If you want to start off on the right foot, so that you can set yourself up for success you may decide to stop having the following 7-morning habits, which can ruin your day, and prevent you from achieving your goals.
1) HITTING THE SNOOZE BUTTON - SLEEPING IN
Do you agree with me that there is no sound more annoying than your alarm clock going off, except for the ringing you hear 5 minutes later?
If so, why do you keep pressing the snooze button?
Hitting it takes a toll.
According to Dr. Reena Mehra, Director of sleep disorders research at Cleveland Clinic, hitting the snooze button prevents your body from getting restorative sleep.
"Much of the latter part of our sleep cycle is comprised of REM sleep, or dream sleep, which is a restorative sleep state. And so, if you’re hitting the snooze button, then you’re disrupting that REM sleep or dream sleep", Dr. Mehra states.
This disruption can lead to a "fight or flight" response from your body, which results in increased blood pressure, and a surging heart rate.
Making sleep a priority is a MUST to give up the habit of hitting the snooze button.
Not enough sleep gets in the way of your success.
So follow Dr. Mehra’s recommendation:
“Make sure you’re getting seven to eight hours of sufficient sleep and good quality sleep. If that’s happening, and someone still feels the need to hit that snooze button, then they should probably see their physician to make sure there’s no undiagnosed sleep disorder that could be contributing to their need to hit the snooze”, says Dr. Mehra.
According to sleep expert Adam Tishman: "When you let yourself fall back asleep, you're tricking your body into thinking it's going back into sleep mode. When your alarm goes off again, your body and brain are confused, resulting in that foggy feeling called sleep inertia. Sleep inertia can stay with you throughout the day, making you actually feel more tired throughout the day".
This results in you feeling sleepy and tired for hours to come.
So, next time your alarm clock goes off, challenging as it may be, take a deep breath, get up and get things done.
If you are still not convinced about how dangerous hitting the snooze button literally is, you might be impressed by what a Professor of Neuroscience & Psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, Matthew Walker says:
"Interrupted sleep is not good-quality sleep."
He argues that repeatedly setting off alarms in the morning can be detrimental to your heart.
"You are literally alarming your heart", says Prof. Walker.
Besides, anytime you hit the snooze button you start your day with a loss, you are training yourself to procrastinate, you are literally telling your goals to wait.
You are not training the willpower muscle necessary to pave the way to get the life you want.
WHAT YOU CAN DO INSTEAD:
You might start following Prof. Walker’s advice, which is that simple:
"Set the alarm for when you need to get up, then turn it off and get up".
Another solution you could take into consideration is to place your alarm clock far away from your bed so that you are forced to get out of bed to turn the alarm off (it’s annoying, but it works!).
Even better, don’t use your phone as an alarm clock, instead, opt for an old-fashioned one.
2) CHECKING YOUR PHONE
According to a survey carried out by tech analyst company ReportLinker, 46 percent of Americans admitted to checking their smartphones before they even get out of bed in the morning.
This habit just sets you off down the wrong path.
Looking at your phone straight away after opening your eyes can make you feel stressed and anxious.
As a matter of fact, reading through your emails and texts, realizing that you have so many things to do, can easily trigger a bad mood that sticks with you for the rest of the day.
Whether it's to check your social media accounts, text messages, or emails, you should refrain from grasping your mobile phone right after you open your eyes, because it also distracts you from what you must do to start your day in the most productive way.
So do yourself a favor and stop checking the black mirror.
Your Social media and emails can wait.
WHAT YOU CAN DO INSTEAD:
Start by leaving your phone in another room so that in the morning when you wake up you are not tempted to scroll through it.
You may also consider, like I did, committing to waiting 2 hours after waking up to check your mobile.
It’s going to be a challenge, but I can promise you, it’s going to pay off.
You will be surprised how many things you can manage to get done.
3) DRINKING COFFEE
If you are like most people, you also probably love coffee, it perks you up.
People rely on it as a daily boost of energy.
While there is nothing wrong with relishing a nice cup of coffee in the morning, this shouldn’t be the first thing you sip on after waking up.
According to a study published in the British Journal of Nutrition drinking coffee as soon as you wake up can impair glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity in healthy adults, and that’s the main reason why we should drink our beloved cup of coffee after having food.
“Starting a day with a strong coffee did have a negative effect on glucose metabolism by around 50 percent”, explains the lead researcher of the study Harry A. Smith.
“As such, individuals should try to balance the potential stimulating benefits of caffeinated coffee in the morning with the potential for higher blood glucose levels and it may be better to consume coffee following breakfast rather than before”.
Another reason why you should consider delaying your morning coffee is that the caffeine from coffee can boost your cortisol levels.
Drinking coffee when your cortisol level is at its peak, i.e. when you wake up, may further increase levels of this hormone.
Elevated levels of cortisol over long periods can damage your immune system, and this can ultimately lead to health issues.
Then, it’s worth waiting at least one hour after waking up, before enjoying a cup of coffee.
WHAT YOU CAN DO INSTEAD:
Have a nice glass of water, your body craves hydration after sleeping.
It also gives your metabolism a kick start.
Make this healthy, but underestimated practice easier to follow, by having a bottle of water on your side so that when you wake up, you are immediately reminded that you must drink it.
4) HAVING A HOT SHOWER
Even if having a hot shower first thing in the morning can sound invigorating, actually, it is not.
As a matter of fact, it doesn’t help wake you up and start your day off on the right foot.
