Best ways to wake up in the morning
by Lorelei Cohen
If you find that you are waking up all groggy and miserable in the morning, or just plain old having difficulties getting your eyes to open up when they are supposed to, well there may be a reason for it. There really is a right, and a wrong way, to get out of bed in the morning. You just might be one of those folks who is getting out of bed the wrong way.
Your body actually knows the best way to wake you up, but your job, family, school, or other obligations may be forcing you to jolt your body out of bed before it is ready to. Your body knows how much sleep it needs, and if allowed, it will generally wake you up when you have had enough.
If you are feeling tired in the mornings then it just may be that you are not allowing yourself ample time to get an adequate amount of sleep. Most people require eight hours sleep per night, some may need ten, yet others can get by with only six hours. By allowing yourself more time to sleep at night, you will be able to determine the amount of sleep that your body requires to feel rested. Allow your body the sleep that it needs, and you will find yourself more refreshed, and a lot less moody in the morning. Simply going to bed earlier will allow you to discover the right amount of sleep that your body requires. If you go to bed too early, you will generally not be able to fall asleep within thirty minutes of bedding down, so adjust your bedtime keeping that fact in mind.
Your quality of sleep also affects how you will wake up in the morning. In addition to requiring an appropriate amount of sleep, we also require a certain type of sleep, in order to feel satisfied in the morning. We generally sleep in 90 minute sleep cycles, and to feel truly rested, we must complete this sleep cycle. If the temperature of your room or bed is too warm, than you will not rest comfortably, and may wake frequently throughout the night. Thus disrupting your natural sleep cycles. People sleep best in a room that is neither too warm, nor too cold, but that is comfortably cool. The comfort of your bed, night time noises, allergies, late night food, alcohol, or other stimulants may also be reasons for disruptions in your body's natural sleep patterns.
Insure that you get a comfortable nights sleep by not consuming food or drink within two hours of your bedtime, having a good quality mattress on your bed, and dust mite covers on your mattress and pillows. You can keep annoying night time noise distractions to a minimum by using soft sounds to mute them, such as a low humming fan, or a low noise air eulogizer. Playing soft soothing music at bedtime can also be used to effectively remove night time background noises.
Another factor in how easily you will wake up in the morning is the means by which you are awakened in the morning. A jarring alarm clock can be more than just a little unpleasant and can add unnecessary stress that will make you even more reluctant to exit the relaxing atmosphere of your bed. Your body would naturally use the light of the sun as a signal that it is time to wake up so the sound of loud jarring noises is really not how nature intended you to get out of bed in the morning. But how do you shake the sleep out of your eyes otherwise?
You could set your alarm clock to a favorite radio station. That way you can be awakened by a pleasant soothing sound in the morning, rather than a horrendous buzzing sound, or the loud clanging of metal on metal. You could also choose to purchase a zen clock which uses a series of gentle relaxing sounds to awaken you. Or you could also choose to use your body's natural rhythm or the sun to awaken you. By using either darkened curtains, or lighter ones, you can control the degree of morning light within your bedroom. Darkened curtains will allow your body to awaken you when it feels that you have received an adequate amount of sleep. While lighter curtains will allow the morning sun to awaken you. These gentler methods of awakening may even affect your morning mood, and have you feeling less stressed, and a great deal more energized for starting off on your work day.
So if you want to wake up refreshed in the morning, rather than a groggy miserable wreck, keep these factors in mind. Amount of sleep, quality of sleep, and the means by which you wake up, because all of these will affect how you will feel when you wake up in the morning. Fortunately, which side of the bed you find yourself opening your eyes on has nothing to do with it, so if you enjoy snuggling in on both sides of the bed, go right ahead. Snuggle in without worry of repercussions in the morning.