Now that winter's here, my reluctance to get out of bed in the morning has mounted exponentially. It's much easier to snuggle deep into the covers when my alarm goes off, and I'm constantly oversleeping when I know that I should get up. In an attempt to curb this bad habit, I've compiled some tips for making waking up a bit more manageable.
• Have a drink. Drinking water as soon as you wake up will help stimulate the body and help you stay awake. I always keep a glass of water on the nightstand, ready for that morning sip.
• Program the coffee maker. Relatedly, programming the coffee maker to go off so that coffee is ready for me in the morning is a big help. The sound of the grinding and the scent of the coffee are big pick-me-ups. If it's still too tough to rouse yourself for a cup, put the pot near your bed. There's nothing wrong with having a bit coffee in bed as long as you actually wake up to drink it and refuse the impulse to linger there for hours.
• Drink something before you sleep. By the time your alarm goes off, you will probably have to use the bathroom and won't be able to go back to sleep comfortably.
• Don't allow yourself to reason with yourself. This is probably my biggest wake-up mistake. I resolve the night before to wake up early, but of course, my groggy 6 a.m. brain tells me that it's better for me to get enough sleep or that the world will wait if I rest for five more minutes (which inevitably turns into forty-five). You can convince yourself of a hundred different reasons to stay in bed when you're still tired, even if it's not really the best course of action. Try to shut off all that "logic" and force yourself to make getting out of bed a physical, automatic routine. Train yourself to respond immediately to the alarm without relying on conscious willpower. This article suggests using daytime exercises to instill the habit of getting up right away.
• Have something to look forward to. It's much easier to get out of bed when you focus on something you actually want to do instead of on the drudgery of what you must do. Try setting aside a few minutes in the morning for a ritual that will help you look forward to waking up. Maybe it's coffee in bed, the time to flip through a design magazine, or a shower with a special soap. Or, if there's nothing ritualistic that strikes your fancy, try to think of a getting-up reward the night before. Maybe you want to read another chapter in that book you can't put down, or perhaps you want to treat yourself to a fancier-than-usual breakfast. Whatever it may be, try to give yourself something that will help you start the day right.
• If you wake up before your alarm goes off, get out of bed. If you go back to sleep or wait for the alarm, chances are, you'll feel drowsier. Follow your natural sleep cycles, seize the day, and embrace those extra minutes if your body tells you it's time to get up.
• Do something active. You may not have the time or energy for a full-blown exercise routine every morning, but get your body moving somehow. Bop around a bit more than usual while you get ready in the morning or add a few minutes of jogging in place to the routine. I take three minutes to dance to whatever pop tune is striking my fancy. (Today's was particularly good.) If you can't even muster the energy to get out of bed, just force yourself to wiggle around under the covers or tense and un-tense your muscles several times to get your body in gear.
• Take a shower as soon as you get out of bed. The water and change in temperature will get your circulation going. I also recommend a shower gel with mint or some other invigorating scent to help make you more alert. I've also heard of keeping a peppermint or lemon by your bedside to help facilitate the wake-up process through aromatherapy.
• Remind yourself of what you have to do. Fixing these things in your mind at night might make it harder to relax and get to sleep, so it can be helpful, both as nighttime catharsis and morning wake-up, to note your to-do list on a small whiteboard or a piece of paper kept on the nightstand. It will help you feel at night like you have those things handled, or at least noted, for the following day, and it will give you more reason to get up in the morning.
• If none of this works, there's the obvious tip of setting the alarm clock across the room.
Do you have any secret wake-up weapons?
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Or just get a cat, or two! LOL
I always recommend getting a cat or two, but mine have turned against me - they snuggle closer on weekdays and do the obnoxious-get up-get up-GET UP! routine on weekends. Aside from making certain you live a life you love - I have nothing further to offer.
I love my life, but I'm a horrible person. I'd know I have to catch my 07:50 train, and I put my alarm on 06:30, just so that I get to snooze until I finally muster the courage to get up at 07:25, rush through dressing and the bathroom rituals, so I can leave in a hurry at 07:43. It's terrible and everyday I tell myself it's not going to be the same tomorrow! But then the cold morning comes way too quick and my bed is too warm and and my boyfriend is too snuggly...
Wearing an eye mask helps me. When I'm asleep it's pitch black. But when the alarm goes off across the room, I have to take off the mask, see the light and walk across the room... there is no chance of sleep after that, so I might as well jump in the shower and get the day started.
