Early to bed, early to rise, how to get motivated to do this
Most of us are able to do much more with our days if we get to bed early and are able to wake up early. Those who go to bed at a reasonable hour do not have as difficult of a time waking up in the morning. This means that early risers are more likely to be able to exercise in the morning, eat a good breakfast and get to work on time. Additionally not having to rush to get ready in the morning reduces stress. Stress can lead to all kinds of potentially serious medical conditions. Getting up a little earlier can give us time to do the things in a day that we just wouldn't have time to do otherwise. Our bodies need sleep in order to be healthy so if you want to make more of your day by getting up earlier, you will also have to make the sacrifice of going to bed earlier. Professionals recommend 7-9 hours a sleep a night depending on age, health, etc. Too many of us want to have it all. We want to sleep in, stay-up late, get to work on time and have time to exercise. The truth is that you will have to sacrifice a little in order to gain something.
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Therefore, you have to find the motivation somewhere to get to bed early and to rise early. For some it is easier than others. We all know someone who is a "morning person" and makes getting up early seem effortless. In reality, for many of us it is a real struggle to get out of our nice and comfortable beds when the alarm sounds. If you can hit the snooze button in your sleep, or are otherwise challenged by the prospect of having to wake up earlier, here are a few suggestions:
Try it for a week - If you have never actually tried going to bed early and getting up early than you have no way of knowing whether or not you can do it. If you have tried the early to bed, early to rise routine before and have been unsuccessful, try again. Research has shown that it takes about 21 days to form a habit. Changing sleep patterns is not something that you can do over night. It is normal to feel tired the first few days that you try getting up earlier. After about a week things should be getting a little easier. Hopefully after three weeks you will come to realize that you really can get up earlier and that it gets easier with time.
Start with a luke warm shower - Many times starting with a shower is a great way to wake up your senses. You do however want to make sure that your shower is not too warm as it might relax you more than you want. Other things that can help you wake up are to exercise, get dressed, start working or get out of the house.
Ask your spouse or roommates for help - It is hard to get out of bed when your alarm sounds. It is so easy to turn off your alarm and get back to sleep. Unless, you have a backup plan. Ask someone who lives with you to help you. Tell them that you want to get up earlier and go to bed earlier and ask them to help to make sure that you do it. A live person is not going to be quieted as easily as an alarm. If you know yourself well enough to know that your finger can guide itself to turn off your alarm plan to have a back-up plan of a snooze button you can't ignore.
