How Sleep Professionals Prepare for a Good Night's Sleep in the Morning
Get out of bed, open the blinds, and practice meditation. This is the morning. habits that sleep specialists adore.
Certainly, how you sleep at night has an impact on how you feel the next day. However, it's also true that your daily activities have an impact on how well you sleep at night.
According to Peter Polos, MD, PhD, a sleep medicine specialist at JFK University Medical Center in Edison, New Jersey, and a sleep expert with Sleep Number, "Your day routine directly effects the quality of sleep you're going to get at night."
Your nocturnal sleep can be affected by a variety of factors, including how much caffeine you consume, whether you exercise or are sedentary, your stress levels, and more. According to Dr. Polos, developing healthy daily routines that begin first thing in the morning can undoubtedly help you sleep better. Establishing a healthy morning routine can help you get more zzz's, just like you might have a pre-bedtime routine to support better sleep (it might involve doing something soothing and putting away your phone or computer at least an hour before bed).
According to clinical psychologist Michael Breus, PhD, of Manhattan Beach, California, and author of The Power of When: Discover Your Chronotype — and the Best Time to Eat Lunch, Ask for a Raise, Have Sex, Write a Novel, Take Your Medicine, and More, "You need to think about sleep from the moment you wake up."
Polos, Dr. Breus, and other sleep specialists follow these morning routines to get ready for a restful night's sleep:
Wake Up Every Day at the Same Time, Even on Weekends
Even on weekends, Breus gets up at the same hour every day. When you wake up, your brain receives a signal that the day has begun, which sets off a cycle that results in you feeling tired again 14 hours later. (This is because this cycle causes the release of the hormone melatonin, which promotes sleep.) If you wake up at 6 a.m. 11 a.m. on a Monday. You're basically going to be ready for bed much sooner on that Monday night than you are on that Sunday night because you're causing that cycle to be extremely different on the weekdays and weekends when you do it on a Sunday (which could mean an unpleasantly short night of sleep that Sunday when your sleep schedule is pushed back).
Leave your bed
Polos said, "The first thing I do when I get up is get out of bed." The bed should only be used for sleeping and having sex; if you spend too much time lounging around in it in the morning, your mind and body won't associate the bed with rest.
Avoid dragging your feet getting out of bed in the morning for better sleep at night.
Launch the Blinds
Polos claims that after getting out of bed, he allows the light in. He admits, "The next thing I do is open my shades." Why? Blue light is stimulating and alerts the brain that it is daytime, which is why you should put your phone and laptop away later in the day before going to bed. "Experiencing daylight first thing in the morning activates your mind to recognize it is time to be awake," says the author.
Meditate
Both Breus and Mark Iwanicki, ND, a certified acupuncturist and naturopathic physician at New York Center for Innovative Medicine in Huntington, begin their days with meditation. Iwanicki specializes in sleep medicine. According to Dr. Iwanicki, meditation is definitely her morning ritual of choice. There's no need for lengthy or difficult meditation techniques. He says he meditates for at least 15 minutes, focusing on a sound from his phone's collection of white noise, such a fan or a downpour.
Breus favors the Muse headband, which tracks some brain activity when you use it and offers many meditation techniques.
Take a breather
Breus claims he attends a Zoom call and participates in group breathwork. Iwanicki claims he uses a phone app to perform guided breathwork. He claims that he has found it to be very beneficial for controlling his mood throughout the day.
According to Breus, controlling your stress levels during the day can also help you control it (and keep it lower) in the evening as you prepare for bed.
Exercise
On most days, Polos exercises in the morning. He works out with weights and rowing for cardio three to four times a week, and swims once a week. His workouts typically last 45 to 60 minutes.
Numerous health benefits of exercise include encouraging deeper, better-quality sleep throughout the course of the night. However, it's crucial to note that activity, especially more intense activity, elevates your body's core body temperature since your heart rate and blood pressure increase, according to Polos. Therefore, exercising too soon before bed may make it harder for you to fall asleep.
For precisely this reason, Polos advises exercising in the morning rather than at night if you can fit it into your schedule. He does, however, add that how much different forms of exercise effect your ability to sleep also greatly varies on the individual. He suggests trying a low-impact exercise like yoga, stretching, or brisk walking to see if it has any effect on your sleep.
Power Up
Polos claims he always has breakfast. Within two hours of waking up, he chooses a nutritious lunch that typically consists of protein, some fat, and some carbohydrates. "I typically have a banana, yogurt, or some lightly buttered toast and water before doing out. Then I have breakfast when I get home, which could be cereal with milk, eggs, or oatmeal, along with fruit and coffee.
He continues, "The fuel we consume in the morning can significantly affect how we perform throughout the day. It not only gives you the glucose you need to increase your energy levels, but it also gives your body the nutrition it needs to get through the day and function at its best (including setting you up for good sleep at night).
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