5 SIMPLE TWEAKS TO MAKE YOU A MORNING PERSON
TREAT LIGHT LIKE IT’S COFFEE
“We all know that the light from our phone screen keeps us up at night, but it can also help us wake up in the morning,” says Meadows. “The first thing I do when I wake up is open my curtains – biologically speaking, the light that floods into your bedroom affects your body like a cup of coffee. Look at your phone first thing, too, because the light it emits will tell your brain the day has begun.”
SPEND MORE TIME OUTSIDE EVERY DAY
Now spring is almost here, use it to nudge your body clock into lark mode. Natural light is crucial for setting our circadian rhythm, which is your body’s internal body clock. When we’re exposed to daylight that rhythm becomes more closely synchronised with sunrise and sunset, so we become more prone to falling asleep earlier.
LEARN TO BE PATIENT
As the Australian study showed, it takes a little time for your body to adjust. “There may also be some delay in getting a few early nights and feeling better for it,” says Meadows, who says simply going to bed early one night and expecting miracles won’t work. “If you want to go to bed earlier, you also need to think about making your evenings less exciting, with fewer distractions like Netflix or phones. It’s not just your phone’s blue light that keeps you hooked, it’s all the content on it too that draws you in. Read a book instead.”
HAVE AN EARLY BREAKFAST
“Your gut contains ‘clock cells’,” says Meadows, “which feed back up to your master body clock. When you eat breakfast, it tells your body clock that your day has begun, which helps wake you up.” If you are an owl prone to evening snacking, try to eat no later than 8pm, so you feel hungrier in the mornings.
GET MOVING SOON AFTER YOU WAKE
Whether it’s an early dog walk or a quick stretch in your bedroom, Meadows says movement first thing can help owls start to shift into lark mode. “Like our guts, our muscles also have ‘clock cells’, and early morning movement helps wake up our bodies. If you exercise outside, even better.”