Wake Up Sleepyhead

My alarm clock went off at 5:00am today.

I had a job interview at 6:00am.

It's currently 7:00am.

 

I had planned to go back to bed once I got home, but I found myself as awake as ever.  It might've been the coffee I had on the drive... but I honestly think I would have been just as perky without it.

You see, as much as in theory I don't like waking up early, I absolutely love it. 

If you find yourself puzzling over the fact that no matter how late you sleep in you still can't find the energy to make it through the day, I was right there with you.  Especially on my days off I wouldn't even set an alarm clock, I just let myself wake up whenever I felt like it.  In the moment it feels like the best thing ever.  But I usually found myself exhausted by 3 in the afternoon.  Was it because the night before I'd stay up until 1am?  I mean, after all, if I was going to sleep until 10 I was still getting 8 hours, right? 

Well, it really wasn't the best idea for several reasons.

1. I work a lot of different shifts, so half the days I got up with the sun and the other half it had already made breakfast and gone to work by the time I even stirred.

2. The things I was doing past 10pm were almost never productive if they were anything... watching a show, scrolling on my phone, perusing Pinterest to put together a satisfying image of a lifestyle that's way out of my means...

3. I'd find myself wanting to get up early to go to the gym or something, but when the morning came I had no motivation to get myself out of bed sooner than I felt 'ready' to do so.

We've all heard before, "early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy and wise."

No matter how much we don't like to hear it, it's actually true.

Studies show (so cliche) that if you go to bed early and likewise wake up early, you not only feel well rested but it also improves your mood.  Just because you're grumpy in the morning doesn't mean you have to be, you might just not have the right sleep schedule for you.

Ok, ok, it's probably at this point in the post you're thinking, this is basic stuff girl why are you rambling on about something everyone knows in their heads??

Uh huh, soooo you know it, but how much do you do it?

That's what I thought.

Me too.

So.  Here's a friendly reminder, to myself as well, you'll be so much happier and healthier when you roll out of that bed and start your day at the crack of dawn.

But that's not the end-all-be-all fix to your mood swings. Here are some things..bad habits..you don't want to admit might be affecting your bad mood and exhaustion.

• Too Much Caffeine - we're all guilty of stopping by our favorite shop to get that large frappe extra shots to see you through, but don't.  It might wake you up at first but it's going to cause you to crash mid afternoon unless you keep pumping your system with more artificial energy.
• Eating - or not eating, depending how you look at it... don't skip breakfast, it honestly is the most important meal of the day.  Even if you wait a couple hours to eat, I know I'm not hungry at 6am, it's important that you don't skip having something healthy to start your morning.  No, marshmallow cereal doesn't count.  And neither does coffee.  The more caffeine you have on an empty stomach, the more negative effect you're likely to have later on.
• Screen Time - ah yes, the 'quick fix' to 'I can't sleep', but in reality, the cause of the problem.  Exposing your eyes to light, especially blue light, tricks your brain into thinking its daytime so it doesn't produce the melatonin your body needs to wind down.  So put your phone down.  Like, 30 minutes before bedtime. 
• Inconsistency - honestly this is probably the most important one of them all.  Even if your bedtime and wake times are a little later, keep it consistent.  Your body will be much happier if it knows when to regulate your sleep cycles in order to guarantee you get the best sleep possible.  Pick a bedtime, and don't change your alarm.  Set it for a time that works around your schedule no matter how early or late you need to wake up.

The point of all this?  You'll have more energy.  Not only that, but if you find yourself struggling with depression, you'll have more joy, too.  As hard as it may be to establish discipline around resting and waking, the benefits are a no-brainer.  so start getting into those good habit, because the sooner you begin the easier it will be to keep them.  Start by waking up super early tomorrow with a good breakfast, and you'll be able to make it through the day in order to be tired at a decent bedtime.  Once you make that a pattern, voila!  You have regulation.  Now keep it up!

Well, there you go, probably something you've heard for the 6 millionth time.  But maybe you needed to hear it one more time for good measure.  Or maybe there was something you hadn't thought about before.  Or maybe you needed a blog post to send to your friend to say SEE I TOLD YOU SO because we all have that one friend who needs a little more convincing. ;)

And just to get your day going, here's some toast.