Wake Up Happy: How To Have Amazing Mornings

Having a happy morning has little to do with waking up on the right side of the bed. It's all about good organization. Here's how to wake up happy each morning!

The secret to regularly waking up refreshed and ready for the day lies in our sleeping rituals and our waking habits, where both determine our morning mood.

Starting your day off right, at a bare minimum, requires a good night’s sleep, but that’s old news. What isn’t old news, however, is exactly how we go about getting a good night’s sleep, and it involves a lot more than physically being in bed at a decent hour.

You might not know that to get those 7 to 9 recommended hours you must be ready for sleep when you go to bed.

Being ready for sleep means your brain and your body are prepared for rest and rejuvenation. Being ready for bed simply means you’re wearing your pyjamas and your teeth are brushed.

We forget to treat falling asleep the same way we do waking up; which we prefer to do slowly, gradually. No one likes jumping out of bed and getting right to it. We shower, brew coffee, read the news, we might even do some form of physical activity.

In a similar fashion, falling asleep is less frustrating when we ease into it. It’s not as simple as walking into the bedroom and putting our head on the pillow, not for most of us anyways.

The following tips summarize some practical ways you can be ready to sleep when you go to bed and how you can wake up happy and ready to face the day.

1. Do things the night before

woman in bed

Often the thing standing between us and a good night’s sleep is, well, us! How often do you find yourself on the couch, watching the third consecutive episode of your favourite show, procrastinating going to bed because of your whole bedtime routine?

Get PJs on, brush your teeth, wash your face, put on your eye cream, your face cream, put your clothes away and prepare clothes for next day. It’s a long and irritating list that is mentally taxing and physically demanding, especially at the end of the day.

Moving a lot of these tasks to right after work will help you to make getting ready for bed less of a chore and might actually get you to bed a lot earlier.

What’s your bedtime hang up?

Is it making lunches for the next day or picking out tomorrow’s outfit? Washing your face before bed? Do these things earlier in the evening, before you settle down to read or watch your favourite show.

Making lunch while you make dinner saves your time, as well as cleaning up and picking out tomorrow’s clothes while changing out of today’s. It eliminates one more decision come bedtime, and who says you have to wait until just before bed to wash your face? Do it right after work (this is my personal favourite).

Pushing these annoying, but necessary activities to an earlier time slot free up some mental space, minimizes any hesitancy to get ready for bed and encourages relaxation as your day unwinds.

2. Power down and sign off

This is so important and so often ignored. If you want to wake up refreshed and rested and have a happy morning, it is crucial that you turn off personal electronics about an hour before bed.

Arianna Huffington recently wrote a book, called The Sleep Revolution, that digs deep into our need for restful sleep and ways in which we, the iPhone loving, Netflix binging, Pokemon chasing generation can take steps to fulfilling our sleep requirements. Ms. Huffington is a strong advocate of the nightly habit of powering down and makes it a priority even with her busy schedule.

The screens we stare at, the continuous news feeds, instant messages, and alerts keep our monkey minds wide awake even if we feel tired. Switching off earlier is one of the most effective ways of getting some quality z’s so you wake up restored instead of slamming the snooze button.

I suggest setting a nightly alarm 45-60 minutes before you want to be in bed as a reminder to start shutting off. Other suggestions include removing TVs and computers from bedrooms and letting your social (media) circle know you will be MIA after a certain time every night.

We can’t forget one of the most glorious inventions of the 20th century either; the PVR. Use it. It was invented for a reason. You no longer have to stay up late to see the season finale of Game of Thrones or to find out who took home the Oscar.

3. Be an early bird

woman drinking coffee in bed

Let’s switch gears a little, it’s true that quality sleep and your evening routine can make or break your morning but it’s worth noting that when you start your day has a significant impact on how you start your day.

Many studies have shown that those who get up earlier are more proactive, have a more positive outlook on life, and are generally happier.

Early risers report feeling less rushed and more organized once they walk out the door and many 9 to 5’ers note that being in the office before anyone else sets the stage for a more productive and satisfying workday.

Rising in the wee morning hours provides many people with a different perspective on life. Whether you use this time to work out, read, watch the sunrise or simply get things done is up to you. What is clear is that waking earlier gives you more time to embrace your day instead of your day crashing into you.

The bottom line is we want to be ready for sleep, not just for bed, and we want to lead our mornings instead of chasing our days. Sleep tight, wake early and, most importantly, wake up happy!

What are your tips for waking up on the right side of the bed? Leave your comment down below!

About the author

Ashley Madden

Hi! My name is Ashley. I’m a pharmacist, plant based chef and holistic nutritionist. Creating health supportive, plant based and gluten free cuisine is my calling, my jam, my vegan bread and butter. You can find me blogging, sipping a green smoothie and pondering the big questions in life.

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