How to get right out of bed
The steps to take to end your relationship with the snooze button.
“Every time I lie in bed trying to get up, I think [word of emphasis] Bri, how does he do it?”. My best friend says this to me every time we talk about sleep.
I’ll let you in on a little secret. I’m not normal. It doesn’t mean you can’t use some of these tips to get out of bed in less than a minute.
- Let’s start with the prerequisites
Sorry to say, but it’s a bigger challenge if you’re continually in a sleep deficit. It’s like going to the grocery store while starving. Probably not an ideal first step.
There are so many pages out there touting sleep tips. I’ll leave you with a few that have always worked for me.
1. Maximize your sleep environment
Get those room-darkening shades. Get nice curtains that block out the rest of the light. Set the dimmer on the alarm clock to the darkest setting. Some people have some type of white noise machine. I’m a firm believer that if you’re a light sleeper, whatever can drown out those little noises can only help you stay asleep. I’ve had some kind of noise maker for 30 years and I swear by them.
2. Cool that room
There is science that backs up having a comfortably cool room helps your body get ready to sleep. My rule of thumb is 5–10 degrees below sweat. I’d sweat if the room was at 70, so for me 60–65 is my sweet spot.
3. Routine Routine Routine
Almost too obvious. Your body is a habit machine. Go to the bed at the same time each night, and you’ll likely start getting up at the same time with little effort. Whatever your hour before bedtime habit is, stick with it if it’s not destructive. I watch some television. I even check social media. If it’s a mindless activity, it won’t activate your mind and wake you up.
4. Settle all the unfinished business in your head
The only time I have issues sleeping is when I’m working through a work problem in my head or have some other thoughts taking over my brain. Do your best to come up with a solution or find a good leave off point so you can pick it up later. Writing down your current thoughts or unanswered questions is also a good way to resolve it for now. Bonus: It might also help your brain come up with solutions while you sleep!
- Now for the good stuff
1. If you do need an alarm, it would help to have it in a hard to reach area. It may not be practical to have it across the room, but if you have to make an effort to turn off the alarm, you’re less likely to return to the comforts of bed.
2. Do not stop moving! Hit that button and immediately leave the room. I didn’t say this was easy. Get right up and put one foot in front of the other. Find a wake up routine that works for you which supports this.
I start with a little mouthwash to wake up and clean the mouth, then I get dressed. I feed my golden retriever and prepare to hit the gym. Coffee lovers would be smart to have the coffee maker either on a timer or prepped so you can just hit a button.
The brain will talk you out of it if you stand still long enough and give it too much thought.
3. Do it every work day. One tip on the off days is don’t go overboard on the extra sleep if you can help it. That often makes you less tired the night before you get back to working. Get enough sleep so you’re still a little tired. At most I sleep 8 hours on the weekends.
Conclusion
If you come up with a good sleep environment and build a strong morning wakeup routine you can follow daily, bouncing right out of bed is very possible. It beats impossibly cold showers, right?
