Morning habits to lose weight

6. Squeeze in Some Exercise

Getting in some physical activity first thing in the morning can help boost weight loss.

One study in 50 overweight women measured the effects of aerobic exercise at different times of the day.

While there was not much difference noted in specific food cravings between those who exercised in the morning versus the afternoon, working out in the morning was associated with a higher level of satiety (16).

Exercising in the morning may also help keep blood sugar levels steady throughout the day. Low blood sugar can result in many negative symptoms, including excessive hunger.

One study in 35 people with type 1 diabetes showed that working out in the morning was associated with improved blood sugar control (17).

However, these studies focused on very specific populations and show an association, rather than causation. More research on the effects of morning exercise in the general population is needed.

SUMMARYSome studies have found that exercising in the morning may be associated with increased satiety and improved blood sugar control.

7. Pack Your Lunch

Making the effort to plan and pack your lunch ahead of time can be a simple way to make better food choices and increase weight loss.

A large study including 40,554 people found that meal planning was associated with better diet quality, more diet variety and a lower risk of obesity (18).

Another study found that eating home-cooked meals more frequently was associated with improved diet quality and a decreased risk of excess body fat.

In fact, those who ate home-cooked meals at least five times per week were 28% less likely to be overweight than those who only ate home-cooked meals three times or less per week (19).

Try setting aside a few hours one night a week to plan and prepare your meals so that in the morning you can just grab your lunch and go.

SUMMARYStudies show that meal planning and eating home-cooked meals are associated with improved diet quality and a lower risk of obesity.

8. Sleep Longer

Going to bed a bit earlier or setting your alarm clock later to squeeze in some extra sleep may help increase weight loss.

Several studies have found that sleep deprivation may be associated with an increased appetite (20, 21).

One small study found that sleep restriction increased hunger and cravings, especially for high-carb, high-calorie foods (22).

Lack of sleep has also been linked to an increase in calorie intake.

In one study, 12 participants consumed an average of 559 more calories after getting just four hours of sleep, compared to when they got a full eight hours (23).

Establishing a healthy sleep schedule is a critical component of weight loss, along with eating well and exercising. To maximize your results, aim for at least eight hours of sleep per night.

SUMMARYStudies show that sleep deprivation may increase appetite and cravings, as well as calorie intake.

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Morning routine

It can be downright painful to drag yourself out of bed at an hour earlier than you are used to waking. Sometimes it is simply necessary to wake and get up early, however. What are the best ways to do so? Discover how to accomplish this with simple changes—such as alarm clocks, morning sunlight, and caffeine—that you can implement immediately for lasting benefits.

Changing Your Wake Time May Depend on the Purpose

Consider whether you need to wake up early once, such as to catch an early flight, or if you are adapting to a new schedule that shall persist.

This will help determine what solutions or techniques should be considered to help you. It may also be helpful to reflect on what your relationship to your alarm clock says about your personality. Difficulty waking may suggest underlying problems with the amount or quality of sleep.

Making Long-Term Changes to the Timing of Sleep

If possible, especially if this is a long-term adjustment to your sleep schedule, try to make changes gradually. For children or adolescents getting ready to resume school as the summer draws to a close, it is much easier to plan ahead and start waking earlier in the week or two before the first day back.

Begin by setting an alarm in the morning that is close to your current, natural wake time. Then, day by day, move the wake time earlier by 15 minutes. This could be adjusted as quickly as necessary or as slowly as comfortable. As a general rule, it takes 1 day to adjust to every 1-hour change in the timing of sleep (such as with jet lag).

The wake time may be comfortably moved earlier every few days, for example.

Try to keep a regular bedtime and go to bed when feeling sleepy to avoid insomnia. It will not be helpful to crawl into bed early without feeling sleepy: it will just take longer to fall asleep. This desire for sleep will gradually shift earlier in increments, too.

Listen to your body, spend time relaxing in the hour before your bedtime, and go to bed when you naturally feel sleepy. These incremental adjustments may help you to fall asleep and wake up more easily.

