“It took me four years of research, experimentation and failure to develop the habit of waking up early. Now I can finally control my rise time - and it's been worth it. Probably, if you are reading this material, you also tried to learn to get up early, and you failed,” writes the author of the note.
Hacks on how to get up at five in the morning have become especially popular in recent years. In fact, waking up early does not mean waking up exactly at five. I'm not saying you can't do it, but you certainly don't have to.
To learn to get up earlier, the author says, you first need to change your lifestyle. “One of the reasons it took me four years to develop the habit is because I didn’t initially take into account my student (and then entrepreneur) lifestyle. The time you should get up is determined by what you do, your job, family, social circle, hobbies, how often you travel, and so on.”
“Getting up at 5 or 6 in the morning is an impossible task if you are a doctor who often has to work night shifts, or a student who works and plays at night. And if you travel a lot and are plagued by jet lag, getting up at the same time is physically difficult,” he explains.
After the hour of rising is determined, based on professional and personal activities, the entrepreneur writes, it is necessary to restore order in several areas of life at once:
- goals and attitude;
- evening classes;
- sleep quality;
- waking up and morning routine.
Goals and general attitude
“Humans are creatures that seek instant gratification. And so you will look for any excuse to sleep longer, especially in the first few days. The main thing you should know is that you really have to sacrifice a lot. And you must be prepared for this,” explains the author of the material.
Your productivity will suffer at first. And you'll have to let go of the idea that you're just not a morning person - that's a myth.
The most important thing, the author of the note believes, is to set your goals correctly. Goals motivate a person, he believes. And the more emotional the goal, the harder a person will go towards it. In addition, goals define activities—systems that must be followed to achieve them. “To start, you need to identify three main goals for the coming year and the systems that will help you achieve them.”
For example. Goal: lose 5 kg by April 1, 2021. System: eat less than 2000 calories a day, eat healthy - exclude candy, fast food and snacks. Do cardio training twice a week (swimming or running). Lift weights twice a week. Once - yoga.
Put on the right music
Choose the right melody for your alarm clock.
She shouldn't be annoying. In the morning we are especially susceptible to everything, including sounds. You'll want to turn off the nasty alarm clock and go back to sleep. But you shouldn’t stage a very calm composition either. It will only make you sleep better. As soon as you get out of bed, turn on the radio or your favorite playlist of energetic music. The body will automatically begin to move to the beat, the mood will rise, which means you definitely won’t want to go back to bed.
Evening classes
“Many people think that you need to start by organizing your morning routine, but this is not so. Firstly, even before going to bed, you need to tune in to waking up early,” writes the author of the material. He suggests several ways this can be done.
Stop using your smartphone, tablet, or other technology devices before bed
Blue light, the entrepreneur writes, negatively affects the quality of sleep. Therefore, about an hour or two before bedtime, you should stop using any devices - smartphone, tablet, laptop - and devote them to other activities.
Prepare for tomorrow
The author suggests taking care of a few things in the evening so as not to have to deal with such problems in the morning and free up time for more important things. He believes that in the evening you need to answer three questions:
- What are the top priorities for tomorrow?
- What clothes to wear?
- How to spend breakfast, lunch and dinner?
Evaluate your day and imagine your ideal morning
“Time flies quickly, and if you don’t learn to stop and think about the things that matter to you, you will feel like something is missing in life. Every evening ask yourself: what turned out the way you wanted today? What have you done? What are you grateful for? What made you happy?
The author then recommends imagining your ideal morning. In his opinion, this will help him not to put off getting up in the morning, but to get down to business right away.
Read
“It’s difficult for a modern person to find even 30 minutes to read. But if you get rid of all the technological devices before bed, you can easily find time to read. And it doesn’t matter whether it will contribute to personal or professional growth,” says the author.
Why you need to wake up early
Morning is a fertile period of the day when you can get a charge of positive energy for the body and soul. You can feel all the beauty of nature and birdsong only in the early morning, while everyone is sleeping. Walking, prayer, meditation, exercise in the fresh air alone - available in the morning.
Self-esteem increases
As you start the day, that’s how it will be. An active and cheerful start to the day prevents a person from making mistakes when moving towards a healthy lifestyle. There is a subconscious acceptance of the attitude: “I did it!”, after which during the day you want to repeatedly overcome the difficulties that have arisen, finding a source of joy. Getting up early builds character and makes it easier to withstand difficulties.
