How to train your mind and body to wake up earlier each morning

Are you more of an early bird or a night owl?

We’d be the first to admit that our sleeping patterns are all over the place at the moment. We’re snoozing our alarms to the very last second during the working week, meaning that we’re losing out on valuable productivity time in the early morning.

Then, at the weekends, we have developed a habit of staying up late and sleeping in late in the morning, to the point where it feels like half of our day has already disappeared by the time we get out of bed. 

If you are falling into the same traps and are looking to change your sleeping habits, then you have come to the right place!

We have curated our top 5 tips on how you can switch up your daily routine to be an early riser. By carrying out these small changes, we guarantee that you will eventually become more of a morning person:

1. Adjust your alarms

First things first, in order to have the best chance of waking up early each day, you’re going to have to go to bed earlier and reset your alarms. This doesn’t mean that you should immediately go cold turkey and set an alarm for 5am. Instead, what we mean is that you should take a period of time to slowly change your alarms. Your body needs to adjust to your new waking time, and so we would suggest changing your alarm by around 5 to 15 minutes every few days. Think of it in the same way as entering a cold swimming pool – nice and slow!

2. Move your alarm out of reach

If you are someone that has a habit of reaching for the snooze button on your phone’s alarm, then this piece of advice is for you! In order to resist temptation, you need to keep your phone out of reach. Before you go to bed, ensure that your phone is far away from your bed, preferably on the other side of your bedroom. Then, when your alarm goes off in the morning, you’ll have no choice but to get out of bed to turn it off!

3. No phone before bed

We know, this one is easier said than done, especially considering how much our phones are glued to us these days. It is still a valuable tip, though, as the blue light that radiates from our phones can force us to feel more alert and delay us from falling asleep. If you are able to, set app limits on your phone to stop yourself from doomscrolling late at night. Also, if you don’t already have it on a permanent setting, we would recommend switching your phone’s brightness display to dark mode in the evenings, to reduce the effect of the harsh, bright light.

4. Be careful what you eat and drink

As tempting as a midnight snack always is, it’s never a good idea if you intend to wake up early the next morning! In particular, caffeinated drinks and sugary snacks are the worst things you could eat right before you go to bed, as the buzz you get from them will only make you feel less tired. If you are feeling extremely peckish before bedtime, we would recommend calming alternatives such as chamomile tea and a small handful of walnuts.

5. Set a plan for the day

If the thought of setting an early alarm fills you with dread, then it’s always a great idea to plan something to look forward to. Before you go to sleep, think of one thing you are looking forward to doing the next day. Whether it be treating yourself to pancakes for breakfast, meeting up with your friends, or simply watching a new episode of your favourite TV show, the excitement that you have for that activity will definitely give you some motivation to get up and going in the morning.