How to get up earlier and earn extra minutes in your day with 5 steps

How to get up earlier-Health Fearless

Typical. The alarm clock rings and the fight begins between your will power and that horrible sound that forces you to get out of bed. Which ruins any attempt to get up early again ...

For life, I have been part of those who pray for "5 more minutes in the bed" and multiply them 20 times by putting off the alarm over and over again. Until finally, wake up and get out of bed like a zombie (with the feeling of not having rested enough).

In order to help all those rebellious sleepers here is a summary (which by the way, I am writing at 6:00 am) with the best strategies to get up earlier.

"Sleeping early and getting up early makes a healthy, rich, and wise man" –Benjamin Franklin

I have never considered myself a hobbyist in the morning. In fact, I feel like I'm more efficient at night. This was the main argument/excuse (like that of many people) for not getting up earlier.

Normally the alarm was timed to fit all my morning activities such as bathing, brushing teeth, dressing, grooming, eating a quick breakfast and going to work.

According to my calculations, I woke up at 7:00 am, it was a decent enough time to get out of the house at 8:30 and be at the desk working at 9:00 am. A perfect plan.

The only detail is that my willpower also sleeps and refuses to wake up.

That's how my mornings were: the same alarm every day sounded the planned time. As usual, I went through that alarm, and those 5 extra minutes became an hour ... I had to run away from home, making my day a mess from very early.

She was tired of carrying such a hectic life so to write this, I had to make I incorporate the habit of having a few extra minutes in my day.

I don't like to call it getting up earlier, because whenever I imagine it, it sounds like torture from the inquisition. But when you feel like you have something extra, the attitude improves.

To change that habit you had to start at the root.

I realized that those nighttime activities such as: continuing to work on the computer, reading until late or using the mobile phone before sleeping, was what affected my resistance in the morning.

The problem with getting up early is not in your mornings.

Why is it so difficult to get up early? the answer is simple: because it is a habit.

The sleep pattern is part of your daily routine. That said, it is necessary to clarify that the solution to get up in the morning, begins at night, before sleeping.

Some nighttime habits need to be changed. The most important is to make sure you get enough sleep.

Getting enough sleep means sleeping an average of 7 to 8 hours a day.

Currently, it is known that this number decreases as age increases. This occurs, due to changes in the circadian cycles, better known as biological clocks.

If you are part of the average adult group, it means that there is no reason to sleep less than 7 hours a day.

Furthermore, it is very likely that this will also help you get up early without being sleepy (and even without an alarm clock).

Surely, you do these night activities because you consider yourself "a person at night", the time in which you feel that you perform better.

I have good news to give you, you are correct.

You didn't expect it right? ...

But it is true, there are people who perform better at night than in the morning.

These are the advantages of being a "morning person"

Research suggests that if there are biological differences between "morning people" who wake up at the same time every day and feel more active around 9am, and "night people" who get more done once that the sun is hidden.

However, a point in favor of the "morning swallows" is that they can achieve better effectiveness and quality of work by waking up early, unlike the "night owls".

According to self-reports by university students, those who wake up earlier feel more optimistic, proactive and have better grades.

Other studies have found that morning workers tend to be more productive and focused than night owls.

The researchers also suggest that memory and concentration during the day improve when you sleep as necessary.

Here are some benefits of getting up earlier:

Being a "morning swallow" can be really good for your health and believe it or not to also control your weight.

When British researchers questioned some adults about their sleep habits, they found that people who stay under the covers longer are more likely to live with stress, overweight, and depression than those who get up at 7am.

Another study found that waking up late makes you more likely to be sedentary and therefore overweight, compared to those who wake up early.

Also, stopping earlier is more advantageous for your schedules and your daily routine. Normally, the working day usually starts around 9 in the morning and the office (usually) will not open at midnight.

I understand that some people are nocturnal, not for pleasure but for lack of time. The night becomes your moment, and only in those hours can you do something you like.

If this is your case, this article helps you sleep better without having to go to bed earlier.

Perhaps the reason why you concentrate more at night is that everything is quieter, there is less noise in the city and there is an atmosphere of silence.

Well, I want to tell you that early in the morning you can also experience the same effect, but with the great advantages that you have just read.

The good news is that regardless of your situation, it is possible to reset your body clock and get up earlier.

How can I get up earlier?

Remember that the most important thing is to incorporate new habits and to achieve this you have to follow the steps. Once you have mastered the first, you can continue to the next, and so on.

Before starting these steps, you need to visualize your ideal morning.

This is important so that you always keep in mind the real reason why you want to wake up early, which motivates you to be consistent.

Maybe you want to get up earlier to have a delicious tea or coffee, do some yoga, meditate, exercise, avoid the stress before going to work, plan the most important things of your day, read the newspaper, spend more time at the family breakfast, take the dog out, etc.

Whatever your reason for getting up early, you need to keep that in mind. And if possible draw it or write it on a paper to visualize it much more clearly.

This is your action plan to wake up earlier:

Follow these steps and manage to get those extra minutes in the morning:

1. Set an alarm to go to sleep earlier

After knowing that the problem is in your nights and not in your mornings, it is obvious to start with this point. But how?…

Perhaps, your body is adapted to feeling sleep very late; or on the contrary, you feel sleepy but you resist going to bed. But you won't be able to wake up earlier if you sleep late.

In any case, this is what you have to do:

1.     Set an alarm to get ready for bed. Try that this alarm contemplates a good range of hours (for example between 9 and 10) to go to sleep and wake up, in such a way that you achieve those 8 hours of rest.