My cat was a great wake-up motivator when we first brought her home, but she's gotten used to my habits and now doesn't insist I get up until 8, which is at least a half hour later than I really should be getting up. I snooze for at least 40 minutes most days, regardless of the season.
Sleep Cycle app for iphone has made waking up so much easier. It tracks your movement while you sleep, and wakes you up in a half hour window when you're in light sleep, so you feel less groggy. I've been using it almost a year and I swear by it. I'm also now a sleep stats dork, so there's that. But really, it's an awesome little $1 app that has made mornings a lot easier for me, so I'll keep telling everyone I know (and some people I don't know). :)
Get a wake-up light. I got mine a little over a month ago and I am amazed at the difference it makes. Will it turn me into a cheery morning person? No, nothing will. But it does make it easier to wake up when my alarm goes off before the sun's fully up.
I'm surprised these weren't mentioned on the list. I think AT did a post about them a while back.
I'm getting to the point where I might have to put my phone across the room (it doubles as my alarm). It's just so hard to wake up during the winter. The room is already dark and comfortable, and I don't hear or smell the coffee brewing because it's not on the same floor.
I just read somewhere that having a light come on will interrupt the melatonin production which will help you wake up. I think it really helps me, anyway.
I have my thermostat set to turn on the heat when I need to get up. The hum of the furnace helps wake me up, and not having to get out of bed in a cold room makes it easier to get moving.
To the commenters who keep mentioning cats...If you must, please do not get more than one cat if you live above someone in an apt building. I have seriously thought about selling my apt due to the noises they make between 5:30 am and 8am. they chase each other all over, and it sounds like furniture being knocked around. It is distressing...
I made a deal with myself, that if I I got up every day during the week without hitting the snooze, I could buy myself a latte or pastry on Friday morning. It worked really well for two weeks, and now I've reverted back to my old ways. :-(
i have a set of christmas lights on a timer to turn on 30 minutes before i wake up ... the soft light starts to wake me up but isn't jarring and its nice to wake up and not have a pitch dark bedroom.
@kayonnyc - have you talked to the owners about the cats? Cats, like all animals, have their own personalities. Not all cats are rambunctious early in the morning. If the cats are kittens, they're more likely to settle down as they get older.
This seems only hard for me during winter too. Ugh. I just try to get in the shower first thing. Hot water in my face is better than any coffee.
Pick up 3 or 4 of those little chocolate filled advent calendars for the remaining winter months.
Yes to the cats! It's gotten to the point where I don't even bother to set my alarm unless it's a day where I have to be somewhere by 9am. Cats = alarm clock.
Forget the cats. Go straight for the hardcore solution and have a baby. You won't have to worry about sleeping in on weekday mornings for another 18 or so years.
If I need to get up early I put the clock radio on the far side of the room, turn it up loud (loudish if you're in an apartment or condo) and tune it to a country music station (whatever music you like least should do). Works like a charm--at the appointed hour, I claw my way out of bed post haste to kill the source of the intrusion.
@kayonnyc: I would definitely say something to your neighbors. They may not know the cats are making so much noise, or it may not even be them. I had a neighbor actually call management on me and my husband, only to discover that the noise they were hearing was one apartment over.
I will definitely chime in and agree with cats ;) I have two, and they are great sleepers, but when the alarm goes off, it's over. They will walk all over us until we get up :)
I must be the only one who's cat is a nuisance rather than a help in the mornings. Mine wakes me up around 5 for breakfast, 5:30 to be let out, 6:30 to be let back in, and then 7 again to go back out after a drink. I can't even ignore it because his scratching is so loud! Good thing he's adorable.
I can't wait up in the summer or winter. I sleep with the shades open, so no amount of sunlight is going to get me up. I wish one of those wake up lights was the answer!
Salt saved my life. I was convinced I had chronic fatigue and was a hazard on the road I was so exhausted. Turns out I had low blood pressure, salt and miso soup gave me back my energy. For comfort, I suggest fleece pjs and slippers to warm you up even before the shower. Also blasting the tv if you're not bothering anyone - I love watching MSNBC in the morning so I indulge while I'm getting ready for work.
I'm going to second the heater solution. Set it on timer so it starts up about 30 minutes before your alarm so the space is warm when it's time to get up.
That and, don't stay up late to watch the latest episode of The Walking Dead which will then give you nightmares all night so it's impossible to wake up the next morning.
I read an AT post similar to this a few months ago. Someone recommended getting a lamp timer. I got one and it is awesome!
