I love the snooze button. But I hate the person who invented it. If you’re like me, there is no better place to be than under the covers on cold mornings. However, sleeping in is not a strategy for success. With that said, I have tried many methods and have found some great strategies for getting up quickly and easily.

Go to Bed When You’re Tired

Sounds like common sense but there is a little more to this strategy. I’ve read articles on sleep that say you should go to bed at the exact same time every night. This is nonsense! Mostly because depending on your day’s activities, your energy usage will greatly vary from day to day. When heading to bed make sure you are tired enough to fall asleep within 5 minutes. If it takes longer than a few minutes to drift off, you are wasting your time. Conversely, if you rob yourself of sleep by postponing bedtime you may throw off your sleep cycle and wake up tired.

Wake Up At the Same Time Everyday

Standardizing your wake up routine is key for easy mornings. If you wake up at random times (which you probably do now) your circadian rhythm will be in constant disarray. By waking every day at the same time your brain will be subconsciously trained to prepare for waking at your desired time. Personally, I have found that I am so accustomed to waking at 6am that sometimes I wake up a few seconds or minutes before the alarm goes off. Which is slightly eerie but definitely a reinforcement that this strategy works for me.

Furthermore, if you had less sleep than desired during the previous night, you will simply become tired sooner that day. And, in turn, want to head to bed sooner. Therefore your circadian rhythm will begin to self-regulate more accurately and your sleep cycle will find an equilibrium on a daily basis. [Read more...]