Start the day more alert

How we start the day is crucial for our health and daily performance. Especially on dark winter days and when we work from home, we often find it difficult to get out of bed and wake up properly. We'll show you which simple tips you can use to make it easier to get up, get fit faster and overcome tiredness in the morning in order to be healthy and productive during the day.

Table of Contents

1. Tiredness in the morning
2. Tips for an awake start to the day
3. Conclusion

1. Tiredness in the morning

Many people find it difficult to get out of bed in the morning and get rid of their nighttime sleepiness. This also has a biological background: We all have an internal clock that regulates our sleep-wake rhythm and thus also influences our getting up behavior.

Typical “early risers” have fewer problems with tiredness in the morning and can start the day faster. According to studies, this not only makes them more productive, but also happier. A wakeful morning is not only good for the mood, but also influences our daily form and performance.

The classic “night owls”, on the other hand, take longer to get up to speed in the morning and reach their peak performance more in the early evening hours. Getting up early does not correspond to the natural rhythm and, in addition to a bad mood, often leads to extreme tiredness and a slow start to the day.

With a few tips, you can make it easier for yourself if you don't like mornings and start the day more alert.

2. Tips for an awake start to the day

#1 Enough sleep

Healthy sleeping habits prevent general fatigue. Particularly during deep sleep, important regeneration processes take place that prepare us for the next day. So if you get enough sleep overnight, you're more likely to be fitter and have more energy in the morning. Exactly how much sleep is needed to feel well rested and refreshed in the morning is different for everyone. However, experts recommend between 7 – 8 hours of sleep per night.

#2 Regular sleep-wake rhythm

Our internal clock also adapts to rhythms and routines, for example if we go to bed at the same time every evening and get up at the same time every morning. In this way, you get your body used to a fixed rhythm and make it easier not only to get up in the morning but also to fall asleep in the evening.

#3 Natural Alarm Clock: Light

(Daytime) light and darkness function as an external impulse that adapts our natural internal rhythm to the natural daily routine and, among other things, influences the release of the sleep hormone melatonin. Light is therefore a natural alarm clock that can make waking up easier. For example, avoid roller shutters, curtains and other blackouts in summer and use daylight lamps or alarm lights in winter.

#4 Avoid snooze button

When the alarm clock finally rings, you should get up straight away and avoid using the snooze button. Repeated “snoozing” causes the body to fall asleep again and again and is jolted out of its deep sleep phase with every alarm ring. This puts strain on our brains and bodies and increases sluggishness and tiredness in the morning.

Tip: Try out different alarm tones and, for example, use your favorite song to positively influence your mood as soon as you wake up.

#5 Activity and exercise in the morning

Sport and exercise get your circulation going and give you the opportunity to wake up quickly in the morning. Just a few minutes of endurance, strength training or yoga after getting up gets your blood circulation going, and even relaxed breathing and stretching exercises have a positive effect on your wakefulness in the morning.

#6 Healthy and balanced breakfast

It's best not to skip breakfast, because in the morning the body needs new nutrients to run at full speed again. A small, balanced, carbohydrate-rich meal is enough to provide the body with energy when you get up and make it easier to start the day healthily. In addition, coffee or tea can of course also help you wake up thanks to the caffeine they contain.

3. Conclusion

• Early risers start the day faster, are more productive and are in a better mood

• Sufficient sleep and a regular sleep-wake routine make it easier to fall asleep in the evening and wake up in the morning

• Sufficient light (daylight, light alarm clock) supports the waking process in a natural way

• Get up after the alarm goes off and do not use the snooze function

• Exercise and sport in the morning get your circulation going and help against fatigue

• A small, healthy breakfast provides the body with energy and important nutrients