Saturday, April 20

How to Gradually Get Better at Waking up in the Morning

BY: Savanna Sabb

I don’t know about you, but the hardest part of my day is waking up. When the alarm jolts me out of my deep sleep, I’m quickly reminded that I’m an adult. Which means it’s time for me to start “adulting” for the day. That is something I still haven’t gotten the hang of, but that is for another article for another day. I can’t even begin to adult if I’m having such a difficult time dragging myself out of bed. I’m one of those who hits the snooze button at least once every morning, and judging by the number of memes I see on social media about how difficult it is to wake up, I know that I am not the only one. For the people who are like me and it’s a huge ordeal just to roll yourself out of bed, I found a few tips and tricks on how to easily get yourself ready for the day.

Keep your alarm across the room.

You know that annoying song you hate? Or that loud obnoxious blaring sound most alarms have? Make that your go-to alarm sound. If you use a phone or any other electronic device, put it all the way across the room. That way you have no choice but to get out of the bed to just make the sounds stop and yes, I know it’s quite simple to just hop back in bed right after that, but that is why we have step two.

Immediately make your bed.  

After you turn off your annoying alarm, make your bed as neat as ever. The goal is to make your bed look so tidy and neat that you’d feel a tinge of regret if you jump back in it after you turn off your alarm. This might seem like a minor step but trust me, after you take the time to make your bed you wouldn’t want to have to do it again, especially if you have more things to do in the morning.

Prepare everything the night before.

This step makes your mornings a lot easier- I can attest to this. All throughout high school (when I was less lazy than I am now) I had to wake up at 5 a.m. I got everything ready the night before. I packed my lunch, made my breakfast, had all of my clothes laid out, and even decided how I was going to style my hair for the next morning. That way when I woke up, all I had to do was my morning routine I already had prepared. It saves you a lot of time, and you might even have leeway to wake up a little later than usual.

Wake up at the same time every day.

Your body works best on a routine. Let’s say you have to wake up at 8:00 a.m. a few days out of the week. If you start waking up at 8:00 a.m. every day, your body will start to feel accustomed to that time and gradually start automatically waking up around the same time, even without an alarm. If you want to live on the edge, you can even toss the idea of using an alarm. I would test that on a weekend though, or a day when it is okay to sleep in.

Challenge yourself to stay awake.

Stay on the move! After you wake up, challenge yourself not to get back in the bed. Remember: Your bed is the no-no zone.  Immediately start your morning routine, and don’t give yourself the time to feel the sleepiness.

  • Work out (if you are that person). Also if you are the person, teach me your ways.  
  • Do your homework.
  • Clean your room.

Basically, do anything that takes your mind off your sleepiness, which actually isn’t that hard to do when you immerse yourself in something that is worse than not being able to sleep like homework or cleaning. You spend all of your time complaining about that instead of not being able to sleep. No, I’m joking, but it really does help to stay busy and focus on multiple tasks.

There you have it! Five tips and tricks that will help you wake up and stay up in the morning. I won’t lie- it’s not easy. Who would want to get out of their cozy bed just to go to school? Not me, but it does pay off in the end, and the more you practice the tips on the list and any other tips you might come across, the easier it gets.