To optimize your sleep, maintain a regular sleep schedule (with consistent bedtimes and wake times) even on weekends or days off. To reinforce the wake time, get 15 to 30 minutes of morning sunlight upon awakening. If possible, roll out of bed, throw on clothes, and immediately go outside. Do not wear sunglasses or a hat; let the light hit you in the face (especially your eyes). The fresh air will wake you and the light will help to align your circadian rhythm and sleep pattern. If necessary due to where you live, consider the use of a specialized light box. Getting morning light exposure can be especially helpful for night owls with delayed sleep phase syndrome.

How to Wake and Get Up Early With Simple Solutions

Beyond making gradual adjustments and reinforcing the circadian rhythm with light exposure, there can be other simple solutions that may prove helpful to wake and get up early. Consider these potential options:

• Set a loud, obnoxious alarm that is disruptive to your sleep.
• Put the alarm clock across the room so that you physically have to get up to turn it off. Don’t go back to bed once you are up.

• Consider setting multiple alarms on different devices (alarm clock, phone, etc.).
• Set the alarm as late as possible so that you don’t have an option to hit snooze, but have to get up immediately—or be late.
• Recruit others to help you wake up, such as members of the household who may already be awake or someone who can call you until you are up.
• Once out of bed, immediately go to the shower.
• Morning exercise or getting outside may also help to keep you awake.
• Consuming caffeine may clear morning sleepiness until you naturally start to wake.
• Avoid the use of sleeping pills as these may cause morning hangover effects.

Once you are awake and out of bed, you may still have a desire to return to sleep due to sleep inertia. This may be profound if you are waking significantly earlier than your usual wake time. It may feel like the middle of the night, and you may just want to crawl right back into bed. If this persists, you may consider reasons that your sleep is not as restful as it should be.

Make certain that you get enough hours of sleep to feel rested. Sleep needs vary, but most adults need 7 to 9 hours of sleep. As we get older, beyond the age of 65, the average sleep need may decrease slightly to 7 to 8 hours. If you don’t get enough sleep at night, it will be more difficult to wake up.

Treating sleep disorders may also be necessary to make it possible to wake and get up early feeling rested. Insomnia may insidiously undermine sleep, reducing the total amount and compromising the quality. Restless legs syndrome (RLS) may make it hard to fall asleep. Obstructive sleep apnea may also fragment sleep, leading to excessive daytime sleepiness and other symptoms. If one of these conditions is present, testing and treatment may be necessary to resolve difficult waking.

In some cases, morning sleepiness may require further treatment. When it is due to a sleep disorder (sleep apnea, narcolepsy, or shift work sleep disorder) and interferes with daytime function, prescription stimulant medications may be used. These medicines may include modafinil (Provigil), armodafinil (Nugivil), or others such as methylphenidate (Ritalin). Speak with a board-certified sleep medicine physician if you feel like you are struggling more than you should be.

A Word From Verywell

As you adopt these changes to wake and get up early, initially have a fallback plan. Don’t just start by setting one alarm 2 hours before you naturally wake up and expect to jump out of bed refreshed; it may not go well.

Consider ways to adjust gradually and use the recommendations above to help reinforce this change. Get help from others, including a sleep doctor if needed, to keep you on the right path. It can also be helpful to acknowledge that with determination and grit you can do it. Don’t allow yourself to go back to bed. The first few days will be the most difficult, but it will get easier.

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Waking up feeling rested

Get a good night's sleep

Stanton j Stephens/Getty Images

As anyone can attest, it is easiest to get up after a good night's sleep. The desire to go back to sleep (which is called sleep inertia) will be greatly diminished if you get enough rest. Average adults need eight hours of sleep, but the amount you need may vary - and your sleep needs can be easily determined. It is also helpful to follow general guidelines for better sleep.

