5 Reasons You Struggle to Wake Up in the Morning
If you’ve been trying to get up earlier in the morning and it doesn’t seem to be getting easier, it’s probably because you haven’t given yourself enough time to adjust yet, OR maybe it’s one or more of these 5 reasons.
And if you’re just starting your journey and want to start waking up earlier regularly, this blog is also for you because it can help you know what to expect. It’s not easy to change our habits, especially when it comes to sleep which is one of the most important and time-consuming parts of our lives.
Let’s talk about why you may struggle to get up in the morning…
Yesterday’s Emotional Influence
Sleep Deprivation
Preparing is Caring
Circadian Rhythm Disruption
Where’s My Joy?
Numero uno - How today’s emotions can affect my sleep and my tomorrow
Have you ever gone to bed but you couldn’t sleep or figure out why? You couldn’t put a finger on it but you couldn’t help but think about that stressor in your life, or some rational or irrational anxiety you felt during the day, or maybe you felt really low and you couldn’t seem to shake it off.
We have all experienced anxiety, stress, and depression at some point in our lives and we saw how that affected our mood, our sleep, and our overall health. And everyday we can run into those emotions yet again. However, if we are unable to process, digest, or understand them, they usually have a bigger impact on us than we realize.
When I go to bed at night with unprocessed emotions, especially anxiety or stress, it’s really difficult to go to sleep. So what can we do?
What has helped me the most in my journey is probably yin yoga, but that’s not the only tool I’ve implemented. It’s just the most effective one for me because I function at 120% and don’t slow down until I have to. And yin yoga is basically a series of different stretches that you hold for 2-7 minutes each and the majority of these stretches are seated or lying down. (See this video for an example)
This is very effective for me because it “forces” me to stay still, be calm, relax into the stretch, and makes room for me to be alone with my emotions and my thoughts. And yet, my goal-loving personality still has an objective which is gaining more flexibility. I know this can be a huge obstacle for go-getters because you don’t want to feel like you are “wasting” your time. And because the mind and body are intimately connected, as certain pain points or tense areas in my body begin to relax and tension release, I often realize why I am feeling a certain way or I’m able to make connections between things that happened during the day and why I feel upset, sad, frustrated, or any number of emotions.
That is the true power of yin yoga because it allows you to holistically unwind from your day, finding peace of mind and body. Which will then make it so much easier for you to go to sleep, have a good night’s sleep, and wake up feeling refreshed even if it is earlier than usual!
Other excellent methods for processing emotions and unwinding from my day include:
singing, painting, playing an instrument, or anything where your creative side comes to life,
journaling (even if it’s incoherent sentences where you just write whatever comes to mind with no judgment),
prayer, meditation, or anything that brings you a spiritual connection which is to your soul what breathing is to your body, and
taking a walk at sunset by yourself or with a loved one where you can talk about your day together (which is linked to #4).
Numéro deux - When Netflix/Insta take up precious time your brain needs to reboot
This is obviously related to #1 and seems obvious, but not getting enough sleep during the night makes it that much harder to wake up in the morning. It doesn’t mean you can’t do it because I have done it, but your morning and the rest of your day will be nothing like a day when you’ve had a rejuvenating sleep cycle.
When I first started trying to get up earlier in the morning, the STRUGGLE was REAL. And I quickly realized that it was because I was only setting my morning alarm back and not my bedtime as well. I was getting less sleep. So while I was struggling to stay awake after somehow managing to get up and do some kind of morning routine, I wasn’t enjoying it like I had on other days when I had been in bed earlier for some reason.
Once I changed my bedtime and tricked myself into getting into bed earlier (taking my shower an hour earlier which is something I do immediately before getting in my pjs and into bed), I was able to wake up easier and enjoy my morning fully. And I didn’t have any energy crashes at work during the day!
It takes practice, but being mindful of what you are doing an hour or two before bed is really important. Scrolling through social media, watching a movie, or playing games on a screen is not conducive to a good night’s sleep and I know this isn’t news to ya’ll but it’s a good reminder. But I want to not only leave that reminder with you, I want to challenge you to mindfulness tonight. Be aware of what you’re doing before bed and maybe “accidentally” hit that power button all of a sudden and get up and do something that relaxes you. Experiment with it and see what works for you!
Number three - Preparing yourself beforehand is caring about your commitment
There are many couples who go through a “marriage preparation” which is kind of like couple’s counseling where you talk about what your common goals are, look at each other’s family trees, answer important questions, address possible concerns, and much much more. It’s taking your upcoming commitment seriously because you want to prepare for it and make sure you are on the same page.
My husband and I did this and we are really glad we did because although there were things we didn’t realize about ourselves at the time, it still helped us immensely to see the bigger picture and envision the future together. And also see the other person’s perspective.
I invite you to bring that same preparatory energy to your commitment to creating your perfect morning routine. Take note of your potential weak points, struggles, or obstacles and prepare for them. For example, if deciding what to wear in the morning is too bothersome and you don’t like doing it right before you start your routine, pick out your outfit the night before. Make it part of your evening routine. Put water in your coffee maker or tea kettle the night before. Choose your music playlist, yoga class, or exercise routine the night before.
This will not only free up your mind in the morning to really enjoy and be present, but it will also gain you precious minutes to stay a bit longer in your favorite activity. Come prepared.
Numero quattro - Your weekends are killing your inner clock
But weekends are for sleeping in! I know, I know. I totally resisted this too in the beginning. And I think this could be arguable depending upon how much sleep you are getting during the week. But let’s say you are getting a good 8 hours of sleep every night during the week and then on the weekend you decide to sleep in because you’ve been getting up super early every day and you deserve it, don’t you?
Well, yes. You definitely deserve it. But does that mean you should do it? I would venture to say no because of a little thing called your circadian rhythm. This is your body’s clock which tells it what time to wake up and when to get sleepy. And if you are sleeping in for two days every five days, your body is not going to be able to stay regular. It’s going to be very confused and you are going to continue to struggle.
This is why children wake up at the same time on weekends as they do on weekdays! And yes, it’s annoying but that’s literally how we are wired so good luck fighting nature!
The quicker you adjust to your natural body functions, the easier it will be for you to get up in the morning. So next weekend instead of sleeping in til 10, maybe reward yourself with an extra 5 minutes instead? And usually you’ll find you enjoy waking up on the weekends and having your morning routine or even adjusting it to be even longer than on the weekdays!
Numéro cinq - Find your joy and it’s easy peasy, lemon squeezy
The last reason you may be struggling to wake up is that you haven’t yet experienced those moments of joy that make it all worth it. You are still in the trial and error phase and maybe you don’t see the point yet other than you having more time to think in the morning.
But I would encourage you to keep going. Keep trying. Experiment with new activities in the morning. Try something different. Mix and match. Bring variety into your routine and at some point, I promise you, there will be a lightbulb moment and you will see. You will understand what it’s all about.
Find what brings you joy and your mornings will be transformed along with your life.
Wishing you a beautiful and joyful morning!
<3 Caroline
