Waking up in the morning can be one of the hardest moments of the day for some people, and how we wake up often determines whether we have a good day or a bad one.
Time and again, even after a good rest or a deep sleep, it isn’t enough to get up with all the energy you need to face the working day. So here are 18 tips collected by Marina Liao in a PopSugar article that can help you wake up happier.
(See also: 14 science-backed ways to be happier)
1. Eat a good breakfast
Many people get up with barely enough time to get to work and skip breakfast. Fifteen minutes is enough for a healthy breakfast that can instantly make you feel more awake and full of energy. Breakfast is one of the reasons we should all get up earlier.
(See: 5 reasons to get up earlier, plus tips to become a natural early riser)
2. Stretch as soon as you wake up
This gets the blood flowing through your whole body. Once endorphins are released, you’ll feel less stressed and face the day with a more positive attitude. So go ahead and stretch.
3. Listen to music
To feel good, put together a playlist of all your favourite songs and play it as soon as you wake up.
4. Get everything you’ll need ready the night before
If you have to rush around looking for your keys, wallet, phone and other work things before you leave, you’ll feel nervous and flustered. If you take 10 minutes the night before to get everything ready, you’ll wake up with fewer worries. Remember: the fewer decisions you have to make at the start of the day, the more energy you’ll have saved for the rest of it.
(See: 5 bedtime routines that will make you more productive the next morning)
5. Tidy your bedroom at night
Waking up in a clean, tidy room is one of the best feelings in the world.
6. Put a few fresh flowers on your bedside table
Scientific studies have shown that flowers can make you a happier person, so keeping a few nice arrangements where you can see them first thing in the morning will help you wake up in a better mood.
7. Don’t hit the snooze button
Whatever you do, don’t hit snooze. There’s a scientific explanation for this. There’s nothing more annoying than hearing the alarm go off again and again while we try to fall back asleep. Research suggests that sleep happens in cycles, and breaking a cycle can leave you more tired than usual when you get up. So when we stop the alarm several times, we’re breaking several sleep cycles. We aren’t really sleeping more; we’re just interrupting more sleep cycles, which leaves us even more tired, and even in a bad mood.
That’s why we advise you to set your alarm for the time you’re actually going to get up. Besides, hearing it so many times may get your brain so used to it that you never manage to get up at all.
8. Keep the curtains and blinds half open
In autumn and winter, the sunlight you can get first thing in the morning is a bonus. Our mood changes with the weather, and getting a little sun is the easiest way to feel happier.
9. Go to bed an hour earlier
You probably won’t fall asleep right away, but letting your body know it’s time to wind down will make you feel better the next morning. You might even wake up earlier and feel more productive.
10. Skip social media
Many people pick up their phone before getting out of bed to check their email, Facebook or Instagram, but not reaching for your phone first thing in the morning can be liberating.
11. Wake up next to your partner
Waking up with your partner might make you want to stay in bed much longer and skip work, but waking up next to your loved one is guaranteed to put a smile on your face (at least for the first few years). And if you don’t have a partner, don’t worry: petting your dog or cat in the morning has the same happy effect.
12. Sleep on your back
Research shows this is the best sleeping position, so if you find yourself tossing and turning at night, try lying on your back for optimal rest.
13. Take a shower
There’s nothing a good shower can’t fix, especially with your favourite bath scents and oils.
14. Wear sunglasses before you leave the house
The sun makes you squint or frown, which can encourage aggressive feelings and dampen your mood. So wear them.
15. Drink coffee
Coffee plus sunshine equals good vibes and an instant lift, so you can drink your coffee in the sunlight, and on your way to work, walk on the sunny side of the street. Don’t forget your sunglasses.
16. Sleep naked
Sleeping naked has a whole range of benefits (or so they say), but above all you’ll wake up feeling sexier and more rested, and you’ll also burn fat.
17. Don’t eat too much before bed
You’ll avoid the bloated feeling that can keep you from sleeping well. Sleeping well equals a happier person. There’s an old Spanish saying, “big dinners fill the graveyards”, and although I don’t know exactly where it comes from, the truth is that a heavy dinner, like going to bed right after eating, doesn’t sit well with many people.
18. Give your alarm a fun ringtone
Change your alarm tone to a fun song you like. You’ll get up in a much better mood if the first thing you hear is a song you enjoy, instead of waking up to news of a traffic jam in Madrid, politicians who have been caught stealing again, or last night’s murders. What you take in first thing in the morning can lift you up or bring you down, even if you’re sometimes not aware of it.
See also: 23 things that can happen to you if you don’t get enough sleep
Featured image: Guilherme Tavares, CC BY 2.0, via Flickr.
