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6/21/13

Why You're Not a Morning Person (and How to Become One)

Why You're Not a Morning Person (and How to Become One ) [1]
At 6 AM, most of us are lucky if we have the energy to reach for acup of coffee. Mornings may be rough, but hold off on sleeping in. There are perks [2] to waking up with the sun, and we've got some tips on making it easier.

Snooze and Lose: The Need to Know


The old Im just too tired complaint may be more than a sorry excuse for waking up late. Research suggests there are biological differences between early larks [3], who wake up at the same time every morning and feel most active around 9 AM, and night owls, who get more stuff done once the sun goes down [1]. One survey found more than half of Americans [4] fall into the morning category, saying theyre at their personal best from 5 AM to noon. And it may get easier to greet the day at dawn as we get older, thanks to body clock changes as we age [2]. It turns out the early bird may get more than the worm. According to selfreports [5] from college students, those who wake up earlier feel more optimistic and proactive [6] than those who rise later. Other studies have found morning larks tend to be harder working and conscientious than night owls. (Still, its not clear whether waking up early actually makes someone more productive or optimistic.) And perhaps the secret to a 4.0 isnt only hitting the books: Another study [7] of university undergraduates found those who said they function better in the morning received higher grades than those who preferred the evening [3]. Thats possibly because [8] morning risers are more likely to get to class on time or to forgo late-night partying. Researchers also suggest memory may improve
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Why You're Not a Morning Person (and How to Become One)

during sleep, so getting to bed earlier in preparation for a morning alarm could help those exam notes soak in. Being a morning person may actually be good for our health, too. When UK researchers [9]questioned adults about their sleep habits, they found people who stay under the covers on the weekdays until 9 AM are more likely to be stressed, overweight, and depressed than those who get up at 7 AM. Another study found teenagers who went to bed and woke up late were less inclined to hit the gym and more likely to be overweight than those who went to bed and woke up early [4]. Talk about waking up on the wrong side of the bed. (Again, remember its not clear that waking up early causes stress, depression, or weight gain.)

Good Day Sunshine: Your Action Plan


Night owls arent totally out of luck. One study found evening lovers are more productive than morning people are at night [5]. Still, being a morning person may be more advantageous [10] for most peoples work schedules and routines, since the workday typically starts around [11]9 AM and the office is (usually!) not open at midnight. Regardless of the situation, there are ways to reset the body clock [12] and happily greet the day: Get enough sleep. It may seem obvious, but getting those recommended seven to nine hours [13] will make getting up earlier easier. Pro tip? Keep the laptop and other work out of the bed [14]to sleep soundly. Stay consistent. Try to set the alarm clock for the same time [15] every morningincluding weekends. A constant wakeup call may make it progressively easier to jump out of bed. Start slowly. Pick a new wakeup time and gradually work towards it. Want to wake up at 7 AM but stuck at 8? Start by setting the clock for 7:45, and move down in 15-minute increments until that new time goal is reached. Skip the snooze. Disrupting sleep an hour or so before actually getting out of bed may disturb our REM cycle [16], which helps stimulate brain regions linked to cognition. Dont want to mess with that (or bug a roommate with
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Why You're Not a Morning Person (and How to Become One)

multiple alarms!). Set one alarm for when its time to riseand maybe another a few minutes later in case you snooze through. Set some happy sounds. Skip the beeps and blares and set an alarm tone to something soothing or fun. Need an idea? Here are 10 [17]. Let in the light. Research shows a little light [18] may be all we need to reset the body block [6]. A simple solution is to keep the blinds open during the night. Or greet the day and brush your teeth outside! Eat breakfast. Sleepiness doesnt disappear just from drinking a cup of coffee [19]. Having enough time for some green eggs and ham (or maybe just a yogurt parfait [20]) will also provide energy [21], not to mention itll boost that brainpower [22], too. Hit the gym. Those tired eyes may go away once a morning workout routine
[23] is in order. Exercise will definitely boost energygive these early-bird

exercises [24] a try. [7] Treat yoself. Have a reward waiting in the a.m. to motivate climbing out of the covers. Dive into some freshly baked fruit and nut bars [25], or slide into a warm bath instead of taking a quick shower. J.F.D.I. Sometimes we need to bite the bullet and just fing do it [26]." Researchers have found that creativity may flourish [27] when we feel groggy, so dont let a little drowsiness interrupt seizing the day! Hey, Sleepyhead! How To Be a Morning Person [28] | Greatist Laura is the Growth Director at Greatist, and when she's not hanging at HQ with my best buds (aka co-workers) you can find her training for marathons, writing, or searching for the perfect bloody mary. She has an odd obsession with mountains, and is passionate about helping others become happier and healthier. Image remixed from Igor Kovalchuk [29].
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Why You're Not a Morning Person (and How to Become One)

Want to see your work on Lifehacker? Email Tessa [30].

1. http://lifehacker.com/why-youre-not-a-morning-person-and-how-to-become-one514388263 2. http://www.inc.com/news/articles/2010/07/research-says-morning-people-are-moreproactive.html 3. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090623150621.htm 4. http://www.gallup.com/poll/101866/majority-americans-personal-best-morning.aspx 5. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1559-1816.2009.00549.x/abstract 6. http://hbr.org/2010/07/defend-your-research-the-early-bird-really-does-get-theworm/ar/1 7. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080609071331.htm 8. http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/news/20080609/early-birds-get-better-grades 9. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/8763618/Early-risers-get-ahead-of-thegame.html 10. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/04/090423-night-owls-brains.html 11. http://www.bls.gov/tus/charts/chart17.txt 12. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/18/so-you-think-you-can-be-a-morning-person/ 13. http://www.sleepfoundation.org/article/how-sleep-works/how-much-sleep-do-we-reallyneed 14. http://greatist.com/happiness/is-it-ok-to-work-in-bed/ 15. http://www.stanford.edu/group/bbeam/sleep.html 16. http://www.citytv.com/toronto/citynews/life/health/article/3068--why-you-shouldn-thit-your-snooze-alarm 17. http://www.ineedmotivation.com/blog/2008/04/10-cool-unique-songs-to-wake-up-to/ 18. http://www.ccjm.org/content/78/10/675.long 19. http://greatist.com/health/how-much-is-too-much-caffeine/ 20. http://greatist.com/health/greek-yogurt/ 21. http://www.menshealth.com/jumpstartyourday/3-reasons-you-need-breakfast.php
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Why You're Not a Morning Person (and How to Become One)

22. http://www.prevention.com/food/healthy-eating-tips/breakfasts-jump-start-your-brain 23. http://greatist.com/happiness/learn-to-love-morning-workouts-032412/ 24. http://lifehacker.com/385021/boost-your-energy-this-morning-with-simple-exercises 25. http://greatist.com/health/recipe-fruit-and-nut-bars-041312/ 26. http://justfuckingdoit.com/ 27. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=sleepy-brains-think-freely 28. http://greatist.com/happiness/hey-sleepyhead-how-be-morning-person 29. http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-39425680/stock-photo-lazy-owl.html? src=B7y_4B7eLzoDSBzpARGfng-1-81 30. https://mail.google.com/mail/?view=cm&fs=1&tf=1&to=tessa@lifehacker.com

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