I’m An Early Bird, But I Might Not Be Originally Wired That Way

Whenever I have a day or so off, I seem to follow the same routine.
I normally end up Benjamin Franklin-ing it;  Early to bed and Early to rise.  But when I have time off, I find myself slipping a little, staying up later and sleeping in later.  It occurred to me that while I did get used to getting up early, that might not be natural for me.  Maybe that's not my real rhythm, you know?  I know I've worked nights before and sleeping all day was not good or normal for me.  And now, it's routine for me to get to bed early - even if I did have to get used to it again after slacking for a couple of weeks.   If you don't think you could ever be a morning person, think again.  One expert says it's as simple as following these five steps.

1.  Don't keep your alarm next to your bed.  The idea is to FORCE yourself to get out of bed, to deal with your alarm.  It's simple, and you've probably heard it before . . . but you probably haven't done it, because the idea isn't all that appealing.

2.  Find a reason to be excited about waking up.  Then think about it before falling asleep.  If your last thought before bed is, "I HAVE to get up in six hours," then you're more likely to wake up thinking, "I can't believe it's already time to get up."   But if your last thought is something you're excited about . . . like eating something delicious for breakfast, or even just that first cup of coffee . . . then you're more likely to think about THAT when your alarm goes off.

3.  Brush your teeth immediately.  Don't start making coffee or check Facebook until you've done it.  The brushing itself wakes you up, and so does the taste of toothpaste.

4.  Drink a glass of water.  It's common to be slightly dehydrated when you wake up, because you've gone six-to-eight hours with no water.  And being dehydrated causes fatigue.  In fact, if you constantly feel tired, you might just need more water, not sleep.

5.  Break a sweat.  Which is the one most of us can't seem to find the time or energy to do.  But exercise wakes you up WAY more than a shower does.

So what about you - are you a morning person, night owl, or something in between?  Does your work or family life fit in with that, or do you have to change your natural rhythm out for something else?

Morningly yours,

Behka