It seems like every college student is either a morning person by nature or is barely winning their fight with the snooze button every day. It’s difficult to get out of bed and start a fresh day, especially when you’re already running late for your class. If you find yourself feeling groggy in the morning, there are several ways to become an early bird and have more productive mornings.
Keep a Consistent Sleep Schedule
Having and maintaining a consistent sleep schedule is the key to being a morning person. Whether that means completing homework assignments earlier or planning out your day more intentionally, you should be scheduling your day so you get at least eight hours of sleep every night. Not only will this help you be more productive, but getting enough sleep can also reduce your stress and improve your mood in general, helping you to enjoy each school day more. For me, the most difficult part of fixing my sleep schedule was my severe attachment to my phone. I spent many hours scrolling through TikTok and texting my friends in bed instead of sleeping. I always regretted this when I woke up exhausted, wishing I had even just one more minute to sleep in. While it is hard, just keep your phone away and put it on silent mode—it’ll pay off.
Create a Morning Routine
Keeping up with a daily morning routine is what has personally helped me get out of bed early. A routine could include going to the gym every morning or going on a Res walk at a certain time. You can also get breakfast at the same time everyday or set aside 15 minutes to meditate or journal when you wake up. If you know you will struggle to commit to a routine, it’s always a good idea to create a routine with a friend—that way, you have someone to keep you in check. Setting an early morning routine will allow you to consistently relax when you rise, allowing you to ease into the day.
Have a Healthy Eating and Drinking Schedule
Cracking open a can of Celsius or downing a cup of coffee while you study is a common habit for college students. Sometimes, it feels like there’s no other way to get through a heavy workload without dozing off. To go to sleep at a decent time and wake up earlier, you should definitely avoid caffeinated drinks at night. Instead of turning to caffeine, you could try an alternative such as decaffeinated tea, prebiotic sodas, and decaffeinated energy drinks. Moving around can also help you feel more awake. Another habit that has helped me fix my sleep schedule is to eat my meals at a consistent and reasonable time. Eating sugary snacks or big meals before bed can affect the quality of your sleep, so it is best to think ahead and eat fulfilling meals before bedtime.
As a rather lazy person myself, these tricks have helped me wake up early and maintain a consistent sleep cycle. This has allowed me to maximize my daily productivity while boosting my day-to-day mental health and wellness.
