Cold showers
While drenching yourself in cold water may sound quite unpleasant, it is a refreshing way to begin your day. Research suggests that cold showers make you more alert on account of the physiological effects of cold water on the body such as increased blood pressure, heart rate, and respiration.
Focus on you
The morning is one of the quietest times of day, especially when you live in a rowdy household. It can be a great time to steal a few minutes to yourself to prepare for the day. You can take this time and use it for mindful activities such as journaling, meditation or a quick stretching session. Going through these activities reminds you to check in with yourself and make sure you're taking care of your mental health every single day.
Moderate your diet
Balancing your diet chart is really important to make sure you’re sleeping healthy. Cutting off fatty food and caffeine at dinner would be a start. Also, make sure to get a healthy breakfast so that you don’t get too hungry the rest of the day. Yogurt, Chia Seeds, Eggs, Nuts, Berries, Oatmeal, etc. is safe to eat at breakfast. You could also go for a nice cup of coffee at the end. But, avoid heavy meals after the evening as they will only decrease your chance of getting a night of healthy sleep.
Keep the alarm clock or phone away from the bed
There is no other option than setting an alarm to make sure you wake up in the morning. But, if you’re a person who snoozes the alarm and goes back to sleep, putting one or two alarms will not help. Try setting a ringtone that is loud and irritating. Put the phone away from you so that you have to get up from your bed and turn it off. Since you’ll be up from your bed, staying awake will not be much difficult now.
Exercise
One of the best ways I've found to start off my day is to get an early start and head to the gym. Getting my workout done in the mornings keeps me accountable. If I leave it for later in the day, there is a bigger chance that I'll skip it altogether. It's also a great way to get my day going. Exercising helps to relieve stress and release endorphins. I always feel that I've done more with my day when I get my workout done in the morning.
Leave your phone alone
The way you wake up in the morning sets the mood for the rest of your day. It's important to start it in a positive place with time to yourself. Instead of picking up your phone as soon as you wake up to check your messages and emails, take a few minutes to let yourself wake up. Drink some water, wash your face and make your bed. Doing these simple things can help you mentally prepare for your day.
Bask in the morning sun
Begin your day with some good old sunshine to set yourself up for an excellent day. Soak in the sun’s wholesome Vitamin D to take your energy level through the roof.
Simply open the drapes in the morning or introduce an outdoor activity to your mornings. A jog around the park or a coffee on the balcony is a great way to start your day.
Work on the skin you're in
If I'm being completely honest, I look forward to my morning routine when I wake up because it makes me feel refreshed and ready to go. This includes doing a skincare routine that helps me feel confident and awake. This can be as simple as using a gentle cleanser on your skin, moisturizing, and brushing your teeth. For those of us with more complicated routines, every step helps us slowly wake up and get ready for the next step.
Lose the snooze button
If you snooze, you lose. Snooze buttons give you an option to stay put for a few more minutes, and what harm could a “few” more minutes do, right? Not quite.
Going back to sleep once you wake up is known as sleep fragmentation. Research has shown that sleep fragmentation makes you feel exhausted and run-down during the rest of the day.
Consistently doing this throws your internal clock out of whack and disrupts your sleep pattern. Ultimately, you’ll find it harder and harder to wake up.
STOP SNOOZING.
Adequate sleep is key
Waking up early is one of the toughest things ever if you don’t do that every morning. To make sure you wake up early, try going to sleep at least 8 hours before the time you want to wake up. If you get adequate amount of sleep, waking up early in the morning will be easier. You could improve your bedtime routine by cutting off browsing through Facebook or Instagram before going to sleep. Instead, you could try reading a book (not PDF).
