How to be an Early Bird Instead of a Night Owl
We all know there are two types of people in this world - those who are morning people (the early birds) and those who are happy to stay up late (the night owls).
Are you a night owl?
Perhaps you find you go to bed around midnight, have to drag yourself out of bed at the last possible minute in the morning and then need a strong coffee to get you started.
And then when you drag yourself into the workplace, it takes you a couple of hours before you actually become productive.
When you never really get enough hours of sleep, you become sleep deficient and put yourself at risk from many chronic health problems - heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke and depression.
What are the benefits of becoming an early bird?
- Early risers tend to align with natural daylight patterns. These are crucial in regulating our circadian rhythms. Exposing ourselves to morning light helps increase cortisol levels which in turn promotes alertness.
- Regular exposure to natural morning light also supports better sleep which is essential for physical and mental health.
- In addition, this exposure to natural light will help our bodies to then know when to feel sleepy once the evening comes.
- Early risers will also notice a great improvement in their energy levels, their productivity and their mood.
- Early risers can also feel more content and present because they are rested and refreshed.
Top tips on how to change your sleeping habit
- Start slowly. If you are in the habit of going to bed late every night, make the decision to go to bed ten minutes earlier and then keep bringing that forward every evening by a further ten minutes.
- The aim is to gradually change your going to sleep time to nine pm. If you make this change too quickly, your body would not be ready to sleep at the much earlier time. Taking it slowly allows your body to make the adjustment at its own pace.
- At the same time, resist the urge to look at your phone for at least an hour before bed. Instead, read a book to help you wind down.
- When a few weeks have passed by, you should find yourself waking up naturally in the mornings without the need for an alarm. You should also notice that you are more energetic when you wake up.
- Another good move is to try and get outside every morning - whatever the weather. Going for an early morning walk will set you up for the day.
- When the weekends come, try not to undo all your hard work and good intentions by going to bed late again and having a lie-in in the mornings. This could disrupt your new found rhythm and even lead to difficulty falling asleep on Sunday nights.
- Try to keep wake-up and bedtime as consistent as possible to support better sleep, energy levels and mood.
SOURCES:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1556407X24000663
https://www.cdc.gov/heart-disease/about/sleep-and-heart-health.html
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0272523122000132
Written by Jane Chitty
Jane writes for Healing Natural Oils, a producer and retailer of high-quality, all-natural treatments for a variety of conditions as well as a range of beauty products. Apart from writing about those various conditions, she also covers general health, environmental and other subjects of interest. She has lived in Kenya as well as Cape Town, South Africa and spent time in San Diego, USA. She now lives in Somerset, England with regular visits from her far-flung children and grandchildren. She is a keen gardener and enjoys growing fresh fruit and vegetables with her husband on their joint allotment. As a result, there is something available to use in the kitchen virtually all year round. Her regular posts can be found on our blog.