Okay, so I’m not a morning person by nature. I don’t actually jump out of bed in morning. But - I’m also not a textbook night owl.

“You stayed in last night, why are you tired?” Because I stayed up watching reruns of Law & Orders SVU, SUSAN. 

I stay up late when I’m at home because I crave that down time. I binge watch Netflix, get sucked into a good book, or go down a rabbit hole on the internet.

There’s no denying that I feel SO much better when I wake up and give myself a few hours of “me time” before starting the workday.

So, why is it soooo hard to get out of bed in the morning sometimes? I’ve learned 3 major things that have helped me.

There’s a reason you get tired at night – so start listening to your internal clock. She knows what’s up! (Or he, or it, or however your personal clock likes to identify.) 

I feel best when I’m in bed by 10pm and asleep by 10:30. It doesn’t matter if I go to bed an hour later but sleep an extra two hours in morning – I ALWAYS feel best when I sleep on this schedule and it makes it SO much easier to get out of bed of the morning without becoming a complete zombie when I do get up.

Your circadian rhythms may differ from mine. Start to notice when your body gets tired and plan to give yourself some down time before then so you can fall asleep when you need.   

You would never lay a child down and expect them to fall asleep immediate. You won’t either.

For the love of sleep, give yourself time to wind down before bed. When I’m getting in bed at 10pm – and I mean, PJs on, under the covers at 10pm – I put on one of my favorite meditations from my Insight Timer app to help calm my mind.

If I want to read, I’ll get in bed at 9:30 (sometimes with a terrifying but glorious face mask) so I’ve got some extra down time before meditation time.

I love an intense sweat session, and choosing morning classes helps me fall asleep best at night. If I do something at night, I’ll opt for a more restorative yoga class or a walk with the dog.

Moving my body during the day seems to give my restless legs more permission to chill out while I’m sleeping (making both myself and my fiancé much happier because no one is feeling the effects of a mid-sleep attempted jog).

Feeling like your mind is on overdrive? I’ve found that keeping a notebook by my bed and giving myself an opportunity to write down any thoughts and “put them away” for the night is helpful on nights where my mind is extra active. 

I also love a cup of kava before bed if I’ve had a particularly stressful or intense day – it helps my anxiety and makes me feel uber-Zen before bed.

I’ve tried putting my phone farther away from me on my nightstand. I still press snooze 10 times, and I’m more annoyed every time it goes off.

But I keep doing it and it’s something I don’t even realize I’m doing. Seriously, it’s time to break up with that habit.

So, how do you break a bad habit? You replace it by practicing new [healthy] habits.

If I’ve been on a bad run with my morning alarm clock, I reset. I practice doing what I want to do – getting out of bed the first time my alarm clock goes off.

Seriously – hear me out. It sounds silly and it feels silly, BUT IT WORKS:

In the evening, set your alarm for two minutes out. Lay in bed, under the covers, and close your eyes. Then, when your alarm goes off, swing your feet out from under the covers, plant them on the ground, and get up. Walk into your bathroom or into your closet or wherever you go when you first get out of bed. 

You’ve done weirder things, so just try it.

Then do it a few times.

Whoever coined the phrase, “practice makes perfect” was not wrong, and this helps you to re-train your brain to get out of bed in the morning – on the first alarm.

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Making sure I’m under my soft sheets by 10pm with a sleep meditation cued up and practicing getting up – on my first alarm, that is – have been so helpful for my sleep habits. I hope they’re helpful for you!