How to Become a Morning Person: Strategies for Embracing Early Rising

Key Takeaways

• Learning to love early mornings starts with identifying your current sleep habits and making small, intentional changes. 
• Consistent bedtimes, evening routines, and optimizing your daily activities and environment can help you fall asleep and wake up more easily. 
• Shifting your sleep schedule takes time, but consistency and a positive attitude will help you get there.

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If your mornings consist of hitting the snooze button on the alarm clock five times before rolling out of bed and rushing to start your day, you’re not alone. Becoming a morning person is more than just getting up early; it’s a way to boost your productivity, improve your focus, and support your mental health. With an extra hour (or three) in the morning, you’ll have more time to fully wake up before starting your day, enjoy your morning routine, beat the traffic, or spend time doing activities that light you up before heading into work. 

If you’re a self-proclaimed night owl, waking up earlier may seem impossible. And while it may take some effort initially, transitioning to an early riser is possible. We’ve included a list of intentional strategies to help you adjust your sleep schedule and wake up feeling well-rested and ready to start your day. 

Understanding Your Current Sleep Patterns 

Before you overhaul your entire life to become an early bird, take some time to assess your current sleep habits to identify the key areas that need improvement. Here are some questions to get you started: 

• Are you going to bed and waking up at different times all week? Or staying up extra late and sleeping in on the weekends? 
• Are you scrolling social media on your phone or watching Netflix on a tablet in bed until you start to feel sleepy? 
• Is your last cup of coffee well into the afternoon, or are you drinking soda or tea late in the day? 
• Are you going straight from work mode to bed? 
• Is your bedtime snack high in calories, sugar, or fat? 
• Are you ending your day with an alcoholic drink? 
• Are you exercising late in the day or just before bed? 

Each of these habits can have a negative impact on your ability to fall asleep and your sleep quality. If you’re guilty of one or more of them, keep reading for strategies to shift your habits into ones that will make it easy to drift off earlier and wake up refreshed each morning. 

Establishing a Consistent Sleep Schedule 

Just like the sun rises and falls by a clock, so does your body. Or it’s trying to, anyway. Your circadian rhythm, or internal clock, is responsible for your body winding down at night and waking up in the morning. 

Going to bed and waking up at different times every day, or staying up late and sleeping in on weekends, makes it difficult for your body to naturally get tired and wake up at the right times. 

Staying consistent with when you go to bed and when you wake up will help train your circadian rhythm to recognize when it's time to signal sleepiness and when to get up. 

• Set a fixed bedtime and wake-up time (and stick to it): Choose a time to wake up that fits your lifestyle and schedule, allowing as much time as you’d like in the morning before your day really gets going. Then, count backwards seven to nine hours. This is when you should go to bed each night for the recommended seven to nine hours of sleep. 

• Make gradual adjustments: If your ideal schedule is not even close to your current schedule, don’t change it all at once. Work towards your goal by getting to bed 15 to 30 minutes earlier every few days to a week. 

Creating a Relaxing Bedtime Routine 

If you’re on the go until your head hits the pillow or spend an hour or more scrolling on your phone in bed or watching TV, your body may not be getting the message that it’s time to sleep. By creating a nighttime routine that’s calming and soothing and helps you transition from your busy day to the evening, you’ll train your brain to recognize when bedtime is coming up. 

• Limit screen time before bed: Digital screens emit blue light, which suppresses melatonin production and delays the start of your sleep cycle. A study with more than 45,000 young adults found that a one-hour increase in screen time after getting into bed increased the risk of insomnia symptoms by 59 percent and reduced sleep time by an average of 24 minutes.¹

• Create a calming evening routine: Instead of rushing around or working right up to bedtime, set aside an hour or two before bed to engage in activities that relax your mind and signal to your body that it's time for sleep. Activities like yoga, meditation, listening to calming music or a podcast, reading, or doing puzzles can help you wind down. Avoid caffeine, alcohol, and high-calorie bedtime snacks that are high in fat or sugar, all of which can make it difficult to fall and stay asleep. Consider taking a warm bath or shower an hour or two before bed, as the heat helps lower your core temperature and may help you fall asleep faster.²

Optimizing Your Sleep Environment 

Reserving your bedroom exclusively for sleep can help your mind prepare for bed simply by being in the room. If possible, move other activities, like work, games, and TV, to another area of the house. Then, do your best to avoid bright light and cool your body down to help you fall asleep. 

• Keep it dark and quiet: A dark, quiet room helps boost melatonin production and can minimize disruptions that could startle you awake. Blackout curtains and keeping electronic devices out of the bedroom can easily minimize light. And, if dogs barking, cars driving by, or the furnace kicking on wakes you up at night, consider a noise machine. White, brown, or pink noise can help drown out ambient sounds, and although the research isn’t clear, it may support improved deep and restorative sleep.³

• Control the temperature: Higher bedroom temperatures are related to poorer sleep outcomes.⁴ A bedroom temperature between 60 and 70° F may be ideal for most people. 

Leveraging Morning Light Exposure 

Natural light is one of the most powerful tools for regulating your circadian rhythm. Getting outside first thing in the morning and exposing your eyes to light will trigger your brain to stop producing melatonin, helping you feel more energized after waking. 

• Spend time outside in the morning: If you can, spend some time outdoors when the sun rises. If you have the time, shift some of your outdoor activities to the morning. Walking your dog, watering the garden, and walking or biking to work instead of driving can let your brain and body know it’s time to wake up. 

• Consider light therapy: The weather won’t always cooperate for morning sun exposure, especially in the winter, if you live in the northern hemisphere. Instead, invest in a light therapy box and use it in the mornings to help reset your circadian rhythm without the sun. Research has found light therapy to be especially beneficial for shift workers experiencing sleep problems.⁵ 

Incorporating Physical Activity 

Increasing your physical activity, especially in the morning, can support better sleep in more ways than one. Exercise can help increase your body’s production of melatonin, reduce stress, and regulate your body temperature when you exercise at least a few hours before bed.⁶

• Start with light activities: If you’re new to exercise, start small and build up gradually instead of increasing stress on your body all at once, which may lead to worse sleep in the short term. Increase the pace of your daily walks or add a mid-morning or early afternoon yoga session to your routine. 

• Time your exercise right: Some research suggests that the optimal time for physical activity is four to eight hours before bed.⁷ Any earlier, and the benefits may not be as robust. Any later, and you may actually increase sleep disruption. 

Mindset and Motivation 

Adopting a morning chronotype isn’t just about falling asleep earlier or forcing yourself to wake up with the sun. It has a lot to do with how you think about yourself and why you want to make this change. As you start implementing these habits, your mindset will ultimately determine if you hop out of bed with a smile or revert to your night owl ways. 

• Reframe your identity: Instead of telling yourself “I’m not a morning person,” reframe it as “I’m learning how to enjoy my mornings.” Eventually, you’ll say “I am a morning person” and believe it, because you are. 

• Get clear on your why: Waking up and going to sleep earlier is no small feat, especially when you’re used to living the nightlife. Remind yourself why you’re making these changes and what they mean for your life, so you stay motivated to keep going. 

The Bottom Line

Becoming a morning person can help you create a routine that works for you and supports your energy, focus, and overall health. Identifying the current habits that keep you up at night and making small, simple changes to your morning and evening routines will help train your body and mind to wake up earlier and feel more refreshed. 

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Becoming a morning person and improving your sleep can positively impact your habits, health, and quality of life. But that’s just the beginning. Learn how Signos can help improve your health and motivate you to continue your sleep journey. You’ll learn how your sleep habits, diet, and exercise impact your blood sugar.