If someone would have told me a few months ago that I would become a morning person I would have laughed in their face… I’m serious. Before March, I never thought I could ever be a morning person, I have always had trouble sleeping which is why I was naturally night owl. I would stay up until 2 or 3 am every night watching Netflix and wouldn’t wake up until around 12 pm. I used to absolutely dread waking up but since my night and morning routines have changed immensely so have my feelings towards late nights and early mornings. I went from waking up at noon most days to waking up at 6 am on weekdays and 9 am on weekends. I love how much more time I have in my day when I wake up early, I get my workouts out of the way, get tons of work done and enjoy my long day.
LONGER & BETTER SLEEP= EASIER WAKEUP
Here are my tips for better sleep, easier wake ups, and a better morning/bedtime routine!
NIGHTTIME
SET A BEDTIME, a realistic one
Most weeknights I go to bed around 11 pm, at the LATEST 11:30 pm to ensure I get enough sleep to wake up fresh and ready to take on my day.
GET OFF ALL ELECTRONICS, at least an hour before bed
This was definitely one of the hardest steps to take when I was trying to build my night-time routine, but it is one of the most important. The blue light that comes from our cell phones, iPads, and computers is what stimulates our brains and keeps us from winding down for bed.
TIP: If you must use your phone then use blue light glasses or turn on red light mode.
PICK UP A BOOK to replace electronics
I read at least 10 pages of a book a night while winding down for bed, usually while I am doing my first set of breathing exercises.
Right now I’m reading Un#@%! Yourself: Get out of your head and into your Life by Gary John Bishop
TURN OFF THE LIGHTS
Turn off your lights when you want to start winding down for bed, I use my Salt lamp or a candle for a bit of light if I am still navigating around my room before getting into bed.
BREATHWRK/ PINK NOISE
I use the Breathwrk app to literally breathe myself to sleep, and if I still cant sleep after 10 minutes of breathe-work then I turn on a Youtube video of Pink noise.
**TIP: Spray calming mist on your pillow, the smell of the essential oils can help to further relax you into sleep along with breathe work or pink noise.
DRINK SLEEPY TEA
I swear by sleepy tea and I drink it every night, my favorite is Tulsi Sleep.
LEARN HOW MUCH SLEEP YOUR BODY NEEDS
I’ve learned that my body can function on around 6 hours of sleep but only for about 2 days before I need to go to bed at 9 pm to catch up. Most nights I shoot for 7-8 hours of sleep depending on how tired I felt throughout the day.
LISTEN TO YOUR BODY and go to bed earlier if you need it.
MORNINGTIME
SET AN ALARM & DO NOT HIT THE SNOOZE BUTTON
Set an alarm for a realistic time to wake up, if you are used to waking up at 9 am do not set an alarm for 6 am because you won’t wake up if you don’t need to. Your body needs to slowly get used to waking up earlier so start small.
I don’t hit the snooze button because I swear that I wake up even more tired after that 3 minutes of extra sleep, just get yourself up and ready for the day.
COLD SHOWER
Whenever I wake up extremely tired I hop in a freezing cold shower for 3 minutes and do breathing exercises to keep myself from shivering too much because let me tell you it’s VERY cold.
MAKE A SCHEDULE/ GOALS TO ACCOMPLISH IN THE MORNING
The night before I plan out my day and that includes my morning. When I wake up I either go for a 30 minute walk or to the gym, this is what I look forward to every morning. It definitely makes it easier to wake up when you have something to look forward to or a goal you want to accomplish by waking up.
BE CONSISTENT WITH YOUR WAKE UP TIME
Wake up at the same time everyday, this is how your body will get used to waking up and soon you will be able to wake up no problem.
SHOP THE POST
Having both a morning and nighttime routine is SUPER important when it comes to “training” your body to fall asleep so you can wake up earlier. All of these things are what I did to transition myself into a morning person and what I do every night and morning to ensure I stay one.
What are some things you do to wind down for bed? Leave me a comment below and I’ll try it out.
xoxo Karina
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