How to Wake Up Early: 10 Tips and Tricks

Waking up early in the morning can be difficult, especially if you aren’t well-rested or your body has just gotten used to sleeping later and later throughout the week. To make things easier on yourself and ensure that you’re able to wake up in time to have everything done you need to do, here are 10 tips and tricks for waking up early in the morning that will help you easily get out of bed in the morning and stay there until it’s time to go back to sleep at night.

Everyone who has ever wanted to wake up early knows how important it is to get the proper amount of sleep and have the right habits. The good news is that getting up early isn’t hard, but it does take some practice and preparation to ensure that you don’t fall back into bad habits. If you want to get up early, these 10 tricks that might help you make it happen.

Start by waking 15 minutes earlier

If you want to wake up early, it’s best not to go from 8 hours of sleep to 6 hours of sleep. Start by waking 15 minutes earlier each night for a week. This will ensure that your body still gets enough rest. If you can’t get out of bed early on weeknights, try doing it on weekend mornings—they tend to be less busy and more peaceful than weekdays.

Wake up with your phone

If you’re having trouble sleeping, turn off your phone or computer an hour before bedtime. This will help reduce how many times you wake up in the middle of a sleep cycle because of some notification that came through while you were asleep. Getting rid of these interruptions will also ensure a better night’s rest. The next morning, when it’s time to get up, don’t try to hit snooze—that will only make it harder for you to wake up in time.

Use a motivational quote on your mirror to wake up early

You can’t pick your family, but you can choose who inspires you—and in what ways. Make sure that every time you brush your teeth or look at yourself in a mirror, you’re reminded of something positive. Change out your old motivational quote with one that gives you a new perspective on life. There are thousands of quotes across dozens of categories—there’s definitely something for everyone! Place it somewhere where it will remind you on a daily basis to approach things with a renewed sense of positivity and vigor.

Set an alarm clock near your bed

As you’re drifting off, you should be able to see your alarm clock on your nightstand, which will help trigger your body’s wake-up cycle. Place it a few feet away so that even if you do hit snooze a few times, you’ll still have time to get up in plenty of time for work. This may seem counterproductive at first—if it’s far enough away not to startle you awake, why turn it off at all? In fact, leaving it ticking helps us reset our internal clocks—it tells our brain that we’ve woken up.

Get yourself out of bed before the alarm rings

Remember how nice it was when you were a kid and you could wake up whenever you wanted? As an adult, though, getting out of bed means dealing with that nasty, piercing alarm clock. If you’re serious about waking up early, you’ll have to silence your alarm for good—or at least figure out a way to get yourself out of bed before it goes off. (We’ve got a few hacks that might help.) You may feel groggy and unproductive in those first few moments after waking up (you can probably thank cortisol for that), but once your brain starts firing on all cylinders, there’s no turning back. How early is too early?

Make your bedroom nice, dark, and cool

Just because you’re getting up early doesn’t mean you should be uncomfortable. Make sure your bedroom is comfortable so you can fall asleep quickly. This also makes it easier to wake up—uncomfortable conditions make it hard for our bodies to transition into wakefulness. An uncomfortable room will also distract you from falling asleep easily, which is counterproductive. A good night’s sleep will ensure that when your alarm goes off, you’ll be ready for action!

Meditate before you fall asleep to wake up early

Meditation is all about relaxation, so why not use it as a tool for sleep? A series of studies led by King’s College London found that when people practiced mindfulness-based meditation just before bedtime, they felt less sleepy throughout their days. What’s more, meditating before you hit your pillow can help curb negative thoughts that keep you up at night. In other words, change how you think (i.e., meditate), and you’ll change how well you sleep—and there are tons of ways to teach yourself how to do just that!

Have a morning routine

A morning routine is one of those things people hear about but never implement. I get it; it’s hard to just wake up early and be productive, even if you’re already an early riser. Try changing your alarm clock so that instead of going off at 7:00 AM, it goes off at 6:30 AM—that half-hour might not seem like much, but trust me, having a few extra minutes will be worth it. Or try waking up 30 minutes earlier than usual one day a week and see how you feel during your normal routine. You might find that feeling more energized makes getting out of bed in the morning easier. By slowly making adjustments over time you can slowly incorporate some sort of morning routine into your daily life.

Get 8 hours of sleep every night

It’s a good idea to get about 8 hours of sleep every night, but don’t push it too hard. Most adults need between 7 and 9 hours of sleep each night, so aim for that amount, even if you have trouble falling asleep earlier than expected. There are lots of ways to relax your body and mind before bed—try some deep breathing exercises or sip on herbal tea with soothing natural ingredients like chamomile. If insomnia strikes, turn off bright screens like phones, tablets, or TVs at least an hour before going to bed—the blue light they emit can disturb your body’s natural circadian rhythm (your internal clock). You should also avoid eating heavy meals or exercising right before bedtime because those activities can keep you awake.

Go to bed at 9 PM. Not later

One of the worst habits you can have is going to bed late. This will make it harder for you to wake up in time for work or school, among other things. But going to bed at a reasonable hour is not enough if you want to wake up early; you need your body to be ready for it too. That’s why we suggest that you go to bed at 9 PM every night and wake up without an alarm clock at 6 AM. That way, your body will get used to waking up early as well, and even though you might be tired during those first few days, soon enough your biological rhythm will adjust itself and fit into that new routine quite easily.

Waking up early each day can seem like an impossible feat if you’re not used to it, but with these 10 tricks, it will get easier and easier over time. No matter how bad your sleep habits are or how out of practice you are at waking up on time, applying these tips will help you improve your wake-up time and get more done in the morning!

How to Wake Up Early: 10 Tips and Tricks