After Years Of Struggling To Become A Morning Person, This One Shift Finally Worked
It’s not about waking up early — it’s about staying awake.
anntarazevich | Pexels Have you ever tried to wake up early? Maybe the alarm kept ringing, or you hit snooze and woke up at 11 AM. Or perhaps you woke up groggy and were tired and irritated throughout the day.
I’ve been in the same situation. Depending on how much sleep I'm getting, I can be a morning person or a night owl, but I prefer to be a morning person.
For years, I’ve woken up early. My mom was my alarm. She used to wake me up for school, and I hated that. Imagine being in bed, comfortable and warm, dreaming away peacefully, and suddenly your mom screaming at you to wake you up.
My sleep schedule was completely wrecked after I finished my schooling and went to college. Classes began at 10 AM or sometimes even later, so I would stay up late at night and get up late.
I never felt energetic after waking up. My body ached, and my mind was hazy, so I drank coffee — lots of it.
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I tried waking up early several times. Once, I even made a morning routine according to the ancient Indian holistic system, Ayurveda, and started waking up at 4 AM. I did that for a day. The next day, I woke at four but crashed back into bed around 9 AM.
I tried to wake up at 5 a.m., 6 a.m., and even 7 a.m. … but nothing stuck. It’s not like I failed. I would get up at these times, but my body and mind wouldn’t wake up.
I’m not someone who sleeps till 11 AM. I always wake up before 10 AM, but the problem is that the later I wake up, the less energetic I feel. I even tried stretching, but when you have no energy, you don’t feel any motivation.
Honestly, getting up late makes me feel like I don’t have enough time to finish all my work, which leads me to stay up at night. So, when I stay awake until 2–3 AM, it is impossible to get up early. It becomes a cycle.
The worst part is that the world stays up late. Everyone I know stays up till 2 AM at least. I’m the one who sleeps early among them. Late-night texts and conversations with friends are also a big reason why I stayed up late.
The surprising habit that helped wake me up early was showering and putting on fresh clothes.
The biggest challenge we face after waking up is staying awake. A few days ago, I woke up early. It wasn’t planned, but I got up at 7:30 a.m. I had only slept for 6 hours, and I was still lethargic.
I had lots to do, so going back to sleep wasn’t an option. Right after waking up, I showered and put on some fresh clothes, and guess what? My lethargy was gone. I was awake and energetic for the day. That day, I completed all my tasks before noon, leaving me plenty of time to pursue other activities.
Now I have a rule: shower within 30 minutes of waking up. This habit has helped me wake up.
Earlier, the first thing I did after waking up was have my cup of coffee, and that didn’t help. Now, I wake up every morning with a shower and have my coffee when I sit down to write. There is research behind this.
When you take a warm shower in the morning, your blood vessels dilate a little, which promotes better blood circulation. It also increases blood flow to the brain, making you feel more awake and alert. On the other hand, if you take a cold shower in the morning, the sudden coldness against your skin will stimulate your nervous system, jolting you awake.
Taking a shower and putting on fresh clothes signals to your brain that you are done with your sleep and that it’s time for a fresh, new start to the day.
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According to the psychological phenomenon of the Zeigarnik effect, our brains want to finish tasks once we start them. Taking a bath can be your first win of the morning. You woke up and took a shower. Done. It makes it easier to move on to the next task — whether it is having your breakfast, meditating, or opening your laptop.
After I wake up and shower, I tackle the most important tasks of my day. Most of the time, I finish everything by the afternoon. This gives me the evening to watch a series or hang out with friends. After such a productive day, my body simply falls asleep early at night, and I also complete my 8 hours of sleep.
One of the best tips I can give you is not to look at your phone until you shower. Once you start scrolling your phone, your body becomes more lethargic, and if you’re like me, you’ll stay in bed for 30 minutes more than just scrolling through reels.
Mornings should be sacred — your space to breathe, think, and be before the world’s noise sets in. Look at your phones only when you’re ready to join the world. For me, it’s after an hour of waking up, after I finish meditating. Try this one small shift if you’ve struggled to become a morning person.
Ananya Banerjee is a writer and marketing professional with a background in English literature. Her writings have been featured on Medium, and she hosts a YouTube channel where she shares insights on books and literature.