The body protects itself from aging
It is important to remember about biorhythms: by falling asleep on time, a person provides time for deep sleep, which means the production of melatonin, somatotropin growth hormone, which strengthens the body, normalizes blood pressure, slows down the aging process of the body, and reduces body fat.
Important! Waking up early stimulates the production of cortisol, a hormone that protects the body from stress.
The highest levels of the hormone coincide with the morning hours. Long-term exposure to the hormone negatively affects the immune system; morning activity accelerates the removal of cortisol residues from the body.
Sleep quality
“Most people do not know what and how affects their sleep and what can be done to improve its quality,” writes the author of the note. He cites several factors that improve or worsen sleep quality.
- Stimulants. At least six hours before bedtime, you should stop drinking coffee and alcohol and keep only green tea and water in your diet.
- Heavy food. Before going to bed, you should not eat heavy food - it burdens the digestive system and impairs the quality of sleep. The author recommends eating a small snack, nuts, or drinking a glass of milk before bed to avoid waking up hungry.
- Water. Before going to bed, you should drink at least one glass of water. If a person already drinks one glass of water before bed, you can increase the amount to two.
- Sports activities. Before going to bed, you should avoid physical activity for at least three hours. “Exercise is invigorating, and it will be more difficult to fall asleep afterwards.”
- Sleeping conditions. You need to purchase a quality mattress and pillow, and also make sure that the room is dark (if it is impossible to make it dark, a sleep mask will do). It is also worth paying attention to the temperature in the room.
- Time. You should go to bed at the same time every day. At first, the entrepreneur writes, it will be difficult, but soon the body will get used to it and the person will begin to feel tired just at the right time.
- Sleep optimization. The entrepreneur advises finding the ideal time to go to bed - one so that after waking up you really feel rested. “When you sleep, you go through certain cycles. Light sleep, deep sleep and REM sleep. The full cycle lasts about 90 minutes and is repeated several times a night. To feel rested, you need to wake up when the cycle is completed - after an hour and a half, three, four and a half, six, and so on. Of course, you won’t guess down to the minute, but over time you will understand what is more comfortable for your body.”
Pour yourself some aromatic tea
A fairly well-known way to cheer up. Especially if the bonus of delicious tea is the smell of lemon, ginger, bergamot, ginseng, rosehip or mint. A drink with the addition of these plants has a tonic effect. Before you start drinking your tea, enjoy the depth of its aroma. This will be the first step towards awakening.
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Waking up and morning routine
The entrepreneur offers two strategies to help you wake up earlier.
- Immersion method. A person sets the desired wake-up time and immediately begins to stick to it. “This method has its merits, but you must take into account that such drastic changes will initially negatively affect your energy.”
- Gradual method. The entrepreneur considers this method to be the most effective. The idea is to gradually get closer to your desired time, setting your wake-up time 10 to 15 minutes earlier every three to four days. “It will take time, but the impact on energy will be minimal.”
After the reader has decided on the method, the author of the material suggests checking a few more things.
- Alarm. “The day should not start with a tune that scares or irritates you - this distorts the whole point of the new habit. You need to find a melody that gradually helps you wake up and that makes you happy. Over time, she may become hateful - then you will need to find another one.”
- Responsibility. The author suggests telling one close person about your idea. He will have to make sure that he wakes up on time. “All you have to do is text or call that person 10 to 15 minutes after you wake up.”
- Gamification using the Jerr and Seinfeld method. “Comedian Jerry Seinfeld says he has a one-page year-long calendar prominently displayed on his wall. Every day when he completes a task and writes something, he crosses it with a red marker. After a few days, a chain of crosses is formed. And you will have no other goals than to continue this chain.”
- Activity. The entrepreneur helps you find something that will help you quickly get out of your sleepy state. “For example, try immediately drinking a glass of water, washing your face and brushing your teeth. Make your bed. Open the window and let light into the room (even if you get up at five in the morning, a little fresh air will not hurt." Then the author suggests doing something especially pleasant that you would like to wake up for - for example, drinking coffee and reading a book.
What to do after waking up depends on the goals and objectives of the person himself, writes the author of the material. The basic rule that he advises to adhere to is to devote about an hour to work. “Trying to devote three hours to new habits is likely to fail,” he says.
The entrepreneur offers several options for activities in the available time, but notes that the decision remains with the person himself - he can choose anything:
- setting and reassessing goals;
- physical activity;
- meditation;
- reading (or watching courses);
- working on side projects;
- communication with loved ones;
- cooking food.
