How to get used to getting up early: 10 practical tips

Sleeping is one of the greatest pleasures in life and that is why it is usually difficult to get up in the morning, especially when we have to get up early for work or study reasons.

Waking up has become a real nightmare for many people who, they say, are more nocturnal than daytime, but that the world forces them to get up early.

If you are one of those people to whom the sheets stick in the morning and you find yourself sleepy throughout the day, this article may interest you. In it you will find various strategies to change all this and know how to get used to getting up early, so that you can take advantage of the day from very early.

• Related article: "Biological rhythms: definition, types and functioning"

How to get used to getting up early?

Waking up is a very difficult task for many people, especially those who like to enjoy the night. Below you will find some good habits to achieve proper sleep cycles, which will help you wake up early and enjoy the day.

1. Understand why it is hard for you to get up early

Before starting to apply habits that contribute to good sleep hygiene, it is necessary to understand what makes it difficult for us to get up early.

It is important to see what habits in our life have contributed to us going to bed late or to the sheets exerting a powerful morning magnetism on us.

It is also interesting to understand why we want to wake up early in the morning, that is, what is the reason that forces us to get up early.

It may be that our work requires us to be awake in the morning, but it is also possible that we want to make the most of the day.

Whatever the reason for which we have decided to get up before, we must be constant and always keep it in mind to help us stay focused on our task to make a habit of getting up early.

2. Earlier bedtime

As we have already been saying, it is possible that one of the reasons why we find it difficult to get up the next day is that we have gone to bed late. This occurrence is quite common, yet many people find it difficult to go to bed at an appropriate time despite having responsibilities to attend to the next day at an early hour.

The human body needs between 6 and 9 hours of sleep., being recommended about 8. If you are one of those who goes to sleep at 2 in the morning every day, do not expect to be sleepy at 10 at night. The body has become accustomed to that hour.

For this reason, and to avoid spending hours lying in bed without feeling sleepy, a good way to accustom the body to going to sleep early is to go to bed earlier. For example, going back to the case of people who go to sleep at 2:00 a.m., a good idea is to go to sleep half an hour earlier the next day, and so on until you reach a suitable time.

3. get up at the same time

In the same way that one should go to bed at a good time, if we want to get up early it is necessary that we leave bed at the same time every day.

If we get used to getting up at the same time every day, the time will come when we won't be able to stay asleep for much longer than the usual time. That is to say, if we have been getting up at 6 in the morning for two weeks, the day that we let's wake up at 8, since our body will have already taken care of waking up earlier for simple routine.

Maintaining a routine in terms of what time you wake up favors biorhythms to organize themselves naturally.

If we are one of those who go to bed early but still wake up late, a good idea is to move the alarm clock forward each day. It is recommended to advance it about 15 minutes and, when you have gotten used to that time, advance it again for another 15 minutes until you reach the desired time.

• You may be interested in: "Circadian Rhythm Disorders: Causes, Symptoms, and Effects

4. relax in the afternoons

It is very difficult to go to bed and sleep peacefully if you are not calm. To avoid having too much activation, it is advisable to start relaxing in the afternoon.

Practices such as yoga, reading a book or taking a bath can help to get rid of the nervousness that the professional day or our own way of being can generate in us.

It is also advisable to turn off the intense lights, given that this type of lighting affects the production of melatonin, a hormone that is behind circadian cycles and whose production contributes to falling asleep.

5. Plan the day the night before

In the morning it's hard to think completely clearly, even if you've slept all the necessary hours. For this reason, The best thing before going to sleep is to decide what we will do the next day.

This not only prevents us from making bad decisions in the morning because we are not fully awake, but also, keeping in mind mind everything that has to be done the next day can be an incentive for us to get out of bed once we have woken up.

6. In the morning, let the light in!

In the same way that strong lights are harmful if what we want is to get to sleep, the next day they become our friends, since help us wake up.

As mentioned before, the light inhibits melatonin production, a substance that helps us sleep. If there is light, we will have less sleep.

If you live in a home automation, program the blinds to let light in early in the morning, or buy a smart lamp that activates from the desired time. In the market you can find devices that simulate sunrises that can transform having to get up early into something pleasant and pleasant.

7. Activate when you wake up

Exercises that require a lot of energy, such as strength training or cyclingThey are ideal activities to do in the morning. They help to activate, help to wake us up and favor maintaining high levels of attention and concentration during the morning and afternoon.

Another reason why these types of activities are more recommended to be done in the morning is that in the afternoon they can activate us too much and delay the time to go to sleep, negatively affecting our sleep hygiene.

8. A good awakening, a good breakfast

A varied and balanced breakfast can give us all the necessary energy to start the day in a good way.

If we have also planned the day before what we are going to have for breakfast in the morning, this may be reason enough for us to get up with desire.

But be careful with caffeine! Contrary to what many people think, having freshly woken tea or coffee is not recommended. It is preferable to drink a glass of water or even a juice. Caffeinated drinks are best taken two to three hours after waking up. The reason for this is that when we get up, we naturally generate cortisol.

This hormone contributes to our activation, so if we add caffeine to this, we can getting overexcited too soon and then becoming very tired as an effect rebound.

9. Holidays are no excuse

On weekends and holidays it is not recommended to sleep moreeven if there are no obligations.

As few days as that may turn out to be, oversleeping one or two days a week can jeopardize the difficult sleep routine we're trying to achieve.

Weekend It is a very good time to focus on our hobbies. Read a book, take a walk, or try to organize the house.

10. keep the record

Obviously, to achieve our goals it is necessary that we sacrifice ourselves. Going to bed early and getting up early the next day can become difficult to bear in the long run.

For this reason, we must remain constant, avoid returning to old habits. If you know someone who is also interested in getting up earlier, you can mutually commit to getting it together.

Bibliographic references:

• Boutin, J.; Audinot, V.; Ferry, G. and Delagrange, P. (2005). Molecular tools to study melatonin pathways and actions. Trends Pharmacol Sci. 26(8): p. 412-9.
• Martinez, B.; Sanchez, Y.; Urra, K.; Thomas, Y.D. & Burgos, J.L. (2012). Hormone of darkness. Rev Latinoamer Patol Clin, Vol. 59(4): pp 222-232.