How do you feel when you wake up? The reason why I am asking you this question is that I hear a lot of people saying that they wake up feeling tired every day. Sure, I have those days too sometimes, but most of the time I feel amazing when I wake up. Today I give you my tips on how to wake up feeling refreshed and energetic. Because, yes there are habits you can change, that will improve your sleep quality and everyone deserves a good night of sleep.
How to wake up feeling refreshed and energetic
No screens before bedtime
Yes, I am sorry that I am the one who is telling you to turn off all of your screens. That means not watching Tiktok videos before going to bed, not watching one more episode of that Netflix series and it also means not playing games. The blue screens can mess up your sleep quality. I notice when I watch TV in the evening, that my sleep quality is worse and I wake up feeling tired. But if I do something else instead, I wake up feeling so good. You can always try it right? Try it for a couple of nights and see notice how you feel in the morning.
Read a book
But if you can’t watch your favourite series before bed? What can you do instead of watching TikTok videos? Well, there are a lot of things you can do. As long, as it is relaxing for you. Everyone is different, everyone has different hobbies and maybe the same thing won’t work for anyone. For me, reading helps a lot. It helps me to relax my mind, I stop thinking, and I slowly fall asleep. I sleep amazingly when I read before going to bed. I mostly read romance though. I am not sure if I would be able to fall asleep if I would read a horror story about clowns before bed.
No eating in the last one or two hours before going to bed
Everyone loves late-night snacking, but food gives you energy. And you don’t need the energy to fall asleep. Sure, if you are really hungry then eat something. I would not recommend starving yourself. But if it is just emotional eating and you are not really hungry, then do it. You should definitely avoid sugar in the evening because that messes up everything. First, you will have a lot of energy and suddenly you get that sugar crash. You would think it would get easier to fall asleep when you are in a sugar crash, but it can also affect your sleep quality. It is better for your blood sugar, to avoid food with a lot of sugar in it. It has also been proven that when you go from a junk food diet to a healthy diet (containing lots of fruit and veggies), you will also sleep better.
Go outside during the day
Exposure to natural light is good for your body, it knows then it is daytime and you need energy. If you stay in the basement all day long with no lights, your body might think it is night time and you start to feel tired. You will get more energy during the day and as soon it gets darker, your body will get ready for a good night of sleep.
Go to bed at the same time every day
This might be challenging for some people. There are people who work day and night shifts. Then it is not possible to go to bed at the same time. When you are able to go to bed at the same time every day, then do it. Yes even on the weekends. If you go to bed at 10:30 every day, your body eventually knows when it is time to go to bed. So if you want to party on Saturday night, make sure you start early. I did not care about my sleep at all when I was younger. But I am now older and wiser and I realize now how important sleep is. If I don’t get enough sleep, I feel tired and irritated the next day. I prefer to have a great day, so I gave up a few things (going to bed whenever I want, no screens at night) so I could feel amazing.
Magnesium
Maybe you are not getting enough magnesium. Magnesium helps you to relax. It is possible you need more magnesium if you are constantly craving chocolate. There is magnesium in chocolate, yes but that does not mean you have to eat a whole bar. You can also get magnesium from green leafy vegetables. Or if you want you can also take an extra supplement. Of course, you always ask your doctor for more information if you want to take pills. But it is always healthier and better to get it from food.
Meditation/Relaxation
If you are overthinking, you might notice you many thoughts you get at night. Not great when you want to sleep. Try to find a way to calm yourself down. It does not matter how you do this. Find out what works best for you. One of the things you can do is meditation. Meditation is pretty simple. You sit or lie down and you focus on your breathing, If you get thoughts, notice it and just let them go. Of course, if you are an overthinker and you are new to meditation, you need to practise a lot. The good news is that meditation has a lot of great benefits and is not just for sleeping better. It is good for your mental health, but also your physical health.
What are your tips for waking up feeling refreshed and energetic?
Photo by Vin Jack on Unsplash