Ellie Jupp
Waking up in the morning, especially during these dreary winter months, can be a struggle for anyone – I know I certainly find it hard sometimes. As someone whose New Year’s resolution was to become a morning person, I’ve had to discover ways to get myself up and out of bed that will prevent me from just ‘closing my eyes for a bit’ and falling straight back asleep and ruining my plans for the day. In the pursuit of my New Year’s resolution, I have discovered ten helpful hacks that make it much easier for me to wake up in the winter and start my day productively.
1 Stop the scroll!
In the age of TikTok and doom scrolling, we only make it harder on ourselves to get out of bed in the morning when the first thing we do after shutting off our alarm is to open TikTok. We tell ourselves it will only be for a couple of minutes, that we’ll get out of bed and start the day after a small fix of our addictive algorithm. But at least in my experience, when Tiktok is the first thing I do in the morning – it’s never just a few minutes.
In my mission to become a morning person, I don’t allow myself to open the app until I have physically gotten out of bed. Even if it’s just a few steps from my bed to my desk chair—the small difference helps.
2 Physically. Stand. Up.
It seems simple – it is, and it’s one of the most effective. What keeps us in our beds in the morning when we’re supposed to be up doing anything else – whether it’s getting dressed, brushing our teeth, making breakfast or packing our bag for the day – is the annoyingly comfortable position we find ourselves in under the covers. I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s struggled with getting to sleep at night because I’m not ‘comfortable enough’, but the second I wake up and my time to sleep is over and gone, I’m suddenly lying on clouds of marshmallows.
But we have to get past the comfyness that threatens to ruin our productivity and get our feet on the ground. Find whatever reason you can to physically stand up and do something, and you’ll be surprised how much it can work. Whether it’s going to the toilet or going downstairs to make yourself a morning coffee.
3 Making coffee
For caffeine drinkers and lovers out there, a dose of caffeine right as you’re getting up in the morning, especially if it’s one of those early wake-up calls, can work wonders. Not only does the caffeine wake up your brain but it’s a reason to physically get out of bed and do something productive.
I find on some mornings where I have to be up at five or six in the morning for some reason or the other, that my morning coffee makes all the difference. I’ll wake up, eyes glued shut, comfortable and not wanting to move or go absolutely anywhere – drag myself down the stairs, make a coffee, and by the time I bring it back up to my room and am drinking it? The temptation to go back to sleep is essentially gone completely.
4 Let the light in
Either falling asleep with your curtains or blinds open very slightly or opening them as soon as you wake up – can help with waking up in the morning. And there’s real science behind this one! That first dose of sunlight that hits you in the morning causes specialized cells in your retinas to tell your brain to stop making the sleep hormone melatonin. No sleepy hormone, no more bedrotting! So before you pick up your phone, before you contemplate the idea of closing your eyes again – just try opening your curtains, letting the light in, and letting science do its thing.
Setting these little false alarm wake-ups gives me the incredible feeling of ‘I can close my eyes and go back to sleep completely guilt-free!’
5 A warm-up wake-up
A trick I’ve found that works, which I’ve actually been using for years now, is setting a ‘fake’ alarm before the real one. For example, if I know I need to be awake by 7 am, I often will set alarms to go off at 5 and 6 am. When they go off, I’m first hit with a wave of exhaustion and an urge to go straight back to sleep. Well, guess what? I can! Setting these little false alarm wake-ups gives me the incredible feeling of ‘I can close my eyes and go back to sleep completely guilt-free!’ Of course, this might not work for everyone and disrupted sleep like this probably has undesirable side effects. But for me, it’s helped me start those early mornings immensely. Perhaps it doesn’t matter what time it is, but perhaps it’s a matter of whenever we first wake up, we are always going to struggle and want to return to the world of sleep. This way, you can wake up and experience the feeling of knowing you can return to that world, without feeling a single shred of guilt – and by the time your real wake-up time rolls around, you might just find it easier.
6 Putting your phone/alarm far away
This one works even better if your alarm is particularly obnoxious. Can’t fall back asleep if you’re hit with an unpleasant blaring siren – and your only way to get rid of the ruckus is to physically get out of bed to turn it off – taking us back to hack number two.
7 Splashing your face with cold water
Eyes feeling glued shut? A quick splash of cold water to the face first thing in the morning could be the wake-up call that works. It’s like a much less aggressive version of a cold morning shower. And again, it requires you to get up and walk to the bathroom sink – it gets you out of bed, which is the toughest battle after all.
8 Putting on music
Yes – this requires you to pick up your phone, which I previously mentioned is unideal. But as you unlock your phone first thing in the morning, resist the temptation to open TikTok or Instagram or anything that might lure you into a doom scroll, and open Spotify or Apple Music and put on your favourite playlist. Turn up your volume, and let your favourite songs wake you up and get you pumped up for your productive day.
9 Make your bed immediately
I find this one to work because making the bed, well, at any time, but especially early in the morning, is always a real effort to do. And once it’s done, and your bed is looking all neat and tidy, you’ll feel less inclined to get back in it and make it all messy again! It’s also a physical activity that will get you moving, and sometimes that’s all you need.
having a commitment that will get you up and out of bed not only for yourself but for someone else can help with motivation.
10 An accountability buddy
Whether it’s a coursemate or a housemate, a seminar or any sort of agreed-upon plan, having a commitment that will get you up and out of bed not only for yourself but for someone else can help with motivation. You don’t want to leave your friend hanging in that 9 am seminar or be a flake on a morning gym session or whatever you may plan to do with those you live within the morning. Have a friend who has to get out of bed equally as much as you do and hold each other accountable for making sure you don’t just close your eyes again and drift back into that tempting sleep.
Ellie Jupp
Featured image courtesy of Federico Respini via Unsplash. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.
In article image 1 courtesy of Nik via Unsplash. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.
In article image 2 courtesy of Nathan Dumlao via Unsplash. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.
In article image 3 courtesy of CHUTTERSNAP via Unsplash. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.
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