18 Tips To Dissuade You From Repeatedly Hitting That Snooze Button And Turn You Into A Morning Person

It seems that some people are naturally “morning people”, while others struggle with getting up and getting going.

And while this may be in part due to our genetic make-up, you can’t use that as an excuse to hit the snooze button until you wear it out.

Because there are plenty of tips (or hacks as they seem to be called these days) to help you overcome your morning sluggishness and start the day effectively.

Which is what this article is all about.

So, let’s get started!

Get A Good Night’s Sleep

This may be sort of obvious, but if you don’t get enough sleep, or the sleep you do get is low-quality (e.g. you woke up several times during the night), then when morning comes round and your alarm clock rings, you’re going to want to stay in bed.

I have an entire article about things you can do to help you get a good night’s sleep, and while it was written for the benefit of somebody suffering from depression, the information is in fact relevant to most people. Anyway, you can check it out here.

Use A Wake-Up Light Alarm Clock

These clocks are designed to mimic sunrise – with most of them, about 30 minutes before your alarm is due to go off, the clock starts to emit light, which gradually rises in intensity, peaking at 100% when it’s time to get up.

The theory behind these is that they simulate the natural sunrise that our bodies are synchronized to.

Put Your Main Alarm Clock In A Different Room

We all know it’s just too easy to reach over and hit that snooze button – multiple times.

But if you place your alarm clock out of reach, then you have to get up to turn it off.

And while you can put it somewhere else in your bedroom (e.g. on the dresser), this technique is even more effective if you put the clock in a different room (provided you can still hear it, of course).

This way, you not only have to get out of bed, but get moving, and once you’re up and in a different room, the temptation to go back to your bed will be lessened.

Note that you can still use a wake-up light in your bedroom of course, but I would still recommend having a separate alarm clock – the one that makes the noise – in a separate room.

Get Moving

Following on from the previous tip, you need to get your body moving for about five minutes.

Any sort of movement will do here – push-ups, jogging on the spot, an exercise bike, jumping jacks, yoga, tai chi, or using some home gym equipment.

The key point is that when you start moving your body, your heart rate increases, which in turn produces cortisol (yes, this is the so-called stress hormone, but it also helps wake you up) and it increases your blood flow, sending fuel, in the form of oxygen, throughout your body.

Drink Water

If you’ve had your seven or eight hours of sleep, your body will be a little bit dehydrated when you wake up, so it is recommended that you drink 8 – 16 fluid ounces of water.

Even better, make sure that the first eight ounces are lemon water, which offers additional benefits, and then follow it up with another eight ounces of regular (but filtered) water.

Open The Curtains

Even if you use a wake-up light alarm clock, you should open the curtains and let the daylight in as soon as you get out of bed.

Diaphragmatic Breathing

Sometimes known as belly breathing or abdominal breath, this is a deep-breathing technique that is a great way to get more oxygen flowing around your body, thus helping you to wake up..

This short video explains not only why this type of breathing is important, but also how to do it:

Stay Away From Your Phone

It is common these days for people to wake up and start checking their smartphones immediately, but this is not a great way to help you wake up.

Instead of being active (either physically or mentally), you are still lying there in bed, reacting to all of the notifications and messages that came in during the night.

So, try not to pick up your phone for about half an hour, and if that is what you use as your alarm clock, then turn off notifications before going to sleep, to minimize distractions.

Splash Some Cold Water On Your Face

Regardless of whether a shower is part of your morning routine, splash some water on your face as soon as you can after getting out of bed.

Put Some “Wake Up” Music On

The right type of music can help you get going, so what is the best type?

Well, it turns out that David M. Greenberg, a psychologist and musician, teamed up with Spotify, the music streaming company, and together, they put together the following playlist of 20 songs that they claim are perfect for waking you up:

Set Aside 15 Minutes For Something You Enjoy

If you get up and immediately have to start doing things that are a chore or drudge, it puts you in a negative frame of mind, which can carry over into the rest of your day.

Instead, do something you actively enjoy for at least 15 minutes, which will improve your mood.

These activities might include drinking your morning cup of tea or coffee, reading a book, writing in your journal, sitting outside in your garden, playing with your children or pets, or any combination of the above.

Think About Something You’re Looking Forward To

Most of our days are a mixture of things we dread doing (e.g. meetings at work, dental appointments, driving in traffic), things we would rather not do but accept are necessary (e.g. having to go to work, pay bills), and things we look forward to doing (e.g. date night, playing with your kids).

One way to help motivate yourself to get up is to focus on the things you look forward to doing, and look on those as the reward(s) for all the other stuff.

Meditation

While meditation is often associated with relaxation, it can also be used to help focus your mind on the day ahead.

If you search on YouTube, you’ll find plenty of guided morning wake-up meditations, including this one:

Eat Something

Whether it’s a full breakfast or just a snack, eating something is a great way to boost your energy in the morning.

Ideally, it should be healthy food that is going to pep you up, not weigh you down, so any of the following will be great: berries (e.g. blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries), chia seeds, cottage cheese, eggs, flaxseeds, fruit, Greek yoghourt, green tea, nuts, oatmeal, or protein shakes (if they’re healthy ones – e.g. no added sugars).

If you’re like me, and unable to eat too soon after getting up (because it makes me nauseated), then you should take something with you to eat as soon as you feel ready. For me, I need to be up and moving around for about an hour before I can stomach any food, but you may need more or less time than that.

And in this situation, you need to make sure that the food you choose is something you can take with you (e.g. the container needs to be secure and maybe insulated, depending on what you eat or drink).

Exercise

This is in addition to the five minutes of moving around, even though technically that may count as a form of exercise.

For me, I like an early morning walk of about 30 minutes, but you may prefer going for a jog, a bike ride, a swim, or a trip to the gym.

Make Your Bed

Yes, as soon as you get up, make your bed immediately.

Once you’ve made your bed, you will be less tempted to climb back in.

Inverted Snooze Technique

If placing your alarm clock in a different room is not practical for you, then you can use this technique instead.

Here’s how it works.

When the alarm clock goes off, then instead of hitting the snooze button, your only goal is to do something that helps you stay away for nine minutes, which is the duration of the typical snooze cycle on most alarm clocks.

If you can stay awake for those nine minutes, then there is a good chance you will not feel the need to go back to bed.

This is because nine minutes of activity is plenty of time for your body to adjust to being up and about, and once your body has switched from night mode to day mode, then you’re ready to start your day.

What you do during those nine minutes doesn’t really matter – the key thing is to get out of bed and do something, and many of the tips in this article (e.g. moving about, doing something you enjoy, listening to music) will work fine.

Just Get Up

Regardless of whether you feel like getting up or going back to sleep, just get up anyway.

Yes, you may not feel like it, and you’ll probably feel groggy for a few minutes, but once you start moving around, you’ll soon wake up.

Conclusion

As helpful as these tips are, you’re not going to turn into a morning person overnight.

Stick with it, gradually change your behaviours, and before long, your new routines will become habits.

Additional Resources

These are suggestions for those who wish to delve deeper into any of the above:

1. Wake-Up Light Alarm Clocks