The author of the material notes that at first a drop in energy is inevitable - you should be prepared for this. If you start to feel sleepy in the middle of the day, you should take a nap for 20–30 minutes. He also recommends remembering that developing a habit is a long process, and you shouldn’t expect to be able to follow all the instructions right away. He insists on doing them sequentially - first setting goals, then sorting out evening chores, and then moving on to waking up early.
What is the healthiest way to make coffee?
According to the expert, coffee is the most controversial drink in the world, the harms and benefits of which have been discussed since its discovery. According to legend, the beneficial properties of the drink were noticed by the abbot of a monastery in Ethiopia - he assumed that a decoction from the leaves of a wild coffee tree would help the monks stand for a long time during services. But still few people know that the properties of coffee directly depend on the preparation method:
- in a cup of espresso or Americano - 75 mg of caffeine;
- a serving of coffee from a drip coffee maker contains more than 100 mg of caffeine;
- filter coffee has an antioxidant effect due to polyphenols, which have antioxidant properties;
- French press or pour over promotes the release of essential oils - they improve the aroma of the drink and preserve the beneficial properties of polyphenols;
- unfiltered coffee (espresso, cappuccino or Turkish coffee), on the contrary, can be harmful to health; the fact is that with this brewing method, the coffee grounds remain in the water, and with it an increased concentration of substances that increase “bad” cholesterol (diterpenes and cafestol).
Photo: unsplash.com/@jtylernix
Alexandra:
Scientists have come to the conclusion that the healthiest way to make coffee is drip coffee or, more simply, filter coffee. The method involves pouring hot water once through a layer of ground coffee in the filter. Studies show that the lowest mortality rate is among those who drink 1-4 cups of this drink daily.
FAQ
Question: “What about the weekend?” Answer: “It all depends on personal preference. But if you're just starting a habit, I'd recommend sticking to your new schedule on the weekends as well. Later, you can allow yourself one or two extra hours of sleep.”
Question: “How many times in a row can you wake up at the wrong time and not lose the habit?” Answer: “When a habit is just being developed, after 2-3 days it will not be easy to return to the achieved level. Once a habit has been developed, 2-3 days won’t ruin anything.”
Question: “What happens when I travel and change my environment?” Answer: “It’s a difficult question. First, have pity on yourself. Try to stick to your habits, but if it doesn’t work out, don’t force it.”
Question: “What if I unexpectedly have to go to a party?” Answer: “That’s very good. Just have fun. There is no need to force yourself to wake up at the same time as usual - sleep as much as you need.”
Give a toning massage
Of course, this procedure is more suitable for a Saturday or Sunday morning than for the beginning of a working day. But you can improve blood circulation yourself by applying the cream to the skin of your face and hands and massaging it well. By the way, instead of cream, you can use a toning face mask - the effect will be the same.
- Apple face masks - healing recipes for all skin types
We have collected for you 18 of the best recipes for simple but effective face masks.
Choose the right alarm clock
One option is to buy an alarm clock. Half an hour before the set time, the lamp on the device turns on, the intensity of which constantly increases. This has a gentle effect on the sleep hormone, melatonin, which helps you wake up easier.
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You can buy a sleep tracker for your wrist or download an app for your phone that monitors your sleep phase and cycle and wakes you up when you're ready to wake up. Alternatively, turn on the volume fade-in feature on your phone so that the alarm goes off gradually.
Fourth night
I have changed the terms once again.
The sleep period was shifted by an hour: bedtime was supposed to be at 12, and wake-up at 8, I wanted to see how much easier it would be to wake up. At the same time, I left the well-proven two alarm clocks. And here the whole system seemed to come to life. Sleep smoothly took me from evening to morning, I got up exactly at eight, after lying in bed for half an hour with the light on, and even the orange I ate at breakfast spread through my body in a warm wave that kept me strong all day.
However, what happened on the final morning was even more amazing.
Second night
The second evening was completely the same as the first. The sleep seemed to have become even stronger, but the alarm clock tore me out of my dreams just as disgustingly. This time, before leaving the bed, I lay there for 10 minutes with the light on. This time, according to my assumptions, should have been enough for the body to get used to the inevitable. It worked partly.
My joints no longer crunched like pieces of rusty iron, and the increased warm-up time gave me more energy. Although fatigue accumulated like a snowball as the day went on, I didn’t want to sleep, but I still adjusted the schedule.
