11 Tips to Transform a Night Owl into an Early Bird
I come alive at night. I am such a night owl. I always decide to sleep early but I get bursting energy during the night that doesn’t let me sleep. I sleep late at night and hardly manage to wake up on time the next morning. Not just this, I feel sleepy all day, hardly could eat anything but caffeine is my source of energy throughout the day. The cycle repeats and I binge eat at night while staying up late watching my favorite shows online. It all sounds relatable? Don’t worry. Today, we will be sharing with you how to become a morning person from a night owl. You will not only wake up early but also feel fresh, energetic, and not exhausted throughout the day.
Night owl vs. Early birds
The journey from a night owl to an early bird
These simple tips and tricks will make everything a lot easier for you and you will wake up every single morning happy and excited to start your day.
1) Determine your ideal wake and sleep time
If you don’t know what time you actually need to wake up so you do not get late, you might keep on hitting the snooze button thinking that you have more time. Get real with yourself and decide your time of waking up and sleep time accordingly to get a night of proper sleep and rest for at least 7-9 hours.
2) Clear your space and clear your head before going to sleep
You need a good restful night of sleep in order to actually wake up the next morning. If you go to bed at 1 am, the chances of you waking up at 6 am are much lower as you need an overall good sleep. According to National Sleep Foundation, clearing your room, throwing out any extra disposals lying around, and creating a dark, clean space allows you to sleep better. You should also clear your head for better sleep. Stop using all technology for an entire hour before you go to sleep. You can try yoga stretches, meditation, or even a warm bath to physically and mentally relax.
3) Say no to exciting bedtime novels
This one will help you a lot if you are a bedtime reader. Though bedtime reading is known as a stress reducer, it can also accelerate your brain and you require more time to fall asleep. Distracting your brain with new information or a plot twist in someone else’s story can take your mind off your own troubles but it can keep you awake for a longer time. It is preferred to not read any exciting novels before bed. You can prefer any journal that will make you node in a couple of minutes.
4) Exercise frequently
Exercise enables people with insomnia to fall asleep faster, sleep longer, and enjoy quality sleep. Exercise really helps a lot. If you can take out time and add exercise to your morning routine, it will give you multiple health benefits. Your energy will stay boosted throughout the day and help to sleep early at night. Cardio has proven best. Aerobic exercises had significantly improved sleep quality in many people. Running on the treadmill, cycling, or even simply walking is all included in aerobic exercise.
5) Don’t rely on caffeine
Although consumption of caffeine is considered safe. Making the habit of not functioning well without caffeine can have harmful effects on your health. Increased signs of anxiety, restlessness, irregular heartbeat, and trouble sleeping are because of too much caffeine intake. Excessive use of caffeine also promotes headaches, migraine, and high blood pressure in some individuals. It is recommended to only take 1-2 cups of tea or coffee per day as an excess of everything is bad. If you are a caffeine addict, you should decrease your tea or coffee consumption gradually. Instead of a large cup of coffee, drink a small cup or try decaf.
6) No caffeine after 3 pm
No matter at what time you wake up, it is normal to feel the energy being drained out during the afternoon. During this phase, many people are dependent on caffeine to gain instant energy. As just after 15 minutes of caffeine consumption, the body starts getting enough energy to keep going. Depending on your metabolism, caffeine effects take up to 6 hours to leave the body. So if you are trying to fix your sleep schedule, it is necessary to skip any caffeine intake after 3 pm. You can opt for herbal drinks like lemon green tea or chamomile tea that relaxes your system.
7) Lavender oil for better sleep
Lavender oil is an essential oil and helps your body to relax and sleep better. Although the study is limited, lavender oil is widely recognized as a natural sleep aid. You can either massage lavender oil on your shoulders and neck for a calming sleep or you can use any good lavender pillow mist to enhance your sleep quality.
8) Say No to late-night cravings
By eating late at night, we give muscles minimum time to relax as they are busy digesting our food when they should be resting. Apart from late-night dinners and cravings resulting in weight gain, they are also responsible for indigestion and broken sleep. Your ability to fall asleep is decreased and it prevents you from getting a night of deep and restful sleep.
9) Look out for medical conditions
There is a possibility that any hidden medical condition is stopping you from having a restful sleep. Heart diseases, diabetes, cancer, insomnia, hormonal imbalance are some types of medical conditions that keep you awake late at night without any particular reason. Inability to sleep is one of the most prominent signs of clinical depression so you should visit your medical practitioner before the situation gets out of your hand and becomes difficult to handle. After analyzing your situation, the doctor will prescribe you medication accordingly and you will be good to go.
10) Drink cinnamon tea before bed
A sincere piece of advice for my night owl family is to drink cinnamon tea before bed. Drinking cinnamon tea before bed helps relax tired muscles and boosts metabolism. Cinnamon works wonders in removing tension from your body. It helps you in giving a good quality sleep. You wake up fresh the next day and feel super energetic. Cinnamon tea has gained quite popularity in people with insomnia and sleep-related problems.
11) Seek medical help
You should visit your doctor if you are having sleeping problems more frequently. You might not have any medical condition but a little medical help relaxes your mind and restarts your system that aids in good quality sleep. It is necessary to share your queries and concerns with your doctor.
You should be aware that this transformation journey of a night owl to an early bird will take time. It’s a long and slow process so you have to be patient with yourself. Your sleep pattern doesn’t have a button that will fix everything just with one press. You have to slowly adjust yourself to your new routine. It’s okay to make mistakes. You just have to be patient and calm with yourself.
