How to Wake Up Early: 8 Tips for Waking Up Earlier and Faster

Some people are early birds and others are night owls, but as long as both types of people get enough sleep and wake up when they need to the next day, it’s a matter of preference. Take care of any sleep problems and tend to your mental health before trying to drastically alter your wake time in one direction or another. Additionally, learning to do so without drowsiness can prove to be a major boon to your health.

Your body’s internal clock (or circadian rhythm) might not align well with waking up early, leading to morning fatigue and drowsiness. You need a night of good sleep to reap the benefits of an early morning—and unless you go to bed early enough to get all the hours of sleep you need, you’ll inevitably deal with lower energy levels the next morning.

Give yourself some grace as you try to become a morning person. Try these eight tips to establish better sleep habits and wake up earlier as a result:

1. 1. Avoid electronic devices before bed. Keep away any electronics emitting blue light during your bedtime routine. Bright light like this convinces your body clock it’s still daytime, which can lead to a drop in sleep quality. If you’re trying to wake up earlier, remove your phone from your sleep environment earlier the evening before. By combatting this common poor sleep hygiene habit, you may fall asleep earlier and be less averse to an early wake-up call the next morning.
2. 2. Expose yourself to bright light early. Just as you should avoid bright light at night, you should actively seek it out as part of your morning routine. The earlier you expose yourself to bright light, the earlier your body’s circadian rhythm will start planning to wake you the next day. The more light in the morning and the less light at night, the better your quality of sleep may be.
3. 3. Gradually go to bed earlier. Avoid trying to shock your body into either waking up or going to bed exponentially earlier than you normally do. This can sap your motivation and lead to sleep deprivation. Instead, gradually move back your wake-up time to ease yourself into an earlier bedtime. There are multiple apps available to help you calibrate your body clock, although you can always do it on your own, too.
4. 4. Keep to a consistent sleep schedule. As tempting as it may be to hit snooze on your alarm clock when you can, it can negatively affect your body’s internal clock. Maintaining the same wake time every day allows you to fall asleep early enough the following night to repeat the process the next day.
5. 5. Make regular exercise a habit. Exercise sets a positive sleep foundation. When you tire your body out through physical exertion, sleepiness will set in sooner the following evening. Just make sure to avoid exercising too close to bed—this can actually wake you up and inhibit a good night’s sleep. Working out early in the morning serves the dual purpose of waking you faster and eventually tiring you out to fall asleep earlier, too.
6. 6. Refrain from eating right before bed. While hydration and a balanced diet are both essential to health and wellness, try to refrain from drinking or eating directly before bed. Remember that a glass of water right before you get into bed can mean a trip to the bathroom in the middle of the night that disrupts your sleep routine. Spicy foods especially can trigger acid reflux at night, so if you need to snack, opt for whole grains or milder foods in general.
7. 7. Talk to a healthcare professional. Sometimes, an underlying sleep disorder or medical condition might be the reason you find it difficult to get a restful night of sleep. You should address conditions like sleep apnea adequately before trying to adjust your sleep routine drastically in any direction.
8. 8. Try melatonin at night. Try an over-the-counter supplement to stimulate melatonin production as a temporary and quick fix. Just a few micrograms can help reestablish the necessary melatonin levels in your brain to get to bed earlier and wake sooner as a result. Still, relying too heavily on supplements like these can damage your sleep cycle.

If you need to jump-start your body early on a specific day, there are shorter-term fixes available. Try any of these three tips to see what works best for you:

1. 1. Consume caffeine. A cup of coffee or an energy drink can counteract the effects of sleep deprivation. While it might not get rid of all your tiredness, caffeine will stimulate you enough to get going. Try to avoid consuming coffee close to bedtime, though, as it might disrupt your sleep.
2. 2. Establish motivation. To stop yourself from hitting the snooze button, give yourself a reason to rise in the early morning. For instance, make your favorite breakfast every morning to encourage yourself to stick with your new sleep schedule.
3. 3. Shower as soon as you wake. Exposure to hot or cold water early will counteract your natural body temperature and wake you up fast. Hop in the shower as soon as you get out of bed if you can.

Saw some of the best darn logs of your life with a MasterClass Annual Membership and exclusive instructional videos from Dr. Matthew Walker, the author of Why We Sleep and the founder-director of the Center for Human Sleep Science at the University of California, Berkeley. Between Matthew’s tips for optimal snoozing and info on discovering your body’s ideal rhythms, you’ll be sleeping more deeply in no time.