If you want to sleep well, how you manage your mornings makes a difference.
When we think about sleep-related habits, typically bedtime routines come to mind, not the morning rush. And while it’s true that evening sleep hygiene can set us up for either success or failure, the habits we have earlier in the day can also have an impact on how refreshed we feel upon waking. If you want to sleep well, how you manage your mornings makes a difference.
“Morning habits can have an immense impact on one’s sleep quality because they can affect the 24-hour sleep and wake cycle,” says Po-Chang Hsu, MD, MS. Here are the morning habits that may be ruining your sleep, and what to do instead to greatly improve the quality of your shut-eye.
It may seem obvious that waking up too early is something that interferes with sleep — clearly, if we’re awake, we’re not sleeping, But it also turns out that depriving ourselves of some critical sleeping hours in the morning can contribute to trouble at bedtime. “Early morning awakening is a common feature of insomnia,” says Carleara Weiss, Ph.D., MSH, RN.
“Sometimes, due to academic or professional requirements, we set the alarm to wake up too early to get ahead of traffic, prepare the kids for school, or attend early morning classes,” says certified sleep science coach Alex Savy. “This causes the body to get exhausted quickly, and a cat nap later in the day can accidentally turn into full daytime sleep. This habit can disrupt the sleep cycle and make one find it hard to sleep at night.”
What to do instead: Weiss suggests that you adjust your schedule to accommodate seven to nine hours of sleep, and try to establish morning routines that don’t require waking in the wee hours. Early rising is less problematic when it comes after a proper amount of sleep, and if the realities of your work or family situation don’t easily allow for a less painful alarm time, taking daytime naps is fine, but don’t overdo it, says Savy. “A daytime nap of more than 30 minutes may affect nighttime sleep.”
A few extra 10-minute increments of sleep may seem like they’re improving your rest, but the snooze alarm is not your friend.
“Although sleeping for another 10 minutes may sound tempting, hitting the snooze button does more harm than good,” says Weiss. “Feeling lethargic and groggy, having a slow reaction, and experiencing slow thinking are among the harmful effects of snoozing the alarm clock.”
Plus, if your body gets used to anticipating an early alarm with several snoozes to follow, you are potentially causing yourself sleep anxiety and stress at night, which also affects your quality of sleep.
What to do instead: Signal to your brain and body that the alarm going off means it’s time to be awake. Turn on the light, sit up right away, and get out of bed quickly. You may find it helpful to place the alarm clock out of reach, so you have to get up to turn it off.
Though sleeping in sounds luxurious, it may be doing more harm than good. “Waking up at inconsistent times every day can shift one’s circadian rhythm, causing sleep issues, disruptions, and an overall decreased sleep quality,” says Hsu.
What to do instead: For a few weeks, go to bed and get up at the same time every day (yes, even over the weekend). While it may not be easy at the beginning, once the good habit is formed, you may find yourself drifting off much more quickly, and waking more refreshed — maybe even without an alarm. You also may find that the need to sleep in goes away because you feel more rested overall.
“For freelancers or those who work from home, it may seem delightful to wake up in bed, have coffee, grab the Mac on the nightstand, and start the day’s work right in their pajamas,” Savy says. But working from bed decreases sleep quality because your brain starts to associate that space with being mentally active, he warns.
What to do instead: Only use your bed for sleep (and sex). You can still work in your pajamas, but do it at your desk.
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The hormones melatonin and cortisol work to help you fall asleep and wake up, respectively, and light affects both. Exposure to light stimulates production of cortisol, giving our bodies the signal that it’s time to be alert. If your room is dark in the morning and you don’t seek out light during the day, your sleep hormones can be affected.
“The brain responds to the light changes during the day,” says Hsu. Getting plenty of daylight in the morning can help people keep their biological clocks running smoothly and sleep better. Conversely, not getting enough light exposure during the day can cause circadian rhythm disruptions and, consequently, reduced sleep quality.”
What to do instead: Turn on a light on in your bedroom when it’s time to get up, or open the curtains if the sun is up. In the evenings, dim the lights and avoid too much light exposure from screens close to bedtime.
In addition to not having a consistent wake-up time, not having a wake-up routine can set you up for fatigue and lack of concentration during the day, says Weiss. “Irregular wake-up times and rushing out the door as soon as you get up do not allow the brain and the body enough time to adjust the transitions from sleep to wakefulness,” she says.
It’s also not a good idea to spend too long lounging around in bed after you wake up. “Don’t spend more than 20 minutes in bed after that first alarm,” says Savy. If you need a moment between waking and actually rising, it is better spent meditating, considering the day ahead without looking at your phone, or practicing gratitude.
What to do instead: Weiss advises creating a simple morning routine and sticking to it. Again, habits are formed through repetition, so after a few days of consistency, you’ll find yourself going through the motions with more and more ease.
“Our body works like a clock, and consistency is key to good health,” says Weiss. “Use the first hour upon awakening to establish a synchronized circadian rhythm that will keep you sharp during the day and help you sleep better at night. This can be achieved not only by waking up at the same time every day, but also by trying to exercise and eat breakfast at the same time every day.”
Your morning routine doesn’t have to be elaborate or time-consuming, just do the same things in the same order at the same time each day, even if it’s just showering, eating breakfast, and brushing your teeth.
This may feel like bad news if you rely on a cup of morning brew to help you wake up, but just delaying it can make a difference. “Caffeine is known to awaken the body and energize the mind, but drinking it before 11 a.m. is counterproductive as far as nocturnal sleep is concerned,” says Savy. “Many studies have shown that coffee can disrupt cortisol production, the morning hormone that takes over from melatonin after its all-night shift. Peak cortisol production happens between 8 and 9 a.m., but drinking coffee interrupts that natural regeneration process.”
What to do instead: Try to get your coffee fix a bit later in the morning, and see if it helps you feel more rested. You don’t have to do it all at once — move the time back in 10- or 15-minute increments until you’re comfortable having it later. But not too late: Avoid caffeine in the afternoon, as it can stay in your system for 8 hours, or even longer, and interrupt sleep.
Clutter is associated with stress and life dissatisfaction, so tidying up can be good for your mental health. “Never leave the bed untidied after waking up in the morning,” says Savy. “Chances are it will remain the same when it’s time to sleep.” The slightly chaotic feel of an unmade bed can set your psyche on edge when it comes time to rest.
What to do instead: Make your bed as soon as you get up. If you have busy mornings, be sure that you don’t have so many pillows or other things to arrange that would cause the process to be time-consuming.
This article originally appeared in Clean Plates.
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