What everyone enjoys is to sleep, that restful slumber in dreamland, that mysterious period of deep rest. So waking up can be a chore, a difficult thing to do for most. Not everyone is a morning person, as some are more productive late at night. Regardless, what many need is to get up at a certain time to start their workday, but the brain doesn't comply and needs a jump start.
Most will constantly slam the wake-up snooze button several times, before getting up. Then there are those who’ll instantly jump out of bed to face the day ahead, full of energy, ready to tackle whatever they need to do. What the majority find however, is that they need to activate their brains before tackling the morning.
The best remedy is usually a double dosage of coffee, which can help, but also proven to be addictive, as there are studies which shows that we can become reliant on the caffeine. It’s found that what having another cup of “java” does, is it just prevents withdrawal symptoms.
So regardless if you’re a morning person or not, you have no other choice but to get up, so there are proven ways, things that you can do to perk up your brain, and bring it up to full speed for the day ahead.
1. Begin With Some Physical Activity
There are some who’ll jump out of bed at 5AM every morning, and go for a run regardless if there's rain, sun, or sleet. What doing so does, is it straightens their focus for their entire day ahead. Most however, find this to be torture.
So although it may be tempting to stay in bed for another half hour, it’s found more beneficial to get yourself out of bed, put on your workout clothes, and then go for a brisk walk, a bike ride, hit the gym, or go for a run.
What exercise does, is it increases the blood flow throughout your entire body, and especially the brain. If a morning walk isn’t possible, then try stretching to loosen up all those tight overnight muscles, which gets your blood pumping.
2. Jolt Your Body With "Cold"
What’s comfortable is getting out of a warm comfy bed, stepping onto a warm floor, and then jumping into a hot shower. It’s found that what all this comfort does, is little to get the cobwebs out of your head.
If you’re wanting to get alert quickly, this “old wives” tale is true, which is splashing cold water on your face for a wake up call. If you’re feeling really courageous, then begin with a cold water shower for a few moments, before heating the water up.
3. Make Sure You Eat The Proper Foods
Grabbing anything that’s convenient in the morning, that danish pastry or doughnut will give you that instant jolt of energy, but what it’s actually doing is slowing you down. That immediate sugar and carbohydrates burst on an empty stomach, is only temporary.
What’s guaranteed to follow is a sudden crash, which leads to fatigue and hunger, making you grab for another pastry, which blunts your concentration, effort, and energy levels.
So stop the habit of just grabbing anything that’s available, such as that slice of chocolate cake as you run out the door. Instead, have a healthy snack such as a banana, that you could grab on your way to work.
4. Brighten Up Your Day
We sleep when it's dark, because it’s comfortable. What waking up in a completely dark room does, is it makes it difficult for our brains to become alert. So once the alarm goes off, make it a habit of immediately turning on the lights, opening up the blinds, and then allowing the light or sunshine to flow in.
What the bright lights will do, is tell your brain that it’s time to get up and get going. If you have the time, before or after your exercise, sip your morning tea on your patio, basking in the morning sunshine for a few minutes.
5. Make Sure That You Get Enough Sleep
Instead of constantly staying up late working, surfing the Internet, watching TV or catching up on your favorite movie, instead, go to bed earlier. Although the number of hours of sleep varies from person to person, you know what’s the best and the most productive is for you, to feel your best.
What the majority of people suffer from, is a lack of sleep, this without they even realizing it. And no, you can’t catch up on the weekends or when you’re on vacation, it just doesn’t work that way.
The consequences of constantly getting too little sleep, includes memory loss, a weakened immune system, moodiness and mild depression, all which leads to an increased risk of getting sick.
6. Try To Alter Your Daily Schedule
If you’re finding yourself constantly groggy, even once mid-morning rolls around, then admit that your current schedule might not be the best, and not working for you.
So try shifting your daily routine around a bit, such as getting out of bed half an hour earlier, or preferably later, even if it means getting to work sooner, or working half-hour later in the day.
What you could also try, is shifting some of your morning habits or activities to the previous night before, this to allow yourself to get that additional 30 minutes of sleep in the morning.
For the majority of professionals and those who needs to get to work at a certain time, it’s usually a rush. Attempting to get started every day off on the right foot, can prove to be challenging.
By slightly altering your schedule, while incorporating activities which will make you more alert, can prove to help overcome your doziness, while keeping you alert the entire day.