My friends and family will agree when I say I am NOT a morning person. Don't try talking to me before 8am because the conversation could go one of two ways- either I bite your head off (metaphorically of course!) or I completely ignore you. I have to work hard to wake up early and get ready for school. I understand the importance of being fully prepared for your day, so I've been reading tips on how to sleep better and wake up happier. I have a new bed, mattress and duvet, which makes getting out of bed a little bit harder. But with these five new tips I've adopted I can wake up happy and not be the usual, cranky Bhreagh in the morning!
1. Drink lots of water. If I'm thirsty I struggle to sleep. To quench my thirst though out the day I carry a bottle of water in my purse. In the evening I try to have at least one full water bottle before about 8pm. Any later than that and I'll wake through the night to use the bathroom, and nobody likes walking to the bathroom in pitch black at 3 a.m. On the flip side, if I'm too thirsty I wake up during the night with a dry throat. The walk to the kitchen always feels longer than the bathroom, so I do my best to avoid any of these mishaps.
2. No TV before bed. I am a television fanatic and have shows I watch religiously every day of the week. For the last few months I've been turning on music, mostly instrumental, and reading for about a half hour before my desired bed time. Not only have I been sleeping better but I've read some fantastic books over the last 8 months and have a reading list longer than my arm ... which is really long if you don't know me.
3. Keep your curtains open or purchase light curtains to let the sun shine through in the morning. Before I moved to Toronto I had black curtains. They worked great when I was falling asleep but they didn't allow for any natural light to shine through in the morning. Because of this, I opted to keep them open allowing the sun to wake me up on beautiful days.
4. Don't hit snooze. This is a very difficult task because hitting snooze is so easy! Most people have their alarm clock or phone on their night stand, and slapping the alarm clock at 6 a.m. is much easier than crawling out of bed and into the shower. Breaking the habit of hitting snooze was challenging, and I still hit snooze from time to time, but getting out of bed is much easier now that hitting this button isn't on my radar.
5. Caffeine. Sorry, but this will never change. I love tea and I look forward to my morning mug!
These are five tips truly help me have a good night sleep and wake up happy. Some other small things that make me feel better before bed are having a cup of decaffeinated tea, having a shower, and crawling into fresh sheets.
Cheers,
Bhreagh
2. No TV before bed. I am a television fanatic and have shows I watch religiously every day of the week. For the last few months I've been turning on music, mostly instrumental, and reading for about a half hour before my desired bed time. Not only have I been sleeping better but I've read some fantastic books over the last 8 months and have a reading list longer than my arm ... which is really long if you don't know me.
3. Keep your curtains open or purchase light curtains to let the sun shine through in the morning. Before I moved to Toronto I had black curtains. They worked great when I was falling asleep but they didn't allow for any natural light to shine through in the morning. Because of this, I opted to keep them open allowing the sun to wake me up on beautiful days.
4. Don't hit snooze. This is a very difficult task because hitting snooze is so easy! Most people have their alarm clock or phone on their night stand, and slapping the alarm clock at 6 a.m. is much easier than crawling out of bed and into the shower. Breaking the habit of hitting snooze was challenging, and I still hit snooze from time to time, but getting out of bed is much easier now that hitting this button isn't on my radar.
5. Caffeine. Sorry, but this will never change. I love tea and I look forward to my morning mug!
These are five tips truly help me have a good night sleep and wake up happy. Some other small things that make me feel better before bed are having a cup of decaffeinated tea, having a shower, and crawling into fresh sheets.
Cheers,
Bhreagh