How to Feel Alert when You Wake up in the Mornings

Some people are born morning people, seemingly built to spring out of bed when the alarm sounds. Others are not. For us night owls, waking up is a slow and laborious process. If you are tempted each morning to throw the alarm clock across the room, or if you find yourself dozing off in your bowl of cereal, you’re not alone. Thankfully, there are ways that can ease you into your day and into alert, pinpoint concentration. No coffee needed – but certainly optional!

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Sleeping Well

1
Establish a healthy sleep routine. To be alert in the morning, you need, for one thing, to get deep and restorative sleep. Try to set a routine.^{[1]XExpert SourceJennifer Butler, MSW
Life CoachExpert Interview. 31 July 2020.} Go to bed early and get up at a reasonable hour. Aim for between 8 to 10 hours of sleep every day.^{[2]XTrustworthy SourceMayo ClinicEducational website from one of the world's leading hospitalsGo to source}
- To accustom your mind to the routine, do things that calm you and tell your body to become tired. Make your bedroom an inviting place, with comfortable blankets and pillows. Limit the amount of natural and artificial light, as well.
- Don’t take naps too close to your bedtime. Catnaps might be causing you to feel energetic until a late hour, disrupting your night’s sleep.
^{[3]XExpert SourceJennifer Butler, MSW
Life CoachExpert Interview. 31 July 2020.} If going to bed at the same time is important, so is waking up at a regular hour. Your body will soon get used to rising at 6am or 7am, though you may not feel like it at first. Stick to your schedule. While it’s fine to sleep in some on the weekends, try to keep it within one or two hours of your normal wake-up time.^{[4]XResearch source}
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3
Avoid caffeine and alcohol the day before. Coffee or other beverages can disrupt your sleep, making you feel groggy the next day. You may not realize it, but a cup of coffee at 4pm might be what’s keep you up at midnight. This is because caffeine remains in your system for up to eight hours. Avoid caffeine beyond 2 or 3 in the afternoon.^{[5]XResearch source}
- Alcohol can also disrupt your normal sleep patterns. While you may find that a beer or two help you to fall asleep, the alcohol in those drinks actually makes it harder to get quality sleep. Alcohol-affected sleep is lighter, with fewer Rapid Eye Movement (REM) periods – the body’s most important restorative sleep. You will also wake up more frequently.^{[6]XResearch source}
4
Prepare for contingencies. Make sure you sort everything out for the morning the night before. If you tend to get hungry or thirsty at night – and this wakes you up – eat a light meal or snack or have some herbal tea before going to bed.
- At the same time, and as said, avoid caffeinated beverages. Also limit your portion sizes. High-fat meals and large servings prolong the work your digestive system needs to do, and all the gas production and rumblings may keep you awake. ^{[7]XResearch source}
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Waking Yourself Up

1
Set an alarm. Set an alarm clock the night before to wake you up with plenty of time to prepare for the day.^{[8]XExpert SourceJennifer Butler, MSW
Life CoachExpert Interview. 31 July 2020.} Aim for at least 1-2 hours to wake up, eat, shower, and get dressed. While it may be hard at first, you’ll find that your body will gradually adjust to the routine. Once you start naturally waking up with the alarm, or shortly before it, you’ll know that you’ve trained yourself.^{[9]XResearch source}
- One technique you can try is to set your alarm a minute earlier every day or every week. This way, you will slowly get used to waking up earlier and earlier, until you reach your target wakeup time.^{[10]XResearch source}
The snooze button is tempting – but it is not your friend. Using the snooze button can trick your body into thinking that it is really sleep time, which will make you feel groggy and wooly-headed. This is called “sleep inertia.” Hitting the snooze button also throws off your internal clock, disrupting the routine that you’ve been trying to build.^{[11]XResearch source}
3
Go for an early morning swim, bike ride, or run. Getting your blood running and your heart rate up is a sure way to be more alert in the morning. Try an exercise that you enjoy, like going for a run or bike ride; stretching is also beneficial. Morning exercise will not only wake you up, but it will boost your mood throughout the day and give you energy for hours. Fresh air helps, too!^{[12]XResearch source}
- Time needn’t be an issue with exercise. As little as 15 to 20 minutes will do the trick. Plus, by exercising in the morning you’ll have more free time in the afternoon and evening.
4
Take a refreshing shower. Especially if you are exercising, you should think about taking a shower to be clean and as a further way of waking yourself. Make sure the temperature is right; don’t be seduced and stay in the bathroom too long, however.
- If you can bear it, turn the shower to the cold setting to wake yourself a bit more. Cold showers are miserable, but can in fact boost your awareness and mood. Then quickly turn the shower to the warmer setting and then finish your morning shower.^{[13]XResearch source}
- Some shower gels claim to be useful for waking up, and are made with various herbal or fruit aromas. Try one designed to help you feel more refreshed.^{[14]XResearch source}
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Starting your Day on the Right Foot

It may be early, but it’s not too early for some light music. The more adventurous might try a talk program like NPR’s Morning Edition, which will hold your attention and gently induce you to concentrate. Classical music or jazz is also very pleasant in the morning.
2
Eat a good breakfast. They say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Studies show that eating a good breakfast is key to having good levels of energy and concentration throughout the day. To get the most of it, try to eat within one hour of waking up and at the very latest by 10am.^{[15]XResearch source}Most important meal of the day and waking up.
- What you eat matters nearly as much as when you eat it. For example, foods like eggs, yogurt, chicken, and almonds contain tyrosine, which induces your body to produce the wake-up chemicals dopamine and norepinephrine.
- Orange juice and cream of wheat are also a good breakfast foods, as they have vitamin C and iron, respectively, which give you energy.
Like in a shower, a quick shot of cold water will trigger your body to release adrenaline, boost your heart rate, and promote blood flow to the brain. An added benefit is that the water will hydrate your body after a night of sleep. Dehydration is known to cause tiredness.^{[16]XResearch source}
4
Have something caffeinated. Coffee sometimes gets a bad name, as does caffeine. In reality, coffee is perfectly healthy for you so long as you limit yourself to 3 or 4 cups per day. Apart from its waking properties, coffee has possible benefits with antioxidants and for brain health.^{[17]XTrustworthy SourceMayo ClinicEducational website from one of the world's leading hospitalsGo to source}
- If coffee is not your favorite, try tea as an alternative. Energy drinks and soda are also options, but usually are full of sugar or other artificial ingredients. Also be aware of how much milk and sugar you use in your coffee and tea – these can add hundreds of extra calories.
- The average up of coffee has about 100mg of caffeine, while black tea contains about half as much.^{[18]XTrustworthy SourceMayo ClinicEducational website from one of the world's leading hospitalsGo to source}According to the Mayo Clinic, the average adult can safely consume up to 400mg per day. More, however, may lead to feelings of irritability, jitteriness, or nervousness, insomnia, and rapid heartbeat.^{[19]XTrustworthy SourceMayo ClinicEducational website from one of the world's leading hospitalsGo to source}
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