5 Ways to Be an Early Riser

5 Ways to Be an Early Riser

We have all been there, waking up in the morning for school or work and feeling tired because we only got so much time to sleep. We ended up going through the day like a zombie in search of a brain— groggy, and to be completely honest, a bit dangerous. While this may be due to the abundance of work we have to do the previous night, sometimes the ever-absent sleep is the one to blame.

Commonly understood as someone being an early bird or a night owl, our circadian rhythm or internal body clock is the very thing that is preventing us from sleeping at a snap of a finger. At its core, the internal body clock is our body’s natural (without any reinforcement) waking and sleeping time. This causes each of us to have a different sleeping pattern and, thus, at times strikingly different hours when we can function optimally.

As the world is in tune with the societal understanding that the early bird gets the worm, the night owls often find themselves having to adjust to a different sleeping pattern. This is done so that they can accommodate the preferred schedule given at work or school.

So, if you happen to be a night owl looking to transform into an early bird, then worry not! The good news is that it is highly possible, though it will need your utmost commitment and determination. Here we have included some of the tips to be an early bird without compromising the quality of your sleep.

A little goes a long way

Before we go into anything, you have to understand that your body works the same way as when you are learning a new subject at school. Therefore, you need a proper and preferably not sudden introduction to the learning materials before understanding the more complicated topics.

In the case of turning into an early riser, it would not be wise for you to jump straight in and wake up at 5 AM when you usually wake up at 8 AM. What you need to do instead is to take 15-30 minutes off your sleeping time during the first week and gradually increase them until you reach your goal. This way, your body will be able to recognize the change as an introduction to the learning process and grasp the material as needed.

Force is a no-go

Nothing good ever comes from forcing something, and sleep is not an exception. For example, when people try to adopt a new sleeping pattern, they often force themselves to sleep earlier, which often causes insomnia. In this case, the right idea is to wake up earlier gradually, so your body will need to sleep earlier as well.

Another thing you can try is to read, meditate, or talk to a loved one nearing your bedtime so that sleep will come to you naturally. Furthermore, tuning the ambiance of your bedroom into a more relaxing mood would also be beneficial. For example, making sure that the air quality in your house is good can lead you to a faster and better-rested sleep.

Let there be light

Our body responds well to light. When it is evident, our body will recognize it as the time to be awake, and vice versa. Therefore, it is ideal for you to be exposed to a light source for at least 30 minutes within the first hour of waking up. This will give a chance for your body to be up and running slowly.

So, the next time the alarm rings and you dread waking up, try to find a light source (preferably the sunlight) and just bask in them. Maybe also turn on your favorite morning jams and blast them through your Bose speaker. This way, you can wake up feeling refreshed while also fulfilling your vitamin D intake from the sun.

Planning is caring

While exercising can help increase your sleep quality, doing it within 2 hours before your supposed sleeping time will only help push it back. As you exercise, your body will get more energized and thus take a long time to wind back down. Instead, try to plan ahead and fit exercise into the right slot in your schedule so that it won’t affect your early bird agenda.

It is the weekend, not the week off

After spending five days working, we often want to take our time and take three more hours to sleep on the weekends. Sadly, as you are transitioning into an early bird, a maximum of 30 minutes is all the oversleep time you have. If you go longer than that, you will end up confusing your body’s circadian rhythm and erase the progress you’ve made throughout the week.

Changing your sleeping pattern is a long-term commitment that would require a lot of effort. Hence why it is essential for you to establish a strong reason from the get-go, as it will act as a trampoline to bounce you back up throughout the process.