Aside from getting that juicy, illusive worm, there are a lot of benefits to being an early bird.
not this worm tho, this worm is not good
You can bare witness to mother nature’s lamp of life, the sunrise*.
*not the show, koshie is not fam
You can check the shit out of your to-do list before everyone else awakes.
You can feel really dang smug about yourself for being an individual who has no troubles getting up.
But all that is easier said than done.
When your shitty iPhone radar alarm goes off at 5:30am in the dead of winter, and the only thing you’ve got to look forward to is heading to your retail job followed by uni – it can be pretty difficult to find adequate motivation.
But, there is hope. There are a few tricks you can employ to nudge your bed-frothing self into early morning starts.
GO TO BED EARLIER
I apologise for starting with this glaringly obvious, annoyingly duh point. And I get it – time becomes a far away concept when you get stuck in a Tuesday night YouTube k-hole. Hear me out.
Routine is the birth giver of the painless early start. Lets say you pick 9:30pm as your golden hour to go to sleep, when you’re usually an 11:30pm lights off-er. It might take a little getting used to at first, but provided you don’t suffer from insomnia or the like, you can train your body clock into a rhythm.
Begin by bringing your sack time back by 15 minutes every night. This way, you can gradually ease into your new sleeping sitch without completely disrupting your sleep/wake cycle.
PREP YOURSELF A BREAKKY YOU’RE KEEN AS BEANS TO EAT
Food is life’s almighty motivator.
You mightn’t have the willpower to create a big ass, hotplate breakfast every single morning, but ensuring you have a breakfast you enjoy eating is key to waking up.
As soon as you get that food in your stomach, you’ll start to fuel your day, meaning you can check off that to-do list like a Super Saiyan on speed.
Some people even pre-prepare breakfast by pouring their morning cereal into a bowl and setting it out in the kitchen. That’s nek level, but if it works, why not?
SORT YA SHIT BEFORE YOU HIT THE SACKSTICLE
Make life easier for the morning you by figuring out what you’re going to wear. If your outfit is particularly on point, you’ll be practically gagging to get out of bed and put it on.
GET YOUR ELECTRONIC DEVICE’S LIGHT SETTINGS IN CHECK
A lot of research points out how damaging the blue light omitted by our electronic devices can be on our sleep quality.
Instead of ditching ya lappy in the PM altogether (which we all know is not going to happen), download a nifty program like f.lux that regulates your computer’s light to mimic real life. It’s a game changer.
GIVE READING A CRACK
Reading is not for everyone. But, if you can find a book that you simply cannot put down, you can use its alluring power to get you to bed on time and therefore up earlier.
Plus, research shows that reading for as little as six minutes can reduce stress levels by 68%. Less stress = easier to nod off.
SET UP YOUR ALARM CLOCK SO IT’S OUT OF YOUR REACH
Take the motivation levels for getting up early you feel in PM, and cut them in half, twice.
That’s how much motivation you’ll feel when the alarm interrupts your dream in the morning.
To make sure you don’t hit sleep 15 times in a row, make sure your alarm isn’t in reach. That way, you’ll have to haul ass out of the bed, and that’s half the battle. Actually getting up.
alternatively, purchase this
BUT IF YOU CAN’T MANAGE THE ABOVE STEP – AT LEAST SAY BUBYE TO THE ‘SNOOZE’ FUNCTION
Using the snooze button is like willingly entering purgatory.
The deathly ringing wakes you up every 5 minutes, meaning you’re not using the time to actually rest or adjust to your waking life. Lose/lose, really.
USE YOUR FAVE SONG AS YOUR WAKE-UP JAM
Or, get a radio alarm clock. Nothing like Matt & Alex having a yarn first thing.
GET YOUR PETS INVOLVED
Being woken up by your favourite doge – it cannot get easier or more enjoyable than that.
KEEP YOUR HYDRATION LEVELS UP
Being dehydrated is a hell of a time. Not only does it affect your bodily functions, it can also alter your mood for the worse. This spells disaster in the early AM when your happiness levels are most likely lower than usual.
Go to bed with a glass of water by your side, so if you wake up thirsty throughout the night or in the morning you can have a quick sip. Don’t go too crazy on the H20, though – waking up to pee during the night sucks.
Another trick is to fetch yourself a hot water with lemon first thing in the morning. Miranda Kerr swears by it to get her digestion pumping first thing.
OPEN THE BLINDS WHEN YOU WAKE
You’ve no doubt heard of circadian rhythms and why they’re important. Help to reset them and wake your body clock up by bringing natural light into the boudoir, upping your cortisol (alert) hormones.
the struggle is real
In a similar vein, if you wanna keep the blinds closed for privacy reasons, you can buy a wake-up light, which supposedly works just as well, it just comes with a hefty price tag.
Good luck, sweet bed lovers.
Photo: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.
