How to Become An Early Riser

Become An Early Riser

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If you're a night owl, you know what it's like to wake up at ten o'clock, eleven o'clock or even noon. But many night owls want to join the rest of the morning larks, especially since early rising can lead to greater productivity. Fortunately, it's relatively easy to reset your internal clock and become an early riser.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

Alarm clock

Step1

Start a nighttime ritual. For many night owls, it helps to simply create a soothing nighttime ritual. Try sipping a cup of herbal tea, reading a book or taking a hot bath.

Step2

Decide what time you'd like to rise. Choose a morning time when, ideally, you'd like to wake up.

Step3

Set your alarm. This is an absolutely vital step, since relying on your internal clock will probably cause you to sleep late (as usual). Set your alarm clock for the time you'd like to rise in the morning.

Step4

Hide your alarm. If you usually hit the snooze button repeatedly in the morning, hide your alarm clock in a place that requires you to get out of bed to turn it off. Try hiding it under a pile of clothes or inside an (open) closet.

Step5

Create a good sleeping environment. Your bedroom should be a comfortable temperature, and it also needs to be dark. Use room darkening shades if exterior light tends to shine through your windows.

Step6

Go to bed about 8 hours before you'd like to wake up. You may not feel drowsy, but it's important to establish a routine. Go to bed about 8 hours before you want to arise.

Step7

Do an activity when the alarm sounds. To prevent yourself from returning to bed after you turn off your alarm, immediately engage in another activity. Try heading straight to the bathroom or kitchen instead.

Step8

Repeat these steps. You may need to repeat these steps for quite a while--even weeks--before your internal clock resets itself.

Tips & Warnings

Some people need more or less sleep than others. Use the amount of sleep that you need to determine your bedtime. For example, if you need 9 hours of sleep to feel rested, subtract 9 hours from your rising time to determine the appropriate bedtime.
Don't get discouraged. You may find yourself sometimes returning to bed after your alarm awakens you. Repeating these steps each night will help your body adjust to your new waking schedule.