WAKING up in the morning is hard enough at any time of the year, but it gets even trickier as the darker months roll around.
A cloudy and grey sky can make anyone want to stay in bed for a little longer… or all day.
And it’s even worse for early birds who have to rise from bed before the sun is even out.
But it turns out, there’s some hacks you can try to make it that little bit easier to pull yourself away from your bed in the morning.
Alarm Tune
Rather than the dreaded and unrelenting “beep” from your alarm clock in the morning, try putting on a fun song.
“While data is inconclusive, there is some evidence which associates melodic-sounding alarms with less perceived sleep inertia,” the experts at Sleep Foundation said.
Sleep inertia is the physiological state of impaired cognitive and sensory-motor performance (e.g. stumbling out of bed) that you experience immediately after waking up.
Energising tracks with a tempo of 50 to 80 beats per minute - which a lot of people choose to jog to - stimulate the part of your brain which controls motivation.
OJ To Start The Day
Forget coffee - it might just be orange juice that’ll help you wake up in the morning.
It’s rich in Vitamin C, it’s sweet and the sugars inside are a natural source of energy, which could give you that quick boost to hop out of bed.
You just may need your partner to bring you a glass if you can’t even muster a trip to the fridge first thing.
What’s more, a study by Reading University found that people who drank a glass of orange juice every morning for eight weeks had more productive days than those who didn’t.
Cold Plunge
It’s unpleasant and might make you yelp, but jumping into a cold shower could soon wake you up on a groggy morning.
The temperature shock will jumpstart your brain and get you into day-mode ASAP.
If you can’t stomach an icy shower, dunking your wrists in cold water is said to work just as well.
This is because wrists contain so many major arteries, allowing the cold water to take effect on your body much quicker.
Put The Phone Down
Yes, you’ve heard it before, but that’s because it actually works.
Not going on your phone for an hour before bed will help you get a deeper sleep and therefore wake up easier.
“Screens such as smartphones, tablets, and computers emit blue light that can disrupt your sleep-wake cycle and affect sleep quality,” Sleep Foundation said.
“Experts recommend removing these devices from the bedroom for better sleep.”
