How to Get Out of Bed and Stay That Way

October 8, 2007

Lethargy is perhaps the most widespread problem in the civilized world. We invest hundreds of dollars of our yearly income in things like multi-faceted clocks, gadgets to annoy us into wakefulness and every form of caffeine known to man. But is there any real need for all this? Doesn’t it seem like waking up in the morning should be the least of your daily worries? We all know that the little voice that whispers about the snooze button early in the morning, doesn’t have our best interests at heart, so let’s figure out how to silence that little punk. Below you’ll find five methods that you can use to get out of bed and stay awake every morning, without fail.

Do you have what it takes to get out of bed every time you hear your alarm? Let’s find out.

1.Move Around the Minute You Wake Up ? I’m not saying you have to run a mile or anything, but just move. Shake your arms, get the blood flowing, walk to the bathroom, whatever. Just move. Generally the best idea is to give a big stretch and head for the toilet. By the time you’ve made it and are standing in front of your mirror, going back to bed for a measly five more minutes won’t seem worth it. Moving first thing in the morning is the best thing for you because, while you’ve been asleep for the last eight hours, your heart has slowed the rate at which it pumps blood to your extremities. Because of this, the amount of oxygen being delivered to your muscles is greatly reduced, which is why you feel so heavy when you wake up. Shaking your limbs and stretching first thing in the morning increases your heart rate and sends blood and oxygen pumping into all parts of your body, invigorating you.

The problem many people have is that they put their alarm clock next to their beds, which is a recipe for disaster. When you don’t have to get up to turn off your alarm, your body stays in slow-moving, heavy-feeling, sleep-mode. Move the alarm across the room and then you’ll have to march your happy butt over to it every time it goes off. Usually, by the time you’ve walked across the room, turned off the alarm and given your limbs a good stretch and shake, you’ll be good to go.

2.Have a Damn Good Reason for Getting Out of Bed ? Many people want to wake up at 5:00am every morning to get going on their goals. The only reason they don’t /can’t is because their goals are neither that important nor time consuming. Sure, there are people out their whose schedules are so jam packed that they need the extra time at the beginning of their days, but most of the world doesn’t fall into this category. Waking up early will never, ever work for you unless you have a damn good reason to be up and around. If the goals you’re working toward can be done just as comfortably later in the day and with a few more hours of sleep under your belt, then get the sleep and do it later.

3.Supplemental Melatonin ? Melatonin is the hormone that is produced by your body every night at sundown and is used to tell your brain when to go to sleep. In the morning, when sunlight hits your eyes, your brain stops producing melatonin, which is its cue that it’s time to wake up for the day a head. Supplemental melatonin is used to give your brain a helping hand. Taking a timed released dosage of between 1mg and 3mg will not only help to relax you before bed and give you a deeper sleep, but it will also serve to help you wake up feeling refreshed. Many people, including myself, report waking up better in the morning than they used to because of the melatonin working to regulate their sleep cycles.

As always, be sure to consult your doctor and all that good stuff before trying melatonin but, seeing as it is normally produced in your body anyway, most people won’t have a problem.

4.Water Your Alarm Clock ? Keep a giant glass of water next to your alarm clock every night so that you can replenish yourself in the morning. Most people feel tired and sluggish through out the day because they are dehydrated. Downing about 16oz of water first thing in the morning is a sure fire way to wake yourself up because, by that point in the night, you’ve been without water for the last eight hours. Many people dismiss the importance that water plays on our bodies and don’t take their first drink of the day until mid-morning, usually after a cup of coffee. Seeing as your body is made up mainly of water, I’d start taking dehydration a bit more seriously.

Keep a big glass of water handy in the morning so that you can down it quickly, replenish your system, and go about your morning. Look at it as the liquid side to breakfast.

5.Lay Your Clothes Next to Your Alarm ? This trick appeals to your laziness to keep you out of bed, by tricking your brain into a path of least resistance. It takes some time to get this habit together, but after a few days of trying you should have it down without much trouble. What you do is lay out your clothes for the next day beside your alarm clock. If you work out in the mornings, lay out those clothes. If you shower in the morning, lay out something comfortable to wear until your ready for the shower. When you march across the room to turn off your alarm, your next move should be to step into some clothes and, ideally, some shoes. Once you’re fully dressed, you won’t feel like going back to bed because that would require you to undress again.

Your brain and your body are both programed to take the path of least resistance when left to their own devices. This method is based on the idea that if you can train yourself to get into your clothes first thing in the morning, you’ll be less likely to go back to bed because your brain will see it as more work than is justified. It’s like momentum; your mind decides that it’s just easier to stay up once you’re up.

And there you have five easy, practical methods for getting out of bed in the morning and staying that way. If these little tricks still don’t work for you, you might want to consider that your problem has more to do with the lack of a good reason than anything else. How you get out of bed is a reflection on how you expect your day to go. If you love waking up in the morning, it’s a safe bet that you also love your job. If, on the other hand, you hate your job, I’m willing to bet you’re also not a fan of getting out of bed every day. Everything you do in your day must be weighed against the prospect of curling up in your comfortable bed. If your daily goals and projects are less appealing to you than the comfort of your bed, then you know something is wrong. This leads me right into your bonus and the mother of all tricks for waking up and staying up every day:

Find Your Passion ? Once you have found what it is that you are most passionate about in life, waking up every day will fall into place on its own.

Posted in Determination, Goal Setting, Motivation, Success, The Mind