How to Become an Early Riser
Maintain a regular sleep schedule., Shift your wake up time gradually., Avoid consuming caffeine four to six hours before your bedtime., Turn off all electronics and distractions a few hours before bed., Set an alarm to remind you it’s time for...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Maintain a regular sleep schedule.
Create a sleep schedule where you wake up and go to sleep at the same time everyday, even on weekends or days off.
Sleep requirements vary from person to person, but on average, you should be getting between seven to nine hours of sleep to function at your best during your waking hours.Some people think getting just one less hour of sleep won’t affect their daily functioning or that they can make up for lack of sleep on the weekend or a day off.
But any changes or shifts to your regular sleep schedule will only have a negative effect on your sleeping habits and lead to oversleeping or being overly tired when you wake up.Keep in mind extra sleep at night cannot cure you of your daytime fatigue.
The quantity of sleep you get every night is important, but the quality of your sleep is more important.
You may get eight or nine hours of sleep a night but you will not feel well rested if the quality of your sleep was poor. -
Step 2: Shift your wake up time gradually.
Rather than set your alarm to one hour earlier and hope that you will avoid the snooze button, shift your wake time in increments over a period of time.
This will help your body adjust to a new sleep schedule and ensure that your sleep habits adapt long term to your new wake up time.Start with adjusting your alarm so it is set five minutes earlier than usual.
Go to bed five minutes earlier than normal and try to wake up with your alarm.
Do this for several days to a week and then push back your wake up time by five more minutes.
Try to wake up for several days to a week with the new wake up time.
Repeat this process until you reach the wake up time you desire. , About half the caffeine you consume at 7 pm is still in your body at 11 pm.A known stimulant, caffeine can be found in coffee, chocolate, soft drinks, non-herbal teas, diet drugs, and some pain relievers.
Limit how many cups of coffee you have several hours before bed, or try to eliminate caffeine in your diet all together.Alcohol also prevents deep sleep and REM sleep.
It will keep you in the lighter stages of sleep, causing you to possibly wake up easily and have a harder time falling back asleep.
Avoid consuming alcohol 1-2 hours before bed to ensure you get a good night’s sleep and don’t oversleep in the morning., Switch off your television, smartphone, iPad, and computer or keep all electronics out of your bedroom completely.
The type of light these screens emit can stimulate your brain, suppress the production of melatonin (which helps you sleep), and interfere with your body’s internal clock.Another option is to shut down your computer on a schedule.
This will automatically sleep your machine and prevent you from working on your computer too late or too close to your bedtime.
There are sleep features on both PCs and Macs that you can activate.
As well, if you want your computer to be ready to go in the morning, once you wake up, you can schedule a startup time too. , If you tend to get wrapped up in evening activities or conversations and forget to stick to your sleep schedule, you can set an alarm on your phone or computer to alert you 1 hour or 30 minutes before bedtime.
If you prefer to shut down all electronics a few hours before bed, you can use an alarm on your watch or ask someone you live with to remind you of bedtime 1 hour before it’s time. , This could be a warm bath, reading a good book, or having a quiet conversation with your partner.
Doing a restful activity will help to trigger your brain to start relaxing and shutting down.If you find yourself tossing and turning in bed in the dark, don’t lie there and stare up at the ceiling.
Instead, do a relaxing activity in bed to calm down and get your mind off your inability to sleep.
Doing a restful activity may in fact end up causing you to fall asleep., To save you time in the morning and help you feel less stressed when you wake up, spend time the night before coordinating your outfit.
Lay out your clothing on a chair in your closet or by your bed so you can wake up in the morning and not waste time trying to figure out what to wear for the day., Put up heavy curtains or shades to block the light from windows.
Cover any electronic displays, like tvs or computers so the light does not glow in the room.
You can also use a sleep mask to cover your eyes to help you sleep.If you have difficulty sleeping due to loud noises outside your window or a loud sleep partner, consider investing in good earplugs, or a noise machine. , You can also set a timer so bright lights come on in your room in the morning at the same time every day.
If you are trying to wake up earlier in the morning, adjust your timer so bright lights come on earlier in your room.
Sunlight helps your body’s internal clock to reset itself each day.
This will also help you avoid oversleeping in the morning, as the sun will cause you to wake up.Sleep experts recommend exposure to an hour of morning sunlight for people who have trouble falling asleep. -
Step 3: Avoid consuming caffeine four to six hours before your bedtime.
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Step 4: Turn off all electronics and distractions a few hours before bed.
