5 Ways to Wake up Easier in the Winter

With the winter solstice right around the corner, the days are getting colder and shorter. The desire to hit snooze and stay warm and cozy in bed is even harder to resist, no matter how much of a morning person you are. 

Even though becoming a morning person doesn’t happen overnight, there are a few ways to help you survive these dreaded winter mornings:

It’s All About the ZZZ’s

An important part of making mornings easier is getting enough, quality sleep the night before. And a key part of that is having a good mattress. Studies show people report falling asleep faster and having a decrease in pain when sleeping on memory foam mattresses. Memory foam mattresses provide support and pressure relief, isolate and absorb motions (gone are the days of being woken up by a restless partner), and are hypoallergenic. SaniSnooze™ mattresses have multiple layers of CertiPUR-US memory foam and soft-touch waterproof covers, giving you a night filled with quality sleep. 

Find more tips for getting a restful night here 

Take a Shower

As hard as it is to get out of your warm pajamas, taking a morning shower is a great way to kickstart your day. Morning showers help take the sting of a cold morning away by relaxing and warming your body. Ending a warm shower with a quick, cold shower might sound outrageous on a chilly morning but the cold water can help awaken your circulation, boost your immune system, and lower your stress levels.

Light up the Morning

Some people have a natural internal alarm clock while others need a little extra help in the morning. A regular alarm clock does the job, but the blaring noise can be disorienting and cause sleep inertia, that overwhelming state of fogginess after waking up. A less aggressive way to be woken up is by using a sunrise alarm clock. Sunrise alarm clocks slowly start brightening 30-45 minutes before your alarm goes off to mimic the gradually increasing light of a sunrise, giving you a more natural and comforting wakeup call.

Prepare for Tomorrow

Save yourself time and energy in the morning by getting everything ready the night before. Lay your clothes out, pack your lunch, even try putting your bags next to the door so you don’t waste time in the morning looking for things like your keys. Set your coffee pot on a timer and give yourself a sense of preparedness going to bed to avoid morning anxiety.

Brain dump. Ease your mind of tomorrow’s worries by writing them down before you go to bed. Create a to-do list of what you want to accomplish tomorrow to make daunting tasks feel more manageable. Transferring worries from your mind to paper helps to clear your mind and lower stress and anxiety so you wake up feeling refreshed, prepared, and ready to take on the day.

Reward Yourself 

We all remember being told when we were little, “If you eat your veggies, you can have a special treat.” That incentive worked then and it still works now. A little morning incentive goes a long way to motivate you to wake up. Whether it’s coffee in bed, your warm shower, or a few minutes to set your daily goals, having something to look forward to makes waking up easier because we are excited. Even if you have a strict morning routine, include something special to your morning to reward yourself for not hitting snooze.

Takeaway

Feeling extra tired and groggy in the morning happens to us all. Sometimes we had a restless night, went out too late, or binge-watched a new show. But if you find yourself relying on numerous, blow horn sounding alarms to wake you up, you might want to try these tips to keep you from hitting snooze this winter.