What if I told you that these waking up early tips can actually help you sleep better?
Sleep is the silent wellness hack you need to leverage, literally yesterday. It might be the most mysterious and beneficial ways to step into alignment with your health.
Imagine being able to sleep well (every night), wake up early (actually feeling rested), and have a more productive day than ever before. Would you think that is possible?
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After starting to take my mornings seriously, drinking less (aka going to sleep at a decent hour), and taking responsibility for my wellness I started to see a very real shift.
Here you will learn the BEST waking up early tips you need to know about to sleep better, wake up feeling actually refreshed, and go deeper into your wellness journey.
This post is all about waking up early tips!
Waking Up Early Tips
Nightly must-dos
1. Set intention, why do you want to get up early in the first place?
As with almost anything, you need to be clear why you are doing the thing you want to do! Without an intention, after a week you won't keep it up.
There needs to be a deeper, more profound force behind why you want wake up early! For me, I wanted to be more productive and take advantage of my clear and creative mind in the early mornings.
2. Create a simple evening wind-down ritual
How many times have you tried to go to sleep immediately after getting home and ended up laying there for what felt like eternity? Most likely, your brain missed the que that it was time for bed so it was acting like it was still daylight!
A nightly ritual is important to tell your mind that it is time to wind down. The ideas below are great ways to start to tell your mind and body it is time to slow down.
3. Prep for the morning
I like to set up my coffee machine, or set up my french press, and get everything ready, so in the morning I just have to press one button and my coffee is already 50% made. You could also put your clothes out on the dresser, etc.
These will start to signal to your mind and body that it is time to get ready for rest.
Alternatively, get our amazing morning routine checklist that can prep you for your morning, create a softer morning, and make for a productive day. I use something like this every morning and I SWEAR by it!
4. Read, meditate, spend time with your husband before bed
After your alarm goes off then you can step into a transition from day to night, from evening to sleep. Whether that is to read, meditate, have a lovely conversation with you husband, etc. Anything other than TV or being on your phone. (Trust me, it will make it easier to fall asleep and then easier to wake up!!)
5. Set an alarm one hour before you want to go to sleep to remind you to turn off your phone
Not even kidding I do this almost every night! It has helped me stay away from blue light. (Yes, women, blue light is detrimental to our hormones and sleep cycle!)
6. Nightly yoga
Take some time to breathe, step away from your phone, stretch, and start to settle. I love drinking a tea (or even just hot water and lemon) while I step onto my mat. Here is a simple nightly yoga sequence you can start today.
7. Limit your drinking...
Ok, let's be real, you won't be getting up early if you are drinking alcohol at night... Of course depends on how much you drink, but studies show that drinking affects your sleep quality even in modest amounts!
To start to track your drinking, use the Sunnyside app where you can log your drinks, gain control, and sleep better.
8. Plan your sleep for 8-9 hours (it's THAT important)
The mornings I wake up with less than 8 hours of sleep, I can FEEL it! It is extremely challenging to rise and I am more prone to pressing snooze. When you plan your nights for 8-9 hours of solid sleep you are wildly more likely to get up early (and enjoy it!).
Trigger an early morning wake up with these
9. Immediately turn a light on
This is my LIFE saver, right when your alarm goes off immediately turn your light on. It will send a direct message to your brain to stop producing melatonin and start waking up, a simple yet effective waking up early tip!!
10. Drink water
This study shows that drinking water improves alertness and feelings of calm. So, by waking up and flushing your system with water will not only make you feel more calm (uh, YES!) but also make you feel more alert.
11. Have a immediate morning ritual
For me, I immediately go brush my teeth. Every single morning. Then, I go to make my bed before I even think about anything, or even have my eyes open honestly.
12. Avoid your phone for the first hour
The brain waves we have in the early morning hours are so crucial that we can not disturb them with overloading ourselves with information. That includes the news, social media, texts, work emails, etc.
Take the wee morning hours to invest in your wellbeing and happiness whatever that may be. Some people say that the early morning hours are the best time for learning, integrating new ideas, etc. So, use that time wisely and away from phones!
13. Write your gratitudes
Along those lines, writing your gratitudes can be an extremely potent early morning routine idea. It uses those brain waves and integrates positive thoughts RIGHT when you wake up.
14. Create a ritual that you LOVE
Personally, I love waking up and having my coffee. Usually, it is the best part of my day. I buy the best coffee, raw milk, and top tier honey. When I don't want to get out of bed, I think about the coffee and it's like a magnet to get me up...
15. Feet on the floor trick
The best waking up early tip that is a life changer. At first it might be challenging to swing yourself up, but after two or three times you will get used to it. Plus, your body will start to learn that you wake up EARLY!
Other tweaks to make early rising actually stick
16. Keep weekends within 60-90 minutes of your weekly sleep rhythm
A vital part of these waking up early tips!! Keep a consistent circadian rhythm. They say that if you pull an "all-nighter" it takes your body 4 days to recover.
So, imagine every weekend you are staying up until 1am and sleeping until 10am... Your Monday-Wednesday night be your "recovery", and then Thursday and Friday will feel good, then the cycle starts over...
17. Replace nightly wine with another treat
I know I get it, those evening glasses of wine can be so amazing. It even feels like it makes you sleepier, here are the misleading myths about the benefits of wine at night you need to know about.
Instead, try for herbal teas or a magnesium mocktail. Magnesium helps the muscles relax and allows you to sleep better.
The key here is not to create a nightly wine drinking habit. Instead having wine to celebrate or enjoy time with friends.
18. Stay consistent!
Isn't this always the key to success? Stay consistent! If you keep waking up early even when you don't want to, in the long term you will end up loving it and it will become part of your daily routine!
19. Try these early morning routine ideas
When you get up, have a set routine!! Seriously, this will help so much. When I wake up I have three things I do immediately. After 3 years now, it is part of my body chemistry (kinda not kidding!). So, here are some great early morning routine ideas to start to build you routine!!
20. Don't negotiate in the morning, but know your mind will try!
I feel like everyone experiences this, your alarm goes off and instantaneously your mind says, "Just hit the snooze one time..." And, so you do. Or it might say, "Just sleep in today, your day isn't that important." So, when your mind start to negotiate with you, do not entertain it!!
21. Focus on how you want to feel, not the minor inconveniences...
Always focus on the life you are creating by waking up early, not the immediate inconveniences you experience. Waking up early tips can go a long way to build a more aligned life, so focus on those!
22. Create a morning routine you love
And of course, it is always about love. Create a morning that you genuinely adore. Whether that is spending time outside, working out, reading, etc. Make sure you actually adore it, then it will be easier to make it stick!