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Caffeine

 Caffeine like coffee or tea can help to wake up even the sleepiest person in the morning. Getty Images

Millions of us start our day with a caffeinated beverage and this is indeed an excellent way to wake up. Whether enjoyed as coffee, tea, hot chocolate, soda pop, or even an energy drink, a jolt of caffeine can have useful alerting properties. Caffeine blocks the chemical adenosine which makes us feel sleepy. Although there may be some adverse effects from the use of caffeine, these are relatively benign. Due to its short half-life, most of the impacts will fade within 5 to 6 hours.

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Alarm clock

 An alarm clock can help to wake you up in the morning. Getty Images

Even from the deepest stages of sleep, an alarm clock will pull you back to consciousness. As part of better sleep guidelines, it may be recommended that you not use an alarm clock. For  many people, alarm clocks lead to sleep deprivation. However, as most of us have morning obligations (and we may not wake up on time otherwise) the alarm clock becomes a necessary part of our daily routines.

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Light exposure

 Light exposure in the morning can help to wake you up. Getty Images

Although it can be difficult depending on the time of the year and your location, exposure to morning light can have beneficial effects on promoting wakefulness. Our bodies follow a natural circadian rhythm and light has the strongest effect on this biological clock. It is best to enjoy indirect light rather than staring directly into the sun. The use of light boxes and phototherapy can mimic these favorable effects.

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Prescription stimulants

 Prescription medications like stimulants can help to wake you up if you have a sleep disorder like narcolepsy. Getty Images

In individuals with extreme, debilitating excessive daytime sleepiness the use of prescription stimulant medications may be necessary to awaken and function throughout the day. The excessive sleepiness in sleep disorders such as narcolepsy or severe sleep apnea may be treated with these stimulants. Stimulants may also be used in night shift workers. These options include Ritalin, Provigil, and Nuvigil and may be useful in exceptional circumstances.

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Maintain a regular sleep schedule

 A regular sleep schedule may make it easier to wake up in the morning. Getty Images

Our bodies prefer to follow regular patterns and our behavior can reinforce these natural circadian rhythms. By going to bed and getting up at the same time every day we can reinforce our desire to sleep. For those with circadian rhythm sleep disorders, this can be more difficult. However, if you get up at the same time every day - including weekends - this will become easier to do.

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Treat your sleep disorders

 Treating sleep disorders like sleep apnea or delayed sleep phase syndrome may help you to wake up more easily. Herbert Gehr / Getty Images

If you suffer from one of the various sleep disorders, this may adversely affect your ability to get up in the morning. This may occur if you have excessive sleepiness from a restless night such as may occur with insomniaor sleep apnea. Alternatively, if you have a circadian rhythm sleep disordersuch as delayed sleep phase syndrome, there may be a desire to go to bed late and sleep in. For these night owls, this will likewise have negative consequences. By seeking appropriate evaluation and treatment of any underlying sleep disorder, you may find it easier to awaken in the morning.

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Exercise and be active

 Regular exercise and being active in the morning may help you to wake up. Getty Images

If you have trouble clearing sleep from your mind and jump-starting your day, you may want to be active first thing in the morning. Scheduling a short period of exercise upon awakening will alert your body and mind. Try to get outside and get some fresh air. You will feel better throughout the day and you may even sleep better at night.

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Eat breakfast

 Eating breakfast in the morning may help to wake you up. Getty Images

It seems like simple advice, but having breakfast is a great way to wake yourself up. Even a small morning meal can give you a burst of energy to get your day going. If you include a serving of caffeine, you may get even more benefit from breakfasting. There is good evidence that food can wake us up.

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Wake up on your own

 Naturally waking once you have had enough sleep may help you to wake up more easily. Getty Images

The best way to wake up in the morning is perhaps the hardest: allow yourself to wake on your own. This requires an adequate night's rest (without sleep deprivation). Ideally we would figure out how much sleep we need and arrange our schedules to allow for this regularly each night. This may require a luxury of time that many of us may not have, however it's best if you can manage to accomplish it.

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