ACTION PLAN
- Wake up at the same time every day
- Treat yourself to some sunshine
- Develop a morning ritual
Waking up feeling groggy is no fun. We want to help. So, we’ve designed this comprehensive guide JUST FOR YOU! Here we’ll give you all of the top tips straight from the world’s best sleep experts and therapists.
It makes sense that if you stayed up late last night you’re going to wake up feeling unrested. In the clinical world, these are referred to as “no kidding” situations. Luckily, you don’t have to let that unfulfilled sleep ruin the rest of your day.
HOW TO BEAT THE GROGGY
1. LET'S TALK ABOUT CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS
It’s normal to wake up feeling groggy if you have knocked yourself off of your circadian rhythm and got less sleep than you need. Here’s your action plan to fix it:
Wake up at the same time every day
You can’t always control when you fall asleep, but you CAN control when you wake up. Even if you’ve been up late or had a bad sleep, you should always aim to wake up at the same time every day.
Even on weekends? YES! It may be hard at first, so give yourself a window. Say you normally get up at 7 am on weekdays, try getting up between 7-8:30 on weekends.
What if I’m super tired? It’s possible that waking up at the same time every day may cause you to feel tired. In order to get back in sync with your circadian rhythm, it may require weathering a little fatigue. We encourage you to work through it by eating healthy, moving more, and getting some sunlight during the day. If you absolutely cannot function and feel like a zombie, try taking a 20-minute nap before 3pm. A nap is your last resort, but it’s better than sleeping in!
Get back into the swing of things
You can boost your wakefulness, mood, and circadian rhythm all at the same time. Just keep trucking through your day, fake it if you need to (sometimes telling yourself you feel Rested can be enough to make you believe it). Here’s a tip for getting your circadian rhythm back on track:
Treat yourself to some sunshine: Natural light exposure helps regulate your circadian rhythm and works to boost your natural “wake up” hormones. This keeps your brain, body, and sleep cycle healthy!
What if the sun isn’t out? Bright light therapy can be as convincing on your circadian rhythm as the sunshine itself! Try exposing yourself to bright lighting first thing in the morning, whether it be natural sunshine or artificial light!
2. LET'S TALK ABOUT MORNING RITUALS
Developing a morning ritual is an excellent way to boost your mornings, get more out of your day, and even promote better sleep at night. Here’s your action plan to building a morning routine:
Drink a glass of water when you wake up
Sleep dehydrates you, so having a glass of water will make you feel a lot better. Plus it will set your day off on a good note, you’ll feel productive and you’ll have checked something off your list! Win-win!
Walk it out
Grab your pet, spouse, or your headphones and head on out for a morning walk. Breathe in that fresh morning air, and as a bonus, you’ll be getting some of that wonderful mood-boosting sunlight, too!
QUICK TIPS:
Check out this article for how to make the most of your morning with an energy-boosting morning routine!
