Getting up early is sometimes a struggle even for the best of us. I’m usually a huge night owl and I’m doing my best to try to turn that around; I’ve been finding it more important than ever for me to wake up in time to prep for nonstop 12 hour days. These are a few of the tricks I’ve used to really help me start getting up early and on time. I hope you find them useful!
Find an alarm
The first thing that you will see and listen to when you wake up is your alarm! Find one that works for you. If a blaring, annoying alarm will jolt you out of bed, use that one; if all it will do it put you in an incredibly sour mood, don’t. Most apps offer quieter alarm options that will gradually get louder.
For me personally, the only app that works for me is called Alarmy. It works because it forces me to do something in order to stop the alarm.
Change up your alarm tone
This is the one thing that has really changed my sleeping habits. I didn’t like changing my alarm tone because I didn’t want more than one tone to be “ruined for me” but I realized that after about a month of hearing the same tone over and over, I recognized the tone immediately when it went off and the sense of urgency was lost. I would simply turn it off and go back to sleep.
By changing my tone. I woke up with a question in mind (”what’s that sound”) that I needed to recognize (mental exertion) and address (physical movement).
Light
The human body naturally stops producing melatonin when it’s exposed to light; that’s why people tell you to start turning off devices about an hour before going to bed. The first thing I do –after turning off my alarm– is open my blinds to let some natural light in. It makes the entire process less forced since my body actually starts waking up with me and I feel less of an urge to get into bed.
If you wake up before the sun does, turn on your room lights as soon as you can. Darkness, while comfy in your drowsy state, won’t help you get up early.
Drink a glass of water
Your body is usually extremely dehydrated when you wake up from a long night in bed. You want to drink some water as soon as you can after you get up. Not only is the temperature change refreshing, it revs up your metabolism to prepare you for the day.
Hold yourself accountable
You are probably reading this because there is an important reason why you want to get up early. Keep that reason in your mind. Rather than using it as a threat however, think positively about how it will feel when you accomplish the task at hand. Make it easy for yourself by setting up what you need to the night before.
Ask others to hold you accountable
If you live with a roommate who gets up earlier than you, ask them to knock on your door or make sure you get on your feet. Human interaction first thing in the morning is a really great way to get your brain and body moving because it requires thought and action. If you live alone, ask someone to call you at a certain time. Make sure you actually get up instead of just hanging up and dozing back off though!
Give yourself a task to complete as soon as you wake up
The reason why I use Alarmy as my alarm is because it literally will not stop ringing until I complete the task it has set for me. Right now, my task is to take a picture of my shower curtain. I do this to actually put myself in the bathroom to make showering in the morning easy. Other things Alarmy has includes math problems (mental exertion), shaking your phone a number of times (physical movement), and scanning barcodes (something like your toothpaste barcode).
Aside from Alarmy, brewing coffee, walking your pet, or doing your laundry might be good morning tasks to complete as soon as you’re up.
Best of luck in your endeavors! Happy studying!
