This semester, I began a new job on campus which requires me to wake up between the hours of 5:30 – 7:00 AM every single day of the week. While I’m thrilled at the opportunity to be making money while also still getting an education, I’m someone who always fought for the classes after 11 AM at the EARLIEST and wakes up at 1 PM on the weekends. Learning to wake up early is just as much of a process as learning a new lesson in class; it takes routine, preparation, and dedication. Here are some of the best tricks I use to prepare and survive through my early mornings:
Plan out your bedtime
The biggest mistake you can make when trying to wake up early is not getting enough sleep the night before. Having to go to sleep before 10 PM everyday to reach a full 8 hours was definitely something that seemed very unusual to me. Checking the clock at night and settling into bed while my roommates were still awake and going on with their night made me feel like a child with a bedtime. To get rid of this feeling, I made sure to plan out a night time routine to make sure I would enjoy my night and not feel like I’m constantly missing out. At night I wash my face, braid my hair, and brush my teeth; sometimes I do a face/hair mask and anything that will relax me as it gets later in the night. At around 9, an hour before I sleep, I watch TV, YouTube, or listen to a podcast – something that I can look forward to. This way I’m going to bed on a happy and relaxed note. At night, melatonin is my best friend, and if you don’t like swallowing pills or taking gummies, I would also advise Dr. Teal’s Sleep Spray.
Drink a whole glass of water
After getting out of bed, my very next stop is straight to the kitchen. At this time I’m usually still groggy and practically dragging my feet down the stairs. Having a tall glass of ice water wakes me up and makes me feel better. I know a lot of people like to splash their face with cold water in the morning to wake themselves up, but by doing this instead I feel like it’s less dreadful while still accomplishing the same goal. Drinking water in the morning also helps your body to flush out waste that builds up in the body the night before.
Eat breakfast!!
Making sure to eat breakfast in the morning is the MOST important step you need to follow on the day-to-day. Fulfilling your hunger and giving your body the necessary fuel it needs to run is the absolute best thing you can do for it. Food in the morning boosts your energy level and helps you to wake up and feel good. From my own personal experience I know I feel much happier and prepared for the day when I don’t have to worry about my stomach growling.
Get dressed and do your hair
While this doesn’t really sound like a necessary or crucial step of waking up early, this is probably my favorite tip I’ve been using every day. Waking up so early makes me feel gross, especially because I don’t have time to shower each and every morning every single day. By actually taking the time to get dressed and do my hair it starts off my day on a positive note and allows me to feel good about myself for the rest of the day. The days I just throw on sweatpants and a hoodie I’ve found I feel sleepy for longer periods of time and never feel as prepared for the long day ahead of me.
Plan out your essentials the night before
Following my last tip, planning and preparing things you need the night before helps eliminate extra time in the morning and allows you to get those extra few minutes of sleep. Preparing your breakfast and meals for the day, planning an outfit ahead of time, and packing your backpack the night before takes away that feeling of rushing and rids your mornings of any extra, unnecessary stress.
Just fight through it, eventually you’ll get into the routine
As hard and miserable as it may sound to pull yourself out of bed in the morning, just remembering the sooner you do it the sooner it’ll be over makes it way easier to get done. Eventually your body will naturally get used to your schedule, and you may even find yourself waking up on your own each morning.