Are You a Morning Person...?

...because I am most definitely not! 

Yesterday I came across this article from Huffington Post and thought it would be good to share with you all since this is definitely something I struggle with almost every.single.day.  Saying that I am not a morning person barely begins to describe how much I dislike waking up int he morning.  I am hoping that by trying some of these techniques, I will be able to maybe help myself stop hating mornings so much.

10 Steps to Becoming a Morning Person

1. Get more sleep.   Seems simple enough right? Then why do so many of us not get the recommended 6-8 hours of sleep every night.  It is because we are too busy and unfortunately sleep is the lowest priority on the list.  But that has to change!

2. No screens in the bedroom.  This one is hard for me.  For the past eight or so years I have been going to bed with the T.V. on even though I know it is not good for me to do so.  Studies have shown that people who have no screens (iPads, phones, tablets, TVs) in their rooms tend to get a more restful sleep throughout the night.

3. Go to sleep when you are tired.  Again, this one is pretty straightforward, but somehow this also never seems to happen.

4. Create a nighttime routine and environment.  In the last few months, I have been trying to get in bed a half hour before I really need to get in bed and just read.  It has helped my brain relax and has helped me fall asleep quicker.  Even the simplest change in my nighttime routine has allowed me to be more relaxed when going to bed.

5. Stop pressing snooze.  Oh boy.  I do not think this is possible for me.  I know I would feel less stressed throughout the day if I just got up when my alarm went off, but I always feel like I need that extra 10 or 20 minutes before I actually get out of bed.

6. Get moving as quickly as possible.  I agree 100% with this suggestion.  On the days where I hop out of bed and start my day off quickly, I feel much better throughout the day.  If I drag my feet and take my time getting out of bed (either by checking Facebook or emails) I end up not feeling so great by the time I actually get out of bed.

7. Get up at the same time every day.  Again, it is straightforward.  If you go to bed and get up at the same time every day, you can set a routine for your body and our bodies sure to love routines.  I have found that I struggle on the weekends when I sleep in a lot more because I almost feel like I overslept.

8. Work out in the morning.  Um, no. haha.  Okay, okay fiiiinnneee.  Honestly, I know that if I got myself up a half hour earlier I would be able to get my workout in and still have the rest of my day to accomplish everything else.  Put this on my list of things I will try after my exam.

9. Expose yourself to natural light.  Justin and I just put up a sheet to block the window because the sun starts shining into our room around 5:00 am.  Personally, I have been having a more difficult time waking up ever since then because the sun has not been waking me up.

10. Always have something to look forward to.  Have you ever been so excited about something that you could barely sleep the night before? If you have something exciting on your calendar every day, I promise getting up in the morning will not be difficult.

Photo found on Life Hacker Website

Other articles on becoming a morning person:

• Fitness Magazine
• Real Simple
• Life Hacker

Question of the Day: Are you a early bird or a night owl?