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Step 5: Set an alarm to remind you it’s time for bed.
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Step 6: Do a relaxing activity before bed.
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Step 7: Put your clothes out for the next day right before bed.
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Step 8: Keep your bedroom dark
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Step 9: and quiet.
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Step 10: Wake up with the sun.
Detailed Guide
Create a sleep schedule where you wake up and go to sleep at the same time everyday, even on weekends or days off.
Sleep requirements vary from person to person, but on average, you should be getting between seven to nine hours of sleep to function at your best during your waking hours.Some people think getting just one less hour of sleep won’t affect their daily functioning or that they can make up for lack of sleep on the weekend or a day off.
But any changes or shifts to your regular sleep schedule will only have a negative effect on your sleeping habits and lead to oversleeping or being overly tired when you wake up.Keep in mind extra sleep at night cannot cure you of your daytime fatigue.
The quantity of sleep you get every night is important, but the quality of your sleep is more important.
You may get eight or nine hours of sleep a night but you will not feel well rested if the quality of your sleep was poor.
Rather than set your alarm to one hour earlier and hope that you will avoid the snooze button, shift your wake time in increments over a period of time.
This will help your body adjust to a new sleep schedule and ensure that your sleep habits adapt long term to your new wake up time.Start with adjusting your alarm so it is set five minutes earlier than usual.
Go to bed five minutes earlier than normal and try to wake up with your alarm.
Do this for several days to a week and then push back your wake up time by five more minutes.
Try to wake up for several days to a week with the new wake up time.
Repeat this process until you reach the wake up time you desire. , About half the caffeine you consume at 7 pm is still in your body at 11 pm.A known stimulant, caffeine can be found in coffee, chocolate, soft drinks, non-herbal teas, diet drugs, and some pain relievers.
Limit how many cups of coffee you have several hours before bed, or try to eliminate caffeine in your diet all together.Alcohol also prevents deep sleep and REM sleep.
It will keep you in the lighter stages of sleep, causing you to possibly wake up easily and have a harder time falling back asleep.
Avoid consuming alcohol 1-2 hours before bed to ensure you get a good night’s sleep and don’t oversleep in the morning., Switch off your television, smartphone, iPad, and computer or keep all electronics out of your bedroom completely.
The type of light these screens emit can stimulate your brain, suppress the production of melatonin (which helps you sleep), and interfere with your body’s internal clock.Another option is to shut down your computer on a schedule.
This will automatically sleep your machine and prevent you from working on your computer too late or too close to your bedtime.
There are sleep features on both PCs and Macs that you can activate.
As well, if you want your computer to be ready to go in the morning, once you wake up, you can schedule a startup time too. , If you tend to get wrapped up in evening activities or conversations and forget to stick to your sleep schedule, you can set an alarm on your phone or computer to alert you 1 hour or 30 minutes before bedtime.
If you prefer to shut down all electronics a few hours before bed, you can use an alarm on your watch or ask someone you live with to remind you of bedtime 1 hour before it’s time. , This could be a warm bath, reading a good book, or having a quiet conversation with your partner.
Doing a restful activity will help to trigger your brain to start relaxing and shutting down.If you find yourself tossing and turning in bed in the dark, don’t lie there and stare up at the ceiling.
Instead, do a relaxing activity in bed to calm down and get your mind off your inability to sleep.
Doing a restful activity may in fact end up causing you to fall asleep., To save you time in the morning and help you feel less stressed when you wake up, spend time the night before coordinating your outfit.
Lay out your clothing on a chair in your closet or by your bed so you can wake up in the morning and not waste time trying to figure out what to wear for the day., Put up heavy curtains or shades to block the light from windows.
Cover any electronic displays, like tvs or computers so the light does not glow in the room.
You can also use a sleep mask to cover your eyes to help you sleep.If you have difficulty sleeping due to loud noises outside your window or a loud sleep partner, consider investing in good earplugs, or a noise machine. , You can also set a timer so bright lights come on in your room in the morning at the same time every day.
If you are trying to wake up earlier in the morning, adjust your timer so bright lights come on earlier in your room.
Sunlight helps your body’s internal clock to reset itself each day.
This will also help you avoid oversleeping in the morning, as the sun will cause you to wake up.Sleep experts recommend exposure to an hour of morning sunlight for people who have trouble falling asleep.
About the Author
Joshua Edwards
With a background in lawenforcement security, Joshua Edwards brings 11 years of hands-on experience to every article. Joshua believes in making complex topics accessible to everyone.
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