5 Ways To Help You Wake Up At The Same Time Every Day
Do you wake up at the same time every day? I’d guess the answer for most people is no. Because let’s face it, with all the goodwill in the world many of us are trying to juggle a million different things in our waking life so it’s no wonder our sleeping life has gone awry. But the thing is, going to bed and waking up at the same time has been proven to be hugely beneficial to us, and not just in terms of sleep. Regular sleep patterns contribute towards improved immunity, better focus, a positive mood, better heart health, and it also helps to maintain a healthy weight.
In this article, we discover 5 ways to help you wake up at the same time every day, so read on if you’re a slave to the snooze button!
Stick To A Sleep Schedule
Establishing a consistent sleep routine, one which involves going to bed at the same time each night along with other good sleep habits such as not eating too late and limiting blue light exposure, will help your body and brain learn how to wake up at the same time every day.
Firstly, it’s essential to understand the reasons why you might be struggling to wake in the morning. These reasons could vary from going to bed late, struggling to fall asleep, waking frequently through the night, or could be related to things like alcohol or caffeine consumption. And it only takes the odd day here or there, where changes have been made to your usual pattern of behaviour, for your sleep to be affected and consequently your wake up time too.
A common mistake people make is to have a lie in at the weekend. Changing from a weekday routine of going to bed at 10pm and waking at 6pm, and then switching it to a midnight bedtime followed by a 9am wake up and probably an hour or so lolling in bed come the weekend, sends your sleep schedule into chaos. The intention is well meant, as many of us see the weekend as a chance to catch up on lost sleep from the week. But the result is actually doing us more harm than good.
Resist the urge to hit the snooze button and try your absolute hardest to get up at the same time every day. If you feel tired in the day, you can always have a nap, just make sure you don’t leave it too late in the day otherwise this can also affect your night time sleep.
Set An Alarm
In an ideal world, it’s better to wake up without an alarm. However, when you’re first learning how to wake up at the same time every day, an alarm is a necessary part of the process. The time you wake up in the morning is often dictated by what plans you have that day, for example you may have to be at work by a certain time, or perhaps you’ve got to get the kids to school. Once you’ve figured out how much time you need to get ready in the morning and have decided how many hours of sleep you need (remember on average we need between 7-8 hours of sleep a night), you can then work backwards and work out what time you should be going to bed. This will also help you to set a time for your alarm clock to wake you up in the morning.
The key here is consistency. So, no matter whether it’s a weekday or the weekend, always set your alarm for the same time. When you have been doing this for a while, your body will start to recognise your sleep/wake pattern and you’ll notice that on some mornings you’re waking up a few minutes or even seconds before your alarm goes off. And the longer you keep this schedule up, you’ll begin to notice that you no longer need to rely on your alarm at all. Although, maybe still set it, just in case!
Do Pillow Head Bumps
Although this one isn’t exactly backed by scientist, there is some logic to how it might work. The theory is that by hitting your head against your pillow until you reach the number you would like to wake up by (6 times = 6 o’clock etc.) you can train yourself to actually wake up at that time. Kind of like a pillow alarm clock if you like. And whilst the idea sounds utterly ridiculous, it might just work. You see, it’s all about training the subconscious. By setting the intention of waking at a certain time, it subconsciously instructs the brain to do just that. It’s certainly worth giving it a try!
Regular Exercise
Regular exercise is known to improve the quality of your sleep, and improved sleep goes hand in hand with a more consistent wake up time. Not only can moderate aerobic exercise help alleviate sleep problems such as insomnia, but it also leads to better overall sleep. And the reason for this is because of the extra energy we exert when exercising. In fact, sleep can help reset your circadian rhythm, relieve stress, and help make you feel sleepier. And when we’ve got all that lot sorted out, we are way more likely to establish a regular sleep routine that will naturally lead to us waking at the same time each morning. As you can see, there are tonnes of good reasons why we should all be fitting regular exercise into our routines.
Avoid Caffeine
Some people are more affected by caffeine than others. I’ve known some people to have a coffee after a meal and then go on to the espresso martinis and are still able to fall asleep. On the flipside, there are people like me, who only has to read the word caffeinated and that’s it I’m bouncing off the ceiling. That being said, no matter what your tolerance to caffeine is, sleep quality is massively affected by it as it can make falling asleep harder and it disrupts the stages of your sleep cycle.
If you want to wake up at the same time every day, it’s vital you create a daytime schedule that is conducive to sleep. And that means you should ideally not be consuming caffeine for a minimum of 6 hours before you plan to turn in for the night.
How To Wake Up At The Same Time Every Day
When combined, the 5 tips listed above will help you on your way to not only waking up at the same time every day, but should also help you to wake up naturally, to get better sleep, and to feel more energised in the daytime too. Depending on the state of your existing sleep schedule, it may take a bit of time to reset it, but it’s well worth putting the effort in now, to reap the benefits later.