To those who inquired about my talking to the owner, yes, I have, and she was plenty apologetic (and send down a bottle of Cabernet) but the situation would get better, and then worse. I finally emailed management, and took it up with them and asked them to suggest that the cats be kept away from the bedroom overnight, so that I wouldnt have to hear them in my sleep. It is still a nuisance to this day although less so, thankfully - and some days, not only do i hear the cats, I hear the owner scram at them at the top of her lungs, "stop it!!"
I have two puppies that sleep together in a crate in another room. Even through the closed door they hear my alarm go off and start a rousing chorus that is impossible to sleep through! I start my coffee before I take them to the yard and by the time we're all back inside I'm awake, the house smells delicious, and I've been thoroughly showered with puppy-love. It's a great way to start the day:)
I have a timing controlled thermostat and it's set to come up to daytime temp right when my alarm goes off--this usually means that the heat's actively blowing into the room right when I'm getting out of bed, which helps a lot with the warm bed/cold air issue.
The thing that has most improved my morning-wake-up routine is switching to night showers. I have thick, curly hair, and showering at night shaves about an hour off of my morning routine, allowing me to sleep in (to clarify, showering doesn't take a whole hour, but getting my hair from wet to just damp-ish takes a good 20 minutes, and I needed the extra time to let it finish drying). I was staying in bed longer then intended to avoid feeling cold after getting out of the shower, then having less time to dry my hair (with a diffuser) so was having to get dressed and eat with wetter-then-ideal hair, which gets even colder then just-damp hair, and having to leave for the bus stop with still wet/damp hair, and feeling unprofessional at work because my hair was still damp.
Unexpected plus sides of showering at night: my boyfriend and I aren't nagging eachother about the shower ("hey, I need to get in there!"); I have been getting sick less often.
I also use the auto-timer on my coffee maker, set out my clothes the night before (so that I can minimize the time spent half dressed figuring out what to wear), and have a cat that really really likes to be fed at exactly 7:30.
I recently purchased a 2 pack of the Stanley TimerMax Digislim Daily Digital Indoor Lamp Timer. I've set them so that in the morning my bedside lamps come on 20 and 10 minutes before my alarm goes off. Then at night they turn off 15 minutes apart when I need to be getting to sleep. It is a great for when I fall asleep reading and I no longer feel jolted awake in the morning.
Thanks for the tip, I looked in the app store and 116 come up under this search "sleep cycle app" the very first one is "sleep cycle alarm clock by maciek frejak labs" is this the correct one?
I can get up best when I've gone to bed a little earlier than usual, still leaving about 30 minutes to read in bed. Though that's harder to do this time of year for me since I have to do more baking, ironing, cleaning, wrapping presents in the evening.
Yes, setting the thermostat to turn on about 30 minutes before I get up helps, too. It takes about that long for the upstairs to get warmed up (steam radiators in this house).
Good sleep is essential to a positive attitude & productive day for me.
I have two cats and the younger, male kitty can be quite persistent when he gets hungry or bored...
Following the "remind yourself of what you have to do" tip in the article, I have a bit of advice. On days that I need to get up and do certain errands, I program myself an alert in my online calendar, and set it to send an alert to my cell phone at the time I want to wake up. You just type the whole list of stuff to do that day into the calendar description, then you are awakened with a text listing all of your responsibilities. It works for me :)
Putting the alarm across the room has definitely helped me. I am NOT a morning person.
Recipe for waking up: 3 50 lb dogs jumping on & off bed, alternating with whining by back door, plus 2 cats, 1 walking up & down my back, the other scatching the door frame.
Oversleep? Me? Even tho' I work nights & almost never have to set an alarm? They've all got clocks in their stomachs.
Lighten Up sunrise simulator- $20, and you can plug any light into it. Gradually brightens over 30 minutes, then on for an hour, then off. Works SO WELL, way cheaper than the Phillips ones and you can have a lamp that matches your style. I'm a huge fan. (Probably not a bad Christmas gift either!)
I think the best solution is to win the lottery and never have to get up early again unless you want to. Anyone tried that?
I haven't. Sigh.
blimey...they must be BIG cats!! either that or the sound proofing is terrible between floors! have you tried earplugs?
Cats? Go hardcore and get a dog. When I had my dog during his puppy-hood I was up at 6am every day or there was a puddle. Even after he learned to hold it later than that I was already in the habit though now that he's gone I miss my private moments puppy-love in the morning now that I'm getting up at 4:45am Monday thru Friday to make everyone else's coffee... think it's time for a new puppy!
