If you are here reading this page, it is most probably because you’re a night owl who is dealing with messed up day routine and sleeping habits. And if you’re a person who is having a hard time falling asleep and waking up in the morning, then this article can be a beneficial for you. The fact is debating for night owls vs morning larks is always a timeless debate. The reason is despite numerous disadvantages of sleeping late and waking up late, a group of people all around the globe are proving this theory somewhat invalid, as they sleep late and still manage their day productively with hundred percent physical activity and success rates. Yet, the benefits of being a morning person is quite impressive compared to those who are the night owls. But, one factor that can never be ruled out, is the health. The night owls or the people who are not morning persons always deal with certain health problems in their life later or sooner. And the reason is, sleeping late affects the normal functioning of body and organs by causing several chronic health diseases such as hormonal disorders, high blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases, obesity, increased blood sugar, increased bad cholesterol or LDL, PCOD and thyroid issues.
Thus, being a morning person is not only good for your overall spiritual and mental health but also it helps you to achieve a fit and healthy body. Now, before getting to the effective and easy ways to become a morning person, let’s have a brief look on the benefits of being a morning person.
Benefits of Being a Morning Person
- You become proactive
People who wake up early compared to those who sleep late are the most proactive individuals who stay alert and focused all day. They take effective decisions and they stay well prepared for the day with all active ideas and fast reasoning. Not just morning people have proactive brain but also, they feel proactive physically as they get the sense of accomplished and high self-confidence.
- You start feeling happier
When you wake up early, for initial days you may feel a bit sleepy and tired but once it becomes a habit, you would love to wake up early to enjoy the early morning calming environment when you would be getting fresh cool morning breeze with tender sunlight and some “me time” to read and write. This makes you feel content with yourself and you gradually start feeling happy.
- Your body weight is managed
According to recent research studies, morning habits like waking up early, meditating, exercising early in the morning can help lose weight faster. Plus, when you wake up early your stress levels get managed which helps in regulation of hormones to help you manage your weight effectively which is one of the benefits of being a morning person.
- You fall asleep easily at night
When you wake up early, it is natural you get your circadian cycle on routine which makes you feel sleepy early at night. Hence, you go to bed early and get a complete 8 hours of sleep. It is also proved by certain studies that, being a morning person helps you fight sleep deprivation and depression.
- Your stress level gets reduced
Morning people get less stressed compared to night owls because they can get more things done during the day as they get a long day to execute their tasks. Getting your stress levels reduced and managed is a best way to become a morning person as well. Waking up early helps to eliminate the hectic rush of getting ready for work or going for school in the morning. Getting up early helps you get things done easily with ample time without any chaos in a very calm mind that reduces your stress significantly.
- You feel more energetic & productive
It is scientifically proven that getting up early makes you feel more energetic throughout the day. The morning energy enhancement helps you get your tasks done and have a more productive day. Getting up early not only makes you full of energy but also boosts your mood making you feel more cheerful. With rest of the hours in the day for morning persons, the day becomes more productive in getting tasks and errands done.
- You get time for yourself
Morning persons are the happiest individuals compared to those who sleep late and wake up late as morning people get their things done easily in a day having some extra time for themselves which gives them the feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction. They get extra time for reading, writing journal and also for their passion and creative skills.
- You find extra time for morning rituals
When you rise early you get some calming and soothing time to meditate, practice mindfulness, to read books and even write your journal. Not only this, you also get time to sit alone and talk to yourself, fixing your own thoughts and dilemma in life that helps you improve your overall wellbeing, which is one of the best benefits of being a being a morning person.
- Your concentration gets strengthened
Waking up early and starting your day earlier, increases your brain alertness, concentration/focus, and memory. Waking up early can help you perform your day-to-day tasks more efficiently increasing your success rate. When you sleep enough and rise early your brain cells become strengthened and active that not only increases your concentration and focus but also boosts your memory.
All these benefits can be achieved over a period of time when you make this a habit, going early to bed and rising early from bed. However, the trick lies in how to achieve these benefits being a morning person, as rising early is not a thing to do in a day or two. It needs consistency, determination, and habit formation. Thus, here are some ways to become a morning person.
- Get yourself a goal
The first and foremost thing to do when you want to wake up early every day is getting a goal for yourself. A reason why you want to wake up early, it should be strong enough and that would be motivational in itself. For example, you need to improve your lifestyle for your personal development, or you want a healthy lifestyle all these can help you to stick to a reason for getting up early every single day.
- Motivate yourself
No one is going to help you in your journey of a healthy lifestyle unless you help yourself or motivate yourself. You have to be positive and attract positive energy as well as vibes to help you move further in your life changing decisions that starts from getting up early in the morning.
- Get 8 hours of sleep
One can get up early from bed only when their sleep is complete. If you would sleep late, the obvious thing that happens is when you try to wake up you couldn’t because your body and brain strongly tries to complete the sleep cycle and sometimes your body couldn’t respond to the wake-up calls as it stays in deep sleep state. Thus, first getting enough sleep to reset your circadian rhythm is important in order to start a routine to get up early, one of the effective ways to become a morning person.
- Try to avoid devices before sleeping
Devices such as cell phones, laptops, desktops, television emit the blue light that affects your eyes and brain sending signal that you are not sleepy which makes it harder for you to fall asleep at night. Thus, try to avoid devices one hour prior to your bedtime to send signals to your brain and body that the sleeping time is on and you’re ready to sleep.
- Go to bed early
It is a simple equation, when you sleep early, you wake up early. A standard sleeping time of an individual is 7 to 8 hours thus, if you sleep early at night say 9’oclock or 10’oclock then there are maximum chances you would wake up by 6 in the morning and when you make it a habit it gets reduced to 5 am to 4 am in the morning.
- Eat light food for dinner
Keeping your night meal light and easy to digest can help you fall asleep faster without straining your digestive system to disturb your sleep. Hence, eating right food or light food is an effective way to become an early riser.
- Get yourself a routine
Getting yourself set into a routine with time boundaries can not only help you manage your time but also help you to maintain the right routine to work, study, workout, eat and sleep, another best way to become a morning person.
- Spend some time outside
Spending time out in the sun or in the nature helps you boost your melatonin hormones that help to fall asleep at night. Sunlight exposure regulates your circadian rhythm by signalling your body when to increase and decrease your body’s melatonin levels. Hence, the more daylight exposure you get, the more your body produces melatonin to help you fall asleep quickly.
- Do workout or physical activities
Doing enough physical activities, workout, yoga and exercise not only help you to stay fit but also make you tired that makes you fall asleep easily when you hit the bed. Doing workout also reduce stress levels that help you to fall asleep easily at night.