Thursday, March 27, 2014

How to be a Morning Person

I am not a morning person.
 
I am not perky in the morning--I'm generally a bear to get out of bed. The morning and I just aren't friends.
 
 
I don't want to be this way, so I've been doing some research on how to change my habits and become a morning person.
 
 
 
I'm one of those people that needs a good, solid 10 hours of sleep. Let me tell you, that doesn't happen. Between night owl Little Man, finding time to write, exercise, and reading just one more chapter, sleep has kind of turned into a luxury. I know I'm not the only one in this boat! I'm not going to get my coveted 10 hours on a regular basis, so I need the sleep I do get needs to be good.
 
I downloaded the Sleep Cycle app on my phone, which uses your smart phone to sense your movement when you sleep and track what sleep phase you're in. Based on that, it uses a 30-minute alarm window that goes off during your lightest sleep phase. Then it gives you a graph of how well you slept. An average night for me:
 
 
 
It's been interesting to track the things I do during the day and how they affect my sleep. The biggest culprit I've found is eating close to bedtime. Even if it's just a snack, I don't sleep quite as well.
 
I try to go to bed and get up at the same time every night, but the weekends always screw me up. So does my toddler, who I'm pretty sure is nocturnal. I'm also really bad about Pinterest-ing myself to sleep--browsing pins until I'm so sleepy I doze off holding my phone. Terrible, I know. I love falling asleep with the television on, too. All of these are bad ideas, because falling asleep with electronics that emit light can disrupt your body's production of melatonin. My husband and I have banned electronics in bed, a rule we follow most of the time.
 
Instead of checking my Pinterest boards, I've been trying to incorporate some bedtime yoga and a warm bath. I love my bath time, and I usually have a stockpile of my favorite soaps and candles.
 
 
 
I try to make mornings more bearable by getting up with time to relax before we have to be out the door. This is a huge challenge, because I'm practically hardwired to stay in bed until the last minute. But doesn't the day just start so much better when you're not rushing around trying to find shoes, pack lunches and do your hair at the same time?
 
I know I need that time in the morning to process the day. Because mornings are hard, you know?
 
 
 
A penny for your thoughts: Are you a morning person or a night owl?



8 comments:

  1. I am a DEFINITE morning person. I LOVE seeing the sunrise (I'm usually outside running during that time) and I think it is so beautiful. If I wake up ANY later than 9.... I feel like my entire day is ruined. Today, I slept in until 7:50 (naturally woke up then) and it was GLORIOUS!

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    1. What's your secret?!? I'd love to be like that!

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  2. SO a night owl too....our biggest complaint in life as a family is that school starts at 7:40! What is with that LOL

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    1. The happiest year of my life was when I was a senior in high school and didn't started class until 10:30 am. I felt like an actual person when I started, LOL!

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  3. The Sleep App sounds really interesting, I'll have to check that out! I'm definitely a night owl...I have great intentions to wake up early and get out and run....but usually resort to hitting snooze and sleeping in!

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  4. I am not a morning person, but I have become better since starting a job that requires it. I also have to get up to get the girls going. =)

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    1. Ah, motherhood--it'll make morning people out of all of us.

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