We’ve all had those mornings where getting out of bed feels like the hardest thing in the world to do. Maybe you went to sleep past your bedtime or drank too much coffee during the day so you didn’t get a good night’s rest. Whatever the reason is, there are ways to fix it.
Mornings set the tone for how the rest of your day will go, so you want to make sure you do everything you can to start the day with your best foot forward. If this sounds like something you need a little help with, here are five ways you can wake up feeling more refreshed:
Avoid using your phone as soon as you wake up
Picking up your phone as soon as you wake up might have you scrolling on social media for a large part of your morning. This can be a huge waste of time and distract you from your morning routine. Even though it’s tempting to scope out the latest news via your Twitter timeline, this keeps you in bed longer than you should be. It also takes our attention away from ourselves and what we need in the morning. Mornings are sacred and should be time to simply focus on you. This will allow you to show up as your best self throughout the day.
Stop hitting the snooze button
According to Rafael Pelayo, MD, a sleep specialist at the Stanford University Sleep Medicine Center, our bodies instantly feel a jolt of adrenaline when we wake up to our alarms going off in the morning. However, if you hit snooze and fall back asleep instead of just getting out of bed, our bodies get confused which leads to us feeling groggy. Do yourself a favor and hop straight out of bed the first time your alarm goes off.
Drink a glass of water as soon as you wake up
When our bodies are hydrated, it makes it easier for our internal systems to function throughout the day. Without that hydration, our bodies have to work overtime which is what leads to the feeling of fatigue.
Make your bed when you wake up
It may seem like a small feat, but making your bed every morning can make you feel accomplished which can, in turn, lead to an increase in your overall productivity. In “The Power of Habit,” by Charles Duhigg, the author talks about how daily bed-making kickstarts a chain of other good decisions throughout the day and gives you a sense of taking charge.
Get out of bed and move your body
This could be stretching your arms over your head, jogging in place, or just doing some of your favorite dance moves. Getting any type of movement going first thing in the morning helps wake your body up and gets the blood flowing to your muscles. Your body also releases energy-stimulating endorphins which are “feel-good” chemicals in our brains that act as a happiness booster. Who couldn’t use some of that to jumpstart their day?
