8 psychological strategies to get up early
Getting up early is one of the most complicated habits to carry out for some , especially those days when the outside temperature is cold and you want to lie down and enjoy the comfort of the bed and pillow.
Surely it has also happened to you sometime, that despite setting the alarm with the best of intentions and knowing that it was necessary to stand up soon to complete a series of tasks, you have remained in your bed. In fact, you've even turned off the alarm and you have not even noticed.
The differences between morning and evening
Although a study by Semmelweis University found that people with a high IQ preferred to live at night, to be intelligent, in reality, Go through adopting some healthy sleep habits , that allow you to be more productive during the day, perform better and enjoy greater general well-being (you can learn more about this research by clicking here).
However, some experts say that the differences between people who get up early and those who are not in some are morning and other vespertines. Evening people have great difficulty waking up in the morning , and in the afternoon or evening they feel lucid and energetic. This seems to be related to the "clock" gene, which secretes melatonin at a different rate from the rest. Now you have the perfect excuse to stay in bed until many.
You can deepen this topic in this article: "Smart people prefer to live at night and have a harder time sleeping"
Strategies to get up early
However, It is possible to adopt a series of strategies that help you get up early to be able to reach everything. They are the following.
1. Get up with music
The classic alarm went out of style. Now it is possible to program some alarm clocks with songs in the morning. You can program, for example, a heavy metal song that will rumble the walls of your room and get you out of bed fast. You will have no choice but to put out that annoying alarm so that your ears do not suffer. But nevertheless, This strategy is not very useful if you live with other people or if you sleep with your partner . Unless they also want to get up at the same time as you.
If you're not a heavy metal fan you can try other types of songs. Motivating songs and those that positively affect your mood are a good alternative. In the article "The 20 best songs to get out of bed, according to the University of Cambridge" you can find a variety of musical themes that will help you get up better and be more lucid during the early hours of the day.
2. Put the alarm clock away from your bed
The main problem of getting up early when you are tired is that, despite setting the alarm, you usually postpone your early morning by changing the alarm time or simply turning it off almost without realizing it. It's something that has happened to everyone, and we usually do when we really do not want to get up, we feel lazy or our body needs more hours of rest.
A good strategy to avoid this situation is to put the alarm away from the bed so you need to get up to turn it off . If you combine it with the previous point (that is, put songs with a high volume), you will get up quickly to turn off that song that makes the whole neighborhood wake up.
3. Use an app
With the emergence of new technologies in our lives, there are many applications that we can download to make our lives easier. This also includes getting up early. That's why in the app store of your device can find some apps as curious as "Puzzle Alarm Clock.
The feature of this application is that to turn off the alarm users must perform a series of special actions , for example, complete a mathematical operation. This requires great concentration, so it will be necessary to be well awake and the desire to continue sleeping will be removed.
4. Go to sleep early
You may get up early one day if you follow these tips, but if you want to be able to get up early on a regular basis, you need to start going to bed at a decent time.
Do not intend to get up at 7 in the morning if you go to bed at 2 . "An important factor in being able to wake up easily at the desired time in the morning is to control the circadian rhythm or body clock," says researcher Leon C. Lack, a professor at the School of Psychology at Flinders University in Australia. early, much of what we do the day before (or previous days) has much to do.
5. Avoid caffeine after 6
This point is closely related to the previous one, but it is necessary to remember it so that you understand that it is not positive to take stimulants at night. Experts advise not to take caffeine after 6 o'clock in the afternoon, to avoid a counterproductive effect when it comes to nighttime sleep. Remember that not only coffee contains caffeine, but also other foods or beverages such as Coca-Cola also contain this substance .
6. Take care of the environment
If you want to get up early, you should take care of your surroundings. This means that you have a correct temperature in the room, a comfortable mattress and a comfortable pillow that allow you to sleep well and have a quality and restful sleep .
You should also avoid having the TV set when you go to bed, because if you like what you watch, it will probably take longer to fall asleep and you may have to wake up at night to turn it off.
7. Light dinner
If taking care of your environment is important to sleep at a good time and not to wake up in the middle of the night because you are sweating too much or because you have to turn off the television, light dinner is important. Why? Because Heavy meals at night can cause insomnia and hinder the restful sleep.
8. Work on sleep hygiene
Sleep hygiene is a set of practices that allow you to sleep well. It not only refers to the amount of sleep, but also to the quality of it. To have good sleep hygiene influences well-being and performance throughout the day .
Good sleep hygiene is key if we want to wake up early and be productive the next day, and there are many causes that can hinder it: work schedule, habits before going to bed, lifestyle, etc. Therefore, the goal of sleep hygiene is to lie down and wake up respecting a schedule throughout the week, but it is also your purpose that you sleep in a healthy way, that is, respecting the 6-8 hours recommended by the experts.
If you want to go deeper into this topic, you can do it in this article: "10 basic principles for good sleep hygiene"
