How do you feel when you wake up in the morning? Do you spring out of bed right away, energized and ready to start your day, or do you feel sluggish, like a half-dead creature reaching for the snooze button?
A word to all the half-dead morning creatures, you are not alone! Lots of people suffer from this ‘Morning Zombie Syndrome’! Symptoms of this ailment include fatigue all through the morning, some morning grumpiness, and an overall dread of mornings.
Are you a Morning Zombie who wishes they could be a fully alive human in the morning? Follow these tips to become a sunny, cheery morning human who happily jumps out of bed each morning.
- Get off that screen before bed!
TV, computer, and smartphone screens emit a kind of blue light that stops the sleep hormone, melatonin, from being released properly. Our ancestors used melatonin to signal their bodies to sleep when nighttime came. The blue light from our screens tricks our brains into thinking that it’s still daytime! Try to stop looking at screens at least one hour before bedtime so that your body can get sleepy naturally. If that isn’t possible for you due to work or school commitments, try to use a blue light filter on your device. There are lots of free phone apps out there that do this really well. If you’re using a computer, f.lux is an amazing app for both Apple computers and PCs. If you’re wondering what to do with this screen-free hour of your evening, you could read a book or take a bath to relax and get your body ready for an amazing sleep!
2. Have a morning ritual and stick to it
One way to train your body to love getting up in the morning is by telling it that there are things it has to do! Make a ritual of stretching to get your blood flowing, play your favorite tunes to get going, glug down that AlkagizerTM, check your phone and emails, and get ready for your day. Making sure you have a set routine that you know you need to finish will give you the boost you need to beat the Morning Zombie Syndrome once and for all!
3. Keep your sleep schedule consistent
All humans have a circadian rhythm, which our brain’s sleep schedule, imbedded in us naturally. This sleep schedule gets all confused when you stay up late on Friday, sleep in Saturday and Sunday, and wake up at 6am on Monday. If you don’t let your body fully develop a healthy circadian rhythm, it’s going to be harder to wake up in the morning. By going to bed at the same time every morning, your body will know exactly when you need to be sleepy and when you need to feel awake. Both falling asleep and waking up in the morning will begin to feel easy and natural.
How do you combat Morning Zombie Syndrome? Share your story!