2.     When the alarm goes off, put on your pajamas, turn off the lights, and try to do activities that relax you (like reading a book) and not make you sleepy (TV is never a good idea).

To make it that much easier, I have this complete guide for better sleep for you. 

It contains 7 sheets with the best tips for better sleep and also includes recipes for dining foods that help you fall asleep.  

It is important to know that there are deep sleep cycles, in which it is not advisable to wake up because it is just when your body is fully resting.

However, by sleeping the correct hours, you can improve this pattern and get upright at the right time.

Sometimes simply what prevents you from sleeping is that you have too many thoughts in your head, about what you will do the next day, worries, problems or even new ideas.

A good tip to solve it is to have paper and a pencil next to the bed. In such a way that when all those thoughts arrive, simply write them down and thus get them out of your head.

Once you have mastered having an adequate range of hours to go to sleep and achieve the effective 8 hours sleep ( no matter how long it takes even weeks) you can continue with the next step.

2. Set your alarm only 5 minutes before

If you usually wake up at 9:00 am and you want to wake up at 5:00 am from one day to the next. I don't want to disappoint you, but at best, you'll only make it one day.

To incorporate such an uncomfortable activity, such as waking up earlier, it is necessary to start with an almost imperceptible action.

In this step, all you have to do is set your alarm 5 minutes before. That's it.

Sleep patterns are difficult to change, so the gradual method works much better. Remember, the goal is to create the habit little by little.

It seems that 5 minutes before does not make much difference, but you are wrong.

Setting your alarm 5 minutes earlier or even just 2 minutes earlier generates a feeling of triumph that motivates you to continue with bigger goals, such as waking up 15 or 30 minutes earlier. 

I want to clarify that in this step, you do not have to try to wake up earlier, the only thing to do is set your alarm a few minutes before.

An extra tip is to change the tone of the alarm. A change in sound that you are not used to can help you stop early and take the next step.

3. When that alarm sounds, get out of bed immediately

I don't want to lie to you, this is the most complicated part.

Scheduling the alarm earlier is just the intention to do it. Because the real challenge begins, when you have to get out of bed without putting off that alarm over and over again. 

Now it is understood why the habit is: "get up early" and not only: "wake up early"

Some amazing strategies to wake up with the alarm are these here:

At the night before sleeping:

1.     The night before, think of one thing you would like to do in the morning that excites you. In the morning, remembering that exciting thing, you will get up. It can be anything, even if it just means making a call, seeing a friend, that rich cappuccino, or wearing a new shirt. Find a different reason that motivates you.

2.     Before sleeping, repeat several times: « Tomorrow I will get up at __: __ am and I will get out of bed immediately, tomorrow I will get up at….. It sounds like a kind of hypnosis but it does have an effect. Remember when you have an important flight the next morning and wake up even before the alarm goes off.

3.     Put your alarm out of your reach, when it sounds you'll have to get up to turn it off

In the morning when the alarm sounds:

1.     Turn on all the lights, open the curtains and windows

2.     Jump or walk a few steps when you get out of bed

3.     If you want to support yourself with technology, there are two mobile applications that work very well as an alarm, since you cannot turn it off or postpone it, until you walk a few steps or take a photo.

If you are an expert level sleeper (like me) and even with all these strategies you have not managed to get out of bed,  I recommend this exercise. I promise you it is proof of beautiful sleepers:

1.     During the day, at a free time, set your alarm every 5 minutes for 20 minutes straight. If you have absolutely no free time, it is also worth setting the alarm at different times throughout the day while doing another activity.

2.     This means that the alarm will sound multiple times. Lie down on your bed (without falling asleep) or stay seated if you are doing another activity.

3.     When the alarm sounds you have to stand up immediately and jump twice. Go back to bed or go back to what you were doing and wait for the second alarm, repeat step 2 and start again.

It's like programming for your brain with that alarm sound. For example, when an ambulance sounds, or the fire alarm and immediately your mind reacts.

4. When you get out of bed, do something that rewards your effort

It is the most beautiful and pleasant part.

Find some (healthy) activity that you can do right after getting out of bed that you enjoy.

Note: you have to do it once you are out of bed, rewarding yourself between the covers, it is not a good idea.

These are just a few options:

• A tea that you love
• A hot coffee while you read the newspaper
• Watch the news without haste
• Make your bed and stretch your body while you do it
• Meditate  for a few minutes
• Make yourself a cup of frothy milk coffee
• Go to the shower and use a soap that smells rich
• Put on some music that motivates you
• Brush your teeth with a refreshing paste
• Make a delicious frozen fruit smoothie

Take advantage of your extra minutes to do something good for yourself!

5. Keep a daily log

To make it a habit, you have to wake up at the agreed time every day (reread that sentence).

One way to know if you have succeeded or not is to simply keep a daily log. I mean, write down the days you can't get up earlier and add a reason (be honest with you).

This exercise will allow you to solve those problems that are preventing you from waking up earlier.

Here is a summary for you to put into practice the recommendations from today:

My mornings have totally changed, after having the habit of getting up early, I have time to do something that I like, and I start my days relaxed.

I share my morning routine:

1.     The alarm sounds at 5:25 am (my goal is 5:00 am) at which point I turn on all the lights and open the windows

2.     I put on my sneakers and go running for a few minutes

3.     I shower with cool water and a soap that smells really good

4.     I turn on the computer and focus on starting to write with green tea that I love

Now you know how to incorporate the habit of having extra minutes in your morning.
I hope the article was useful to you and that you are not reading it at midnight, eh?

And you, what time do you get up? I want to know about you, share your answer in the comments below.