Have you ever woken up in the morning feeling tired and with a major headache even after getting a good night’s rest?
Well don’t worry because you’re not alone. Trust me when I say, it’s actually easy to make changes to your morning routine that’ll leave you feeling energized and fresh for the whole day.
Doing something as small as drinking a glass of water after waking up can really make a difference in your day and overall health. The reason for that lies in psychological hormones that impact your body from the second you wake up.
The importance of morning habits
As it’s understood, your morning is the foundation of your entire day. This means what you do plays a huge role in how the rest of your day will look. Even just the first hour of your morning can affect not only your energy and productivity, but also your mental health.
Scientifically, it’s been shown that individuals with morning routines that contain healthy habits tend to experience lower levels of stress. They are able to maintain a good mood all day.
Imagine it like this: You wake up to your 8 A.M. alarm, hit snooze four times, and when you finally get up, you go through your phone for another 25 minutes. By doing this, you’ve started your day off sluggishly. The first thing you looked at was an external stimulus.
Now think about it like this: You wake up immediately to your alarm and use the first 15 minutes after waking up for yourself, to hydrate and stretch. This time, you’ve set a strong tone for your day by creating a sense of purpose and control. This makes your day feel meaningful.
The psychology behind it all
Your morning habits are particularly significant due to the psychological hormones at play. Cortisol is the major hormone in this case. This hormone is produced by the adrenal glands and is responsible for regulating the body’s stress levels, controlling blood sugar, and maintaining energy levels.
Upon waking up, cortisol levels naturally spike. This is known as the cortisol awakening response. This hike in cortisol takes place between 30 and 45 minutes after waking up. Thus, this period is the best time to incorporate healthy habits.
Thinking about the earlier morning routine scenarios, going through your phone during your cortisol rise sets your body up to think that energy levels will be low. Meanwhile, doing a stretching routine will have your body prepared. It will maintain the energy you just put in and keep you feeling so.
These small choices you make in the morning have a greater effect than you realize. As such, it’s important to be aware of habits that’ll work with your body’s natural patterns, rather than against them.
5 examples of healthy morning habits
Now that you’ve realized the difference your habits can make, let me give you some ideas for you to consider.
1) Drink a glass of water
While sleeping, your body loses a lot of fluids through breathing and sweating, leaving you dehydrated when you wake up. Dehydration is a major issue on its own, leading to brain fog and fatigue.
Drinking water as the first thing you do when you wake up helps rehydrate your body, clear out any toxins, and improve your metabolism. If you want something more refreshing, adding a lemon slice or lemon juice will add extra vitamin C to boost immune support and add antioxidants.
A great way to keep yourself accountable to this tip is to keep a water bottle on your nightstand or anywhere closely accessible. In this way, you’re reminded after waking up.
2) Incorporate Movement
Getting any form of movement in the morning is perfect for stretching out your muscles and body after a full night’s rest. If you aren’t able to hit the gym and get a full workout, don’t stress too much. Simply doing a few stretches, or even yoga, will help boost your blood flow and improve mental clarity.
If you’re interested in learning more about why this is the case, movement releases endorphins in your body. These are naturally produced mood boosters that help with stress control by reducing cortisol levels.
Here are a few simple stretches you can consider for your stretch routine: Neck rolls, spinal twists, lunges, and shoulder shrugs.
3) Delay your caffeine intake
To get the best use out of your caffeinated beverage of choice, you should drink it roughly 30 to 45 minutes after waking up. By this point, your cortisol levels are starting to drop, and the caffeine will help increase them back up.
Drinking coffee or an energy drink as soon as you wake up will interfere with your body’s natural awakening effect from cortisol. The main issue with this is that your body will eventually start relying on caffeine for energy. It has been used to expecting it in the morning, leaving you with a dependence on it.
Having a glass of water, as previously mentioned, or even a snack or breakfast before caffeine, will help you avoid this sort of addiction and reliance.
4) Utilize calming practices
Another morning activity to consider is mindfulness and calming practices, such as journaling, meditating, or even simply jotting down words of affirmation. Making notes of what activities or things you need to get done for the day is also another good technique to help you feel prepared and active.
Spending time in the morning doing these practices helps your mind shift from stress to positivity. It sets your day with an intentional tone.
If you’re not completely sure where to start with any of these, try this simple breathing exercise: Inhale through your nose for four counts, hold for four counts, and then release for four counts. Repeat this cycle three times.
5. Eat a balanced breakfast
Many people consider breakfast to be the most important meal of the day, and this is definitely an earned title. How you fuel yourself in the morning can really dictate how your energy levels are maintained throughout the day.
Although it’s common for many to skip breakfast, it’s absolutely not ideal, as you’ll feel tired just a few hours later. This will lead to low energy and productivity.
Instead, try to have a full, balanced meal, incorporating protein, fats, and fiber. Examples of these would be avocado toast with egg or a Greek yoghurt bowl with berries and protein granola.
Small habits, big impact
At the end of the day, you don’t need to have a huge, complex morning routine. It’s all about incorporating a few intentional habits, whether it’s journaling or delaying your morning coffee.
Start small, choose one or two habits listed above, try it out, and then consider a few more. While these habits seem small or ineffective, you’re slowly training your body to maintain its energy and well-being.
