Transform Your Sleep Routine: The Power of a Consistent Wakeup Time
Do you often find yourself too awake at bedtime or too sleepy at wakeup time? Or maybe both?
If you're looking for natural remedies to sleep better and improve sleep quality, I have a great first step for you (or maybe the only step you need!)...
...But you might not like it:
Wake up at the same time every day — even on weekends.
The Truth Behind a Consistent Wakeup Time
I’m not one to sugarcoat things, so I'll just say it: waking up at the same time every morning can suck at first.
Maybe you had a late night last night, or maybe you've had trouble sleeping all week. Now it's Saturday morning and you're finally enjoying some good shuteye when suddenly BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!… there’s your alarm — at 7 am.
The last thing you want to do is to get out of bed if you don't have to.
As a former insomniac and natural night owl, trust me I get it.
But here’s the thing... if you regularly have sleep problems like insomnia (difficulty falling or staying asleep), it's worth it. Because a consistent wakeup time helps your sleep in THREE different ways.
The Benefits of a Consistent Wakeup Time
1. A Consistent Wakeup Time Boosts Your Sleep Drive
The following night, your sleep drive is going to be much higher when you go to sleep. This helps you to fall asleep faster and also helps prevent one bad night from turning into a string of bad nights.
2. A Regular Wakeup Time Adjusts Your Circadian Rhythm
Your circadian rhythm (biological clock) eventually sets to your wake up time, especially if you see bright light right after waking up. This means you start getting alerting signals like cortisol at that wakeup time to help you feel more awake.
But that's not all... you also then start getting sleep signals like melatonin at your ideal bedtime too. This makes it easier for you to fall asleep and stay asleep.
3. Your Brain Starts to Recognize Your Sleep and Wake Up Routine
Our brain has what I call an "autopilot feature" that recognizes patterns in our lives and then prepares for what's coming next.
So if you consistently wake up and do the same morning routine, your mental autopilot starts to recognize that as a cue to rev up and get ready for the day as opposed to taking it as a sign that it's time to hit the snooze button, and preparing for that instead.
That said there is some wiggle room. If you really need some extra sleep, it generally considered ok to sleep in by up to 45 minutes. And if that consistency just isn't possible for you just be as consistent as is reasonable for you.
You're going to hate it on day 1. But on day 15, or maybe day 30, you’ll thank me!
Here's to becoming that person who can not only fall asleep easily, but also wake up on time — without an alarm clock!
NEED MORE HELP?
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