Main Character Morning Routine

You see it all the time, whether it be Tik Tok, a news article, or talking to a friend—-there is what seems to be a large following behind waking up at 5 am—maybe even 4 am!. I have to be honest with you, my waking up early did not start from having the desire to do so. My job as a surgical physician assistant required me to wake up around 4:30 am to get the day started. Let me tell you, this sounds and I promise you, it feels early. It took a while to get used to waking up at that time, but once my body got used to it I trialed it on my days off too. I didn’t wake up quite as early but I would set that alarm for 5-5:30 am and truly ended up loving the result.

Waking up before most of the world gives you a chance to get ahead of your day. Have you ever heard the saying, “Either you run the day—-or the day runs you”? That little coffee mug quote could not be more accurate. Waking up before your day truly starts, whether that is kids waking up, work emails filtering through, or the traffic building up on your commute —gives you the chance to breathe before jumping into an often chaotic schedule. There are even health benefits to being an early riser. A study out of the University of Colorado Boulder, MIT, and Harvard showed that there was a decreased risk of major depressive disorder in those participants that went to bed and woke up an hour earlier. Pretty cool right? How you spend this time is entirely up to you, but I have some suggestions.

Stop Hitting Snooze

Noticing I felt so much better waking up early had me thinking there must be some research behind this. Did you know there is actually research behind hitting the snooze button and the consequence it will play in your day? A study by Hilditch and McHill showed that “sleep inertia”—grogginess upon awakening was associated with a decrease in cognitive performance. Sleep inertia becomes more intense once you are awakened from deep (REM sleep). By actually hitting the snooze button repeatedly you increase the number of times you are waking up during REM—-worsening your sleep inertia.

Easier said than done I know. Some tips are: put your alarm clock across the room, turn a light on as soon as you hear it, or even better have your partner hold you accountable. I know my husband certainly does because he doesn’t want to hear the alarm a million times.

Make Your Bed

By making your bed each morning you accomplish task number one leaving you feeling productive. Building the making bed habit is telling about your personality—that no matter where you are it shows that you are organized, clean, and the kind of person that starts the day off productive. According to Charles Duhigg in “The Power of Habit” he states that daily bed-making is a keystone habit and kickstarts a chain of other good decisions. Also, how great is it to get back into your room at the end of the day to a clean-looking bedroom especially after working so hard?

Work Your Mind

The next part of any rockstar morning routine is working your mind. I am not talking about answering work emails or getting started on that report that is due. I am talking about working your mind for YOU. Start off with gratitude journaling. I will admit it is hard to get this started first thing so the way I added this to my morning routine is through habit stacking. Habit stacking is an idea introduced by author James Clear. Habit stacking is taking a habit you want to develop and pairing it with a habit that you already have. So my example is morning coffee. Every day I make coffee at home and truth be told it is what gets my butt out of bed each morning. I LOVE my morning coffee. I habit- stacked gratitude journaling with my morning coffee. Each morning before I can hit the start button on my Nespresso I need to write 3-5 things I am thankful for that happened the previous day. Then I can hit that glorious brew button. Another great way to work your mind in the morning is to read something nonfiction. I am a big believer in reading something nonfiction for self-development. Even if you read for 10 minutes—that is 10 more minutes of progress as opposed to nothing.

Move Your Body

I recognize that not everyone is a morning workout person and that is 100% okay. Regardless, aim to have at least 10 minutes of movement in the morning. Yes, this can include walking the dog in the neighborhood. Definitely bonus points if this movement gets you outside. In my previous blog, Light Exposure and the Role it Plays in Sleep I discuss the importance of early morning sun exposure in our circadian rhythms—-get outside and get that sun early.

I am not sharing any groundbreaking information when I say working out makes you feel better. It gives you confidence, endorphins, more energy, strength, etc. By working out in the morning you start your day out in the most productive way possible and that energy will carry you throughout the day.

It Starts the Night Before

The best way to become a “morning person” or have a badass morning routine is by getting prepared the night before. It is so important to understand that your morning begins the night before. What does this mean? This means cleaning the kitchen before bed and not leaving dishes in the sink. This means packing your lunch the night before. This means laying out your outfit for work, along with your workout clothes and gym bag. You get the idea. This also means not getting to bed super late since the plan is to wake up early. Try shifting your lifestyle so you can get to bed earlier.

Well, there you go. That is the morning routine for success. I would also like to point out that during this time I am not scrolling through my phone to check email or social media notifications prior to getting all this done. Save all of that for after your routine. The point of the morning routine is to create more time in the day for yourself. By answering emails and replying to social media you are giving that time to someone else.

Good morning, let’s get after it.

Sources:

Daghlas I, Lane JM, Saxena R, Vetter C. Genetically Proxied Diurnal Preference, Sleep Timing, and Risk of Major Depressive Disorder. JAMA Psychiatry. 2021 Aug 1;78(8):903-910. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2021.0959. PMID: 34037671; PMCID: PMC8156187.

Hilditch CJ, McHill AW. Sleep inertia: current insights. Nat Sci Sleep. 2019 Aug 22;11:155-165. doi: 10.2147/NSS.S188911. PMID: 31692489; PMCID: PMC6710480.

https://www.houstonmethodist.org/blog/articles/2021/dec/does-hitting-the-snooze-button-help-or-hurt/#:~:text=Additionally%2C%20studies%20suggest%20that%20the,feeling%20even%20groggier%20than%20usual.