By Lauren Scott, Arizona Farm Bureau Intern
Sometimes it can be really hard to wake up in the morning. Even though you went to bed early and got eight hours of sleep, you still feel like you’ve been hit by a truck. Then, as the day goes by, you become even more tired. Each hour of work has you counting down the minutes until you will be back home and in your bed, ready for another night of sleep that will leave you tired the next day.
What if I told you there were ways to wake up refreshed and ready to conquer the day? No more groggy workdays with five cups of morning coffee and an afternoon crash. If this sounds like what you are going through, here are 10 ways to wake up on the right side of the bed!
- Don’t eat certain foods before bed! We’ve already published a blog about this, but there are certain foods you should NOT eat before you go to bed. For example, spicy foods might give you a tummy ache and indigestion, which will keep you up all night long.
- Drink a glass of cold water when you wake up in the morning. Not only is a cool glass of water a refreshing way to start the day, but it also helps to jump start your metabolism in the morning, and wakes you up faster.
- Exercise! I know you might not want to, but getting up in the morning and exercising is a great way to start your day! Endorphins are released when you exercise, which make you feel good! Who doesn’t want to feel good in the morning?
- Turn off those screens. Whether you are watching Netflix, surfing the web on your laptop, or replying to a text, it’s not good to look at screens right before you go to bed. Try to turn it off two hours before you go to sleep.
- Don’t hit the snooze button! Once your alarm goes off it’s not a good idea to go back to sleep. The sleep you get until the next time your alarm rings is not good, deep sleep. Plus, your body will think you’re going back to sleep for another eight hours, making it harder to get up, and making you more tired throughout the day.
- Take a few minutes before you go to bed to journal. You can write about anything! Write about what you did that day, write about your upcoming weekend plans, or make a list of everything you need to get done tomorrow. It will be way more relaxing and good for your eyes to write than stare at a phone, and it can really help you plan out your days so you don’t have to worry about it in the morning! Plus, you’ll assure you haven’t lost the fine art of writing.
- Relax before bed. Sip on some herbal tea (there’s no caffeine in it so it won’t keep you up!), take a nice hot shower or a bubble bath, and read a few chapters of your favorite book. These are all things that relax the body and mind and prepare you for a good-night’s sleep!
- Keep it light! Leave the blinds or curtains on your window open or in such a position that the morning light can help to wake you up. Also, when you get up in the morning, turn your lights on. This will help to wake you up quicker by making your brain think it’s lighter out than it is. (This is especially helpful in the winter months!)
- Put your alarm clock on the other side of the room. Keep your alarm clock on the other side of the bedroom so you have to get up and turn it off. If you use your phone, charge it on the other side of the room at night or just set it across the room from you when you go to bed. Getting up to turn your alarm off will signal to your body that it is time to get up for the day.
- Sleep on a schedule. Apart from special occasions, you should sleep on a schedule. Go to bed at the same time in the evenings and wake up at the same time in the morning. Your body will become adjusted to this schedule, making it easier to wake up!
- Sleep in the cold! A recent Wall Street Journal article cited a study published in the journal Current Biology that said many experts believe 65 degrees is the ideal room temperature for a good sleep. Although this might spike your bills in Arizona, especially in the summer time, you could always take advantage of an open window in the spring, fall, and winter!
There’s no shame in drinking a cup of coffee in the morning to help you through your day, just make sure it doesn’t become five cups. Sleep is important and can’t be substituted with energy drinks, coffee or tea.
Personally, my favorite ways to wake up refreshed in the morning are drinking that cold glass of water and exercising! I also sleep on a schedule and set my smart phone across the room so I have to get up and turn off the alarm when it goes off.
Try these methods to help you wake up feeling more refreshed in the morning, and let us know which ones worked better for you in the comments! Also let us know your own secrets for waking up on the right side of the bed!