Some mornings it seems like no matter
how many hours we slept at night
we just get up exhausted with zero
energy to start the day
It's really tempting to hit the snooze
button and pull the covers over your head
I was really curious about this whole idea
of morning vs night person
but even more so when my wife and I started dating
So I've always been a morning person but
Tal always preferred the nights.
She often said that
she doesn't function very well in the
mornings and it took her hours to
actually start her day. It as if our
engines were working completely different
So after living together for a while
she was more open-minded and curious if she could ever fit the
into the category of being a morning
person and so together we tried to find
ways to help her get up better in the morning and then
she realized that mornings don't have to
be something that you dread.
With a few simple steps, you can finally start your morning energetic and fresh
So the first one and this is by far one
of the most powerful things that
affected the way we wake up in the
morning,
is to keep your blinds open
Before we started dating I always slept
with the blinds open and Tal was
exactly the opposite
She always slept in a dark room and made sure there's no option for any light
to enter the room.
So I respected her need and for over two
years we slept with blinds completely
closed
until one day that we talked about it
and she agreed to start sleeping with
the blinds a little open.
There was definitely a negotiation period
about how much they would be open and we
tested it over and over again to see how
it affects her sleep
So after a few nights of sleeping with the blinds open,
Tal already felt a big improvement and I, too, after a period of two years while sleeping
in a dark room started feeling more energetic and fresh in the morning
The exposure to natural light will wake you up faster and better
Why does it happen and how does it work exactly?
So hormone levels have a major influence on our body's clock
- on the timing of when we feel sleepy and
awake
Melatonin and Cortisol are the two main
hormones that regulate your sleep pattern
They're both naturally occurring hormones that are controlled by light exposure
When your optic nerves detect natural light diminishing,
they will send a message to your hypothalamus,
which will then trigger the
release of melatonin
to help you feel more relaxed, to feel
drowsy and prepare you for sleep
On the other hand, we have cortisol. Now,
daytime exposure to sunlight is so important
because it encourages the production of cortisol
and this hormone enables you to be awake and alert
and it contributes to your focus and
vitality throughout the day
The levels of cortisol deep at bedtime
and increase during the night
There is usually a cortisol spike in the early hours  of the morning
that helps you wake up feeling refreshed and alert
As the day progresses your levels of cortisol will gradually decline
and melatonin will then be released in the hours before you go to bed
You can see that as melatonin levels
increase cortisol levels decrease and vice versa
So here's how you can
encourage the production of the right hormone
at the right time and support the normal function of each hormone
First, keep your curtains or window blinds open
so that the exposure to natural sunlight will stimulate less melatonin
and more cortisol that will help you wake up more alert and refreshed
Second, at night, avoid bright screens at least an hour before you go to sleep
Being around too much bright light before bed,
can affect our quality of sleep as it can slow down the release of melatonin
And third, if possible, get outside for a few minutes in the morning
to fully expose your body to the natural light of the sun
The fresh air and direct sun will help you wake up better
The second rule to help you wake up better
is to have a short mobility routine
After lying down for a long period of
time and being stuck in very few positions,
our body tends to get very stiff and tight
and you may often find that on some days you wake up feeling sluggish, and full of tension.
Your brain may be awake, even if it doesn't feel that way,
but your muscles haven't been active through most of the night
A short mobility routine can serve as a perfect way
to gradually awaken the mind and body after the night's sleep
and prepare you for the day
Movement activates your nervous system
Dynamic stretching work great to improve
the range of motion of the joints,
eliminate the stiffness and pain in
different areas of the body,
increase your blood flow, stimulate the brain
and give your physical clock a reset
Movement essentially helps you feel more
energetic and light
Now, humans, like other animals,
instinctively stretch after sleeping
and we kind of lost that with all that's
going on in our life
and the stress we experienced from the moment we open our eyes and look at our phones
So 10 to 15 minutes as part of your morning routine is all you need
Obviously, you can't get your body to go from 0 to a 100,
so this short mobility routine will help you
ease up the process and get your day started better
Number 3, delay breakfast
We all grew up on the belief that breakfast is
the most important meal of the day
and as kids we almost never stop and ask
Why is it so? How does the body work?
Now studies show that the brain and body actually perform better in a fasted state
Cognitive function, memory, motor speed
learning, and alertness are all increased
by fasting
It makes a lot of sense because the less
energy your body spends
on digestion the more energy you'll have
for other things
If you're used to eating your breakfast
in the morning try to delay the first
meal of the day to a later hour in the
day like
11 or 12 so that the body doesn't have
to deal with
digesting food right away and so that
you can have a more productive start of your day
and if it's still important for you to put
something in your mouth as you begin
the day
try to choose something that is not
heavy or difficult to digest
something like fruits or a smoothie that
can easily go through your system
without much effort from the body
Number 4, take a nice morning shower
It doesn't matter how many times a week
you take a shower but when you do shower, you want to do it in the morning
So I almost never shower in the evening
because it takes me longer to fall
asleep afterward and it kind of makes me more alert
So I prefer showering in the morning and the way i like to do
it is to have a mix of cold water for a couple of minutes
followed by hot water, more like warm water, and there are a lot of benefits to it
So the key here is that it stimulates your nervous system
It increases your blood flow, there's a rush of adrenaline
and it helps increase your focus and alertness
and it also reduces your stress levels
Try to shower in the morning or even just stand for three minutes under a pleasant stream of water
If you don't like to start your
day with a shower or simply don't have the time
then washing your face with cold water
is another option that will contribute
to feeling more alert and fresh as well
Number 5, music.
So on this one, Tal and I quite disagree
I like to listen to energetic songs in the morning, however,
Tal is exactly the opposite and she
needs her mornings quiet
It's not for everyone but there are lots
of benefits to it and you should
definitely try it for yourself.
It has been proven that music has a
significant effect on our moods and emotions
It increases your adrenaline levels and
reduces anxiety
If you need to stay quiet because you
usually wake up before everyone else
or because your partner is not up for it
simply use headphones and pick some
energetic music that you like.
It's a great solution that helps me
start a day feeling more energetic and
confident
So you know those days when there's
something you're excited about and
really want to happen? these are the days that you usually get
up fresh pumped and ready to go.
The more we live with passion and create
a daily routine that is surrounded with
things that bring us joy,
the easier it will be to kick off the
blanket, jump start your day,
and devour life. Work on creating the
life you're passionate about
and just can't wait to get up in the
morning and accomplish your dreams and goals
As you can see there is something in common
to all the points we discussed here
and it is that all of them work in
accordance to how the body functions
in fact the more we understand what our
body, and soul, needs
and how it works the more we can
work with it and help our body and
ourselves feel better
we won't need to rely on external solutions that
may be harmful in the long term like
consuming coffee or energy drinks or snacking on
processed foods and other stimulants to
stay alert
How do you like to start your day?
Comment down below! I'd love to hear
and I'll see you in the next video
