I Constantly Felt Sleepy And Worn Out Until I Adopted These 4 Morning Habits
insta_photos | Canva If you’re anything like me, then you also think that mornings are the absolute worst. I constantly felt sleepy and worn out. I have always struggled with getting up in the morning, let alone getting things done so early in the day.
In high school, I would wait until the last possible minute to get up for school, and college wasn’t much different. In graduate school, I was sick of dreading mornings and struggling to get up. I decided to make a change, so I started reading books and learning about how to be a better morning person who didn’t dread waking up and felt energized and happy to be awake.
I have learned a lot about how to make mornings better, so I’m sharing the four morning habits I adopted to help you learn to love your wake-ups, too.
The four morning habits that made me feel less sleepy and worn out:
1. I bought an alarm that worked for me
This has been a huge game-changer for me. One of my biggest struggles was being able to wake up — there were several times when I didn’t wake up to my alarm at all. Finding an alarm that works for you is the first step.
I found one that makes me take at least 20 steps before it will shut off, which is perfect for me because I have less of a tendency to fall back to sleep. This alarm offers multiple other challenges for it to be turned off, like solving math problems, spelling, etc. (It’s called Alarmy.)
That groggy, can't-function feeling you get when your alarm goes off is called sleep inertia. And according to the Sleep Foundation, it can impair your thinking and reaction time for up to 30 minutes after waking, which is exactly why finding an alarm that actually forces you out of bed instead of letting you hit snooze five times makes such a big difference.
2. I established a set morning routine
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Having an established morning routine is the key to having a good morning. That can look different for everyone, so it’s important to find what works for you. For example, my ideal morning routine includes working out, reading some personal development books, and taking time to reflect and plan my day.
What I’ve noticed is that I feel much more energized and ready to take on the day when I take time for my morning routine. I’ve heard a lot of people say that you have to fill up your own cup before you pour into others, and the best way to do that is in the morning to start your day on the right foot.
Psychotherapist Dr. Margot Brown explains that emotionally intelligent people don’t just roll out of bed; they intentionally ground themselves first. "That quiet, steady start is what helps them stay centered and energized instead of overwhelmed before the day even really begins," Dr. Brown says.
3. I give myself a morning worth looking forward to
Make your routine something positive and meaningful to you. In addition to that, having a plan for your morning sets you up to succeed. It could be anything from setting out clothes or books for the morning, making a plan of what to read, or setting up space specifically for your morning routine. If you make the routine fun and something you look forward to, you’ll find yourself dreading mornings a lot less.
A study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that self-control and decision-making all pull from the same mental resource, and every small choice you make drains from that same tank. Having a plan the night before matters because you're basically giving your brain a head start instead of burning through energy before the day even begins.
4. I found people to keep me accountable
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One thing that has really helped me have better mornings is getting people to keep me accountable. It’s much harder to talk yourself out of a habit/routine when you have someone else there with you!
Some ways to do this are having a friend text you to make sure you’re up, partnering up with your significant other for a morning routine, or video chatting with a friend as you work through your morning routines together. Overall, mornings don’t have to be hard.
The best way to make your mornings worthwhile is by finding what works for you, being intentional about your morning routine, making your mornings something to look forward to, and having people in your corner to keep you accountable. You’ll be a morning bird in no time!
Taylor Yenko is a writer covering health and wellness whose work has been published on The Mighty, Unwritten, and more.
