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How to Make Peace with the Fact You're Not a Morning Person

For many people, the morning is the time of day when they get the most done. They’re up before the sun rises, hitting the gym or getting an early jump on their workday. By the time noon rolls around, they’re halfway done with their day!

Then there’s you. Night owls can struggle with mornings, and even a good cup of coffee isn’t enough to make you feel awake and alert first thing in the morning. You don’t really come alive until around noon, and you get your best work done in the evenings.

Yet, despite the fact that you’re not a morning person, sometimes you still have to get up early to get to work and put in your hours. It can be tough for night owls, but it is possible to make peace with that fact and accept that you’re just going to have to do morning anyway.

Here’s what you can do.

Get Up

Hitting the Snooze button is going to make mornings a whole lot harder. Instead, set your alarm clock at the far end of the room, forcing yourself to get out of bed and walk across the room to turn it off. Now that you’re up and on your feet, it’ll be that little bit easier to stay up.

Open the Curtains

Instead of trying to block out that pesky morning sunlight, open the curtains to let it in. Your sleep cycle is regulated by the rise and fall of the sun, so early morning light will help to decrease melatonin levels and wake you up earlier. Plus, if the sun’s shining right in your eyes, you’ll have to get up!

Don’t Over-Analyze Your Sleep Habits

If you’re the kind of person who uses an Apple Watch or FitBit to track your sleep habits, you may find yourself overanalyzing and getting lost in the data. Don’t do it! Focus on sleeping when your body tells you to and following a regular sleep schedule. You can train your body to fall asleep and wake up at the same time every day.

Be Wary of Weekends

Weekends are the time most of our sleep schedules are thrown off. “Social jetlag” refers to the way you get to bed late and wake up late on the weekends thanks to social engagements. Try to keep to a fairly regular sleep schedule, and resist the urge to sleep all day and stay up all night. It’ll make getting up during the week that much harder.

Exercise

If you want to make it easier to fall asleep at night, exercise first thing in the morning. That way, you’ll use up a lot of your energy, and you’ll start feeling sleepy in the evening. It’ll be much easier to get to sleep because your daily workout will shift your energy production and sleep schedule.

Fight to Get Up Anyway

You may not be a morning person, but you’ll still have to get up. That means dragging yourself out of bad no matter how groggy you feel. Try new morning habits — showering right out of bed, going for a walk, or having a big breakfast — that will boost your energy levels first thing in the morning.

[Image via Shutterstock]

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