Hot water in fact relaxes your muscles to the extent that you feel even more sleepy and groggy than before.
Having a hot shower is too comfortable, and if you have read some of my posts, you know that I believe we should train ourselves to get uncomfortable as much as possible.
Having a cold shower doesn’t sound appealing, but it is a much better choice and it trains you to get uncomfortable, trust me!
Not only does it wake you up, providing you with a sense of energy, it also boosts your mood.
Cold water makes your brain release feel-good endorphins and natural adrenaline.
WHAT YOU CAN DO INSTEAD:
You may consider keeping the boiler off so you are obliged to have a cold shower.
You could remind yourself that having a cold shower is not only good for your general well-being, but it’s also powerful training for your self-discipline.
Self-discipline is the real “secret” to success.
If ever there were a true magical ingredient to achieving success, self-discipline would be it.
“Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment”. – Jim Rohn
5) KEEPING YOUR PLACE UNTIDY
Most people leave their house in a mess before going to work, they do not bother to make their beds either.
They think to themselves:
“Why waste time making the bed when I’m going back to it later?”
When you leave your house untidy, without even making your bed, you start your day with a loss, like when you hit the snooze button.
You are in a procrastination mode, which gets in the way of achieving goals in life.
“Procrastination usually results in sorrowful regret. Today’s duties put off until tomorrow give us a double burden to bear; the best way is to do them in their proper time”. - Ida Scott Taylor
While making your bed is an easy and quick task to do, it helps set you up for success.
By having this small win at the beginning of your day, your brain releases dopamine, the motivational chemical that makes you feel motivated to get other things done throughout your day.
The more you get used to getting things done and to taking action, the closer you get to your goals.
“The path to success is to take massive, determined actions”. - Tony Robbins
WHAT YOU CAN DO INSTEAD:
Tidying up your house and putting away the stuff you have used during the day before going to sleep is a great alternative.
It makes you feel relieved when you wake up and realize you are in a neat place.
Living in a clean and tidy environment can positively influence your productivity, performance, and general well-being too.
As regards your bed, just commit to making it before leaving your place.
6) WAKING UP AT DIFFERENT TIMES
Many people have a life on the fast lane, they like going clubbing, going to parties, staying up late at night, and sleeping in.
However, not having a proper sleep routine is disempowering.
According to sleep expert Adam Tishman - "By going to bed and waking up at similar times each day and night, your body will get used to a rhythm helping you fall asleep and wake up each day and night. Instead of feeling groggy in the morning when the alarm goes off, eventually, you will start to feel refreshed".
Our body craves routine, and this is because it wants to be aligned with the circadian cycle.
As a matter of fact, the circadian rhythm aligns our sleep and wakefulness with day and night to create a stable cycle of restorative rest that enables increased daytime activity.
In a nutshell, the more you stick to your sleep routine, the better.
WHAT YOU CAN DO INSTEAD:
Just set a time for when you must go to bed and a time for when you must wake up and stick to it.
It doesn’t take too long for you to get used to it, and once you have established this empowering new habit you will see by yourself how energetic you will feel.
What’s more, you will no longer need an alarm clock to wake up; your body will just do it by itself.
It’s definitely worth the commitment.
7) NOT HAVING ME-TIME
Whether it is meditating, reading, journaling, doing exercises, listening to podcasts, etc, having me-time in the morning is a game-changer for you.
However, most people, above all parents, tend to give in their me-time in order to look after their kids.
Don’t get me wrong I am not saying that’s not right, but would you take into consideration waking up 30 minutes earlier to have me-time to work on yourself?
It will not be beneficial just to you, but even to the people around you.
The better you feel, the more positively you will affect the lives of others.
There’s nothing so important as starting your day on the right foot, by devoting some time just to your well-being and personal development.
So, make sure you stop doing anything that is not for yourself right away after waking up.
Don’t fall into the misbelief that by devoting time to yourself you are self-centered, actually, you are selfish, if you don’t work on yourself.
You cannot give your best to the people that surround you if you do not take care of yourself first.
Keep your cup full, so that you have a lot to share with other people and can show up in the best possible way to them.
WHAT YOU CAN DO INSTEAD:
Waking up 30 minutes earlier could be a starting point.
Planning your morning routine ahead the night before is another useful tip you could put in place to make the most out of your morning, set yourself up for success and not waste time with unproductive activities.
CONCLUSION
Now that we have gone through 7 disempowering morning habits that prevent you from living the life you want, let me ask you:
Which one is the hardest one to break in your opinion?
And which is the first one you are going to face?
More resources for YOU:
If you can’t get up with the first alarm you set up another one in another room. But a big one. Its consequences must be such that your staying in bed will be the worst of all possible scenarios. Like your small child waking up – and you having to face your wife. You WILL get up and go to the other room.
Love what you’ve shared by giving the example of a child waking up! Top
This was an eye opener for me regarding hitting snooze button is not good for heart.
Very rare I do it but if I have had the odd day where I press the snooze for another 10 mins and another 10 minutes!
So definitely much more aware now through this post.
I do love my coffee , and try not to have it when I first wake up .
I am glad you have come to know that repeatedly setting off alarms in the morning can be detrimental to your heart, so even if hitting the snooze button rarely happens, you will be even more mindful not to hit it.
I also love my espresso. It helps me concentrate and start my commitments on the right foot, but because of the negative effect it can have on glucose metabolism and cortisol level, I have decided to put it off; now I have my coffee at least one hour later than I wake up.
Not a big deal, it’s worth waiting.