For those people, whose day starts in the morning, it is extremely crucial to organise the time right after awakening in a proper way, so as, in the evening, you won’t have to regret wasting your time. No matter whether it is a weekend or you have to go to work in the morning, you should develop some useful habits for this part of the day and resign from doing some things which are decreasing your energy, focus and productivity. Let’s look at some of the bad morning habits and try to address these popular morning issues together!
Snoozing your alarm
One of