turn Off Your Alarm
The worst thing you can do in the morning is hit your snooze button! Moving your alarm away from your bed will force you to get up to turn it off. Plus, all that ever-loving heat trapped under your blankets escapes, making a few more minutes in bed less tempting!
Instead of snoozing, use those extra ten minutes for “me time”. Try journaling, yoga, or a longer shower routine to start your day with a positive attitude.
12. Sing Along
When your energy levels are low, why not borrow some from a high-power song? Listening to your favorite music in the morning will make you want to dance and sing along, which in turn wakes up your body and your mind. Best of all, it’s a great way to boost your mood and set the pace for an awesome day!
You can even create a fun playlist and sync it to your alarm clock to dance your way out of bed.
13. Have A Good Breakfast
If you wake up hungry, grab some nuts while you cook up your first meal: when your body is running on empty, it doesn’t take long to start feeling sleepy again! Combat fatigue with a delicious and nutritious concoction of your favorite healthy foods. For constant energy throughout the morning, stick to high-protein, low-carb foods. Breakfast IS the best meal of the day; don’t skip out!
14. Have Fun With It!
Your morning will set the pace for your whole day, so make sure to enjoy it! Find ways to be a little silly with a funky pair of pajamas or a funny coffee mug. Watching a fun talk show or playing a game with your family will instantly make you happier and more optimistic to what the day has to offer.
15. Move Your Body
Going for a jog or whipping out your old jump rope is a sure-fire way to boost your energy. Exercising will wake up any muscles that might still be sleeping in! Plus, it kick-starts your metabolism to burn fat and have steady energy all day long.
16. Make Morning Appointments
These appointments will force you to wake up earlier than you normally would and hold you accountable if you can’t keep your promises.
17. Make Your Bed
Making your bed can make feel accomplished from the start of your day. That feeling can motivate you to stick to your schedule and get things done.
Since keeping your bed unmade can actually help kill allergy-causing dust mites by exposing them to the sun and fresh air. But this trick only works when your unmade bed has the sheets pulled back (13).
This means that you can actually keep your bedroom tidy while keeping dust mites at bay. All you have to do is make your bed, and fold back the blankets until ¾ of your bed is exposed. For best results, make sure your bed is exposed to direct light and keep your bed open until you get home from work. In the summer, it’s also a good idea to open your window to get some fresh air in your home too.
Ways To Keep Going
Let’s be honest, it’s hard to stick to good habits. Here’s how to make it work.
18. Build A Routine
Having a routine will help keep you disciplined in the new habits you’re trying to form. You’ll find that by organizing your mornings you’ll be able to fit in more activities, feel more accomplished and be encouraged to keep going! Don’t be afraid to switch it up a little to have something to look forward to, like a morning swim on Wednesdays or yummy pancakes on Fridays.
19. Make It Social
Making plans with friends is a great incentive to go out and get more done in the morning. Try scheduling a breakfast date with your best friend once a week or signing up a family member as your running buddy. Spending time with other people early in the day will keep you accountable in your routine and the social interaction will leave you hungry for more!
20. Find Your Motivation
The best source of natural energy boosters is knowing what you want to achieve in the day. Once you’ve clearly defined what’s important to you, you’ll want to get out of bed and make it happen. If you need to, write it down and read it out loud every morning.