Unlock the Secret to Effortlessly Waking Up Early — Even if You’re a Night Owl

Science-backed strategies to train your brain to wake up early and make the most of your day.

Waking up early is hard.

Even for those people who say it’s easy, I think it’s actually hard for them too. Especially when it’s dark outside, we’re sleep-deprived, and life is crazy and it’s so much nicer to stay huddled under the covers.

Unfortunately, this is not how we achieve great things. Of course, you could do things later on in the day, but I think it’s pretty well established that the most successful people in the world wake up early and get work done.

I wrote an article about waking up early about a year ago, and received a lot of negative feedback. People don’t want to wake up early. And people were angry that I was suggesting such a thing. You can read it here:

Fortunately, we can make this easier on ourselves. Here are 3 ways you can make waking up early easier.

“What sets highly actualized people apart from those who never live inspired lives is that they do those things that less developed people don’t like doing — even though they might not like doing them either.” — Robin Sharma

1. The 3-Step Strategy: Hydrate, Light, Movement

These 3 things are crucial to include in your morning, especially if you’re wanting to make waking up easier.

Hydration is vital for optimal functioning, and light and movement are our greatest circadian cues.

Hydrate

Without enough water, our bodies won’t be able to effectively execute everything else we need them to. Dehydration is not good for us, and is definitely not a productive way to start the day. During the night you sweat and breathe, and lose a surprisingly large amount of fluid. Drinking water as soon as you wake up will rehydrate the body and will aid your body in starting to flush toxins out.

So as soon as you wake up, drink a large glass or a bottle of water.

Light

Then, get some bright light exposure. This is the best way to reset the circadian rhythm and optimize all the processes in your body, helping you feel awake and alert at the right time, and similarly helping you wind down at the right time in the evening.

Our eyes and our skin contain photoreceptors, which detect light and subsequently trigger waking activity in the body. This light suppresses the production of melatonin. This is how we start feeling alert and awake. Without light exposure, your melatonin levels may not decrease adequately, which can lead to the feelings of grogginess we have all felt.

Dr. Satchin Panda, a circadian expert, explains how this works:

“When you wake up, bright light is detected through the eyes’ blue light sensor, melanopsin, and when that happens, melanopsin tells the brain to stop producing the sleep hormone melatonin and start increasing production of the stress hormone cortisol, which will help you begin to feel alert and ready to start the day. Bright light in the morning also synchronizes your brain clock to the daytime so that your circadian rhythm and learning and memory will begin to rise and you’ll reach optimal productivity a few hours later.”

3 steps for success:

1. Get bright light exposure as soon as you wake up. Get outside, open your curtains, or turn on some bright lights.

2. Don’t wear sunglasses on the way to work. During our commute is when the average office worker gets the majority of their daylight exposure, and wearing sunglasses will block this.

3. Invest in a dawn simulator. This is a great way to get bright light exposure as soon as you wake up. This is an alarm clock that gradually gets brighter about half an hour before the alarm goes off, and simulates daylight, making it perfect for first thing in the morning. Even if it’s still dark outside, your body will think it’s daytime.

Movement

Moving in the morning is another powerful way to optimize your circadian rhythm, which will make waking up early much easier.

If you think about how our ancestors would have lived, you’ll understand why. We have evolved to wake up and move. Our ancestors did the majority of their movement during the morning and in the late afternoon, doing their hunting when the majority of animals were active, and so our circadian rhythms are improved when we live in alignment with this.

This doesn’t have to be time-consuming. It’s not a workout, it’s simply getting your body moving and your blood flowing, which will wake you up and leave you ready to get your work done. For me, this looks like 10 burpees while the kettle is boiling, and then if time permits, I will go for a 10–15 minute walk after I finish my coffee. You can also try out this 5-minute exercise routine or create your own.

It’s important to find something that is sustainable — something that you’ll do every day. Reduce the resistance as much as possible to reduce the likelihood of you skipping it.

Though movement may be the last thing you want to do when it’s early and you’re tired, you’ll feel much better and more alert afterward (morning exercise has been found to increase cognitive abilities as effectively as a cup of coffee), and you will even be priming yourself for better quality sleep the following night.

2. Do Something You Love First

This strategy alone is what gets me up in the morning.

I love coffee more than anyone I know. I’m obsessed. Not for the caffeine (I drink a lot of decaf), but for the taste. The process. The mindfulness of the whole thing.

I also love reading. Again, more than anyone I know.

Combine these two, and I’ll wake up at any time of the night. Last night I woke up at 11pm and I wished it was morning so I could get up and get started with my morning routine.

And this isn’t because this practice is novel to me. I’ve been doing this for years, and the excitement hasn’t worn off.

Find the one thing that makes you more excited than anything else, and see if you can incorporate it into your morning routine.

Maybe it’s watching a movie, or your favorite show. Maybe it’s yoga or the gym. Maybe it’s painting. Writing. Whatever. Find what you love and do it first. Even if it’s just for a few minutes.

3. Evening Power-Down Routine

I’m a huge fan of the evening power-down routine.

This will look different for everyone, and is highly adaptable to fit your needs and your life.

However, these are the 9 practices I advocate for including in this routine:

• Avoid food and drinks at least 3 hours before bed
• Avoid alcohol at least 90 minutes before bed
• Finish exercise at least 4 hours before bed
• Avoid screens 90 minutes before bed
• Avoid stimulation in the last hour before bed — stressful tasks, the news, non-fiction books
• Utilize scents such as lavender
• Have a hot shower or bath right before getting into bed
• Use red light bulbs to emulate a fire (the light exposure we used to have before the invention of the lightbulb)
• Supplement — magnesium, valerian root, L-theanine, adaptogens, functional mushrooms

Find which practices help you wind down and achieve good quality sleep, and create an evening routine.

This will help ensure you’re getting enough good-quality sleep, which makes waking up early infinitely easier.

Want to transform your health, one habit at a time?

Sign up for my free weekly newsletter, Momentum. Each week you’ll receive one new habit to try. I’ll explain why it’s important and how to make it easy. This newsletter will help you to create the momentum you need to move towards a healthier and happier future.