I agree! Sleep Cycle changed my mornings forever :)
I'm trying leapkate...i'm tryinnnnnnnnnnnnngggg..! BEST idea.:)
Perfect timing, my solution just occurred this morning . . . take one indoor kitty plus one French door (w/screen door) plus one outside stray kitty, mix well 30 min. before your alarm goes off. The ensuing hissing, yowling and banging will have you up and adrenalized in no time ;-)
I've had the alarm clock across the room for 15 years, and believe me, I have absolutely no problem simply getting back in bed. My boyfriend and I share a bed 3 nights a week, and I have got to get this solved before we move in together.
Loud music, alarms, etc are no good for us. Quiet mornings mean generally good days at school for the kiddo. So I keep the phone close to the bed and wake up right as it goes off, in a scramble to make sure the little one didn't hear it. Lights won't wake me up so alarm it is. Then I quietly take the dog out and shiver myself awake outside. Come in, sit next to the kiddo in bed and rub his back awake. We also have a whisper rule in the morning. It doesn't always go to plan, but I'm fairly sure I have the quietest house with school age kids in the country.
If anyone has a solution for how to make a kitten stay asleep instead of his usual "let's dick around and bounce off the walls from 5:45-7:30 am" time, I'd love to know. those extra minutes would be lovely to have back.
I second the heater idea though. Also if you get up in the middle of the night or early morning, open the blinds a bit to let some extra light in.
Things that help me get out of bed easier in the winter time:
- Keep the heat on at night so that I wake up in a warm bedroom. If it's cold in my room and it's warm under the blankets...... it's SOOO difficult to get out of bed.
- Make sure my comfortable slippers and robe are right by my bed so once I slip them on, it's easier to make that bedroom-bathroom walk a little more pleasant.
- Make sure my breakfast is something to look forward to. A cup of coffee with delicious coffee creamer and something special for breakfast is sometimes enough to get me out of bed early.
Agree with those who hate being cold in the A.M. Who wants to climb out of a soft, down-warmed nest into the frigid morning air? So I shower or take my bath at night now.
I generally use 2 alarms - I put my cell phone on vibrate (so as not to awaken the rest of the household) and hit snooze every 5 minutes for a half hour, so I can wake up slowly and not be a raging beast when the real alarm clock goes BWA-BWA-BWA-BWA!!
If I have to work or be somewhere early, it's also easier to get moving if I get everything ready the night before, from my lunch to my clothing.
Hi Emmi, it's good to hear that you sorted your low blood pressure problem...just wanted to remind folks not to increase their salt intake without having their blood pressure tested first...it could be dangerous if their BP is already on the high side.......and for me, getting up to a warm room is top of the list but having the light come on gradually to wake me gently comes a close second as I'm definitely more of an owl than a lark! Thanks for all the great suggestions everyone.
The wake-up light has changed my life. I couldn't live without it!
Wow, I'm so jealous of most of these solutions, but none of them will work for me. My husband is allergic to cats and we have different sleep schedules. He's a light sleeper who needs the room to be silent and completely black (I've started keeping the shutters opened a bit so I can even see when I need to wake up, but he now asks me to close them when I leave so the room will be pitch-black for the rest of the morning). I'm a heavy sleeper that can boast having slept through hurricanes, hail, and hours of blaring alarms (they become light-houses in my dreams). What's worse, his work shifts are changing but can include night shifts so he really needs to sleep. I'm going to try that whole practicing thing, I hope that'll help.
We get up before we have to (just as it dawns) for three reasons:
1. Two cats and one back up dog
2. No curtains anywhere
and the most important reason....
3. Going to bed earlier than we think we need to
Waking up slowly after getting out of bed (because there is extra time) has turned into a slow life overall, which has done wonders for our well being and happiness.
@Calendargirl yes, as I said it was my experience. Some people may have low blood pressure and this can cause problems too. The only way to know is to see a doctor.
@Theinternets sadly that's the price to pay for having a kitten or even a cat under the age of 2. Cats are nocturnal and sometimes crepuscular. You have a healthy, happy kitten and that's normal behavior. That said, when he acts up try feeding him (but expect to feed him that early every day thereafter) or if you have separated rooms, simply shut the bedroom door. Ignore his antics to get in the room. Do not respond. He will get the hint in one to two weeks.
I have alarm dogs (like another commenter) - one in particular. I live over a restaurant and my dogs are older so not running around in the morning - they'd rather snuggle or get a belly rub. I go to sleep earlier so I am not sleep deprived early in the morning and give myself a full two hours to ease into the day. I can't stand having to rush around like a maniac to get out the door, which encourages me to get up, have tea or coffee at my leisure, catch the news (mainly the weather), listen to music or comedy (starting the day out with a few laughs is great). All that said, I am certain my built in biology thinks I should be allowed to be awake when the sun is up and go to sleep when it's dark!
Some water in the morning before coffee is a really healthy thing to do. And recently, I've found out that caffeine attaches to (& thus blocks) receptors that should be taking in real energy, not a drug with no nourishing qualities.
So I bought some ribose powder (I got mine at SwansonVitamins DOT com, which has really good prices). I'm given to understand this is the quintessential energy source (think RNA) . So that way I get some actual nourishing energy to my cells before blocking the receptors with caffeine. Ribose has a sweet taste and dissolves, even from a lumpy state, immediately, so it's VERY easy to do this.
Unfortunately, I'm having a lot of trouble giving up coffee, but preceding it with ribose over a period of a few weeks does seem to have made a BIG difference in my energy levels. Without as many ups and way-downs, my sleep patterns have stabilized, though there were a few days when, with my newfound energy, I was waking up way early. But at least I felt good, not devastated that I couldn't sleep.
PS Do be careful about "having no curtains anywhere." Research has shown that light disrupts melatonin production, which wreaks havoc on the metabolism. Surprisingly, even the amount of light that comes in under a closed door can do that! A light on a timer is probably the best idea, maybe just a low-wattage bulb so it's gentle.
Which app is it? I mean, who makes it? I've been looking for one for myself.
thanks!
"put the (coffee)pot near your bed"
~ wow, someone has a hard time getting up ;-)
Thank you so much for this recommendation! All the suggestions have been great, but I am a sucker for iPhone apps and also, like you, I love stats. I'm going to go download this right away!
That is the one! I love it!
I want to say it's only for iphone, and it's called Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock by Maciek Frejak Labs.
Get a DOG. Or, like us, have TWO. My girl wakes me every morning, without fail, at 6:30am, to be let out. If I even think about rolling over & pulling the covers over my head there's her brother sticking his nose in my face. Unlike cats, dogs don't use the litter box & then curl up by your feet. No, they need to be let out. NOW! No fighting it. They will either pull the blankets from my face with their paws or start making that whimpering whinging sound that makes any alarm clock sound like heavenly bells. I praise them for waking me & not peeing (or worse) on the floor, of course. But, if I could just teach them to at least get the coffee started...
The heaven of working for myself, from home! If I wake early I get a head start, if I wake late it doesn't matter, and most days unfold in organic time not clock time. I truly didn't know what a difference it would make until I stopped commuting.
Haha. No one mentioned getting old. I couldn't sleep in if I wanted to. One day, you will look back at the days of alarm clocks and cats and showers and coffee pots and marvel that you actually needed something external to wake you.
Try a new gift for ur self, on the end of every week :)
Following my own sleep cycle has been an amazing change in my life. I used to wake up early, around 5 a.m., and roll over to go back to sleep, of course, since I didn't have to get up until 8. Now I get up when I first wake up--around 5 a.m., and I even changed my work schedule, so I work 6:30 to 3:30.
I know it sounds crazy, but I am not sleepy during the day, the way I was when I'd go back to sleep for another three hours. I even get up early on the weekends, although sometimes I do linger in bed until 6 or 6:30.
I keep wondering if this is really me. I mean, really. I never was a morning person. I guess it turns out I AM a morning person--just an early-morning person.
Devote the day to one end using all the nomralities and to-dos as a means to that end - serenity, reconciliation
One thing I do that works is turning the radio on my alarm... but finding an awful static not in tune station and turn it up full blast. It's across the room so when it goes off I jump out of bed. The subtle, non jarring waking up thing doesn't work for me as I feel too comfortable and find it easy to slip back to sleep.
Train your kitty to sleep like you do. I put my new kitty in a big dog crate with a pillow in a pillow case when I go to bed when I first had her and shut the door. Now she just jumps in every night when I turn off the lights and sleeps till morning. My vet and vet tech love my cat because their are no hassles with getting her in and out of the cage. If she starts waking me before my alarm goes off as she does with the annual time changes. I just get up put her in the cage and shut the door and go back to sleep until I am ready to get up again. Problem solved. If the cat whines throw in a little catnip mouse toy in with the kitten.
My phone alarm has this awesome feature that you have to answer multiple questions in order for ti to stop and if you answer wrong the alarm gets a little louder. Does the trick every time.