It’s the best time of year! Being back with all your friends you haven’t seen since May, eating at your favorite college restaurants, and going to hard classes every day… ok so maybe it isn’t exactly the best time of the year. One thing many students tend to struggle with is waking up early, especially if they have a morning class (I’m looking at you, crazy folks who are in 8ams!) I have had my fair share of early morning classes. Sometimes I just want to get my day started before I go to campus for the day. Here are some tips for becoming a morning person while being in college!
- Shut off your devices half an hour to an hour before you want to go to bed.
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Netflix and Hulu have made it very tempting to want to watch your favorite show while in bed, but all the activity will keep your brain stimulated and make it harder to fall asleep. First, make sure you set an alarm for the morning, but then instead of watching a show you could read a book. Reading books has become one of my favorite hobbies, and even reading for 30 minutes before bed has helped me fall asleep faster.
- Go to bed early.
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This tip sounds a lot easier than it is, especially the first few times doing it. If you tend to stay up past midnight, try going to bed at midnight. It is important that everyone, especially college students, get 7 to 8 hours of sleep every night. Again, easier said than done with all the activities college students have, but by making this a priority you will realize you are feeling more refreshed when you wake up and can pay more attention in class.
- Workout bright and early.
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This summer I started consistently going to 6:15am Orangetheory Fitness classes, and while it was a pain to wake up at 5:45am, I looked forward to the workout. Also, if I didn’t come to the workout, I would get charged $12, so I made sure to not have that happen. Try to find a workout routine that excites you, not one that you dread. The more consistent you are with working out in the morning the easier it becomes overtime. Plus, the early-morning weekday workouts make sleeping in on the weekends that much more enjoyable.
- Have an evening and morning routine.
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Not to sound like a broken record, but again college students have busy lives that are changing weekly. If you like to take a shower, watch a movie, and read a book in bed before or after a long day, try to do that as frequently as you can. Since it is early in the morning, leave just enough time for you to do everything with a few minutes to spare. Then you know you will not be able to hit the snooze button!
- Be consistent.
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The most challenging part about becoming a morning person in college is staying consistent and motivated. Not all your friends are going to understand why you want to become a morning person, but you have to hold yourself accountable. Discipline and reward yourself when necessary. Just by waking up an hour or two before you normally would, you can see how much more you are able to accomplish before your friends have even woken up. You can do anything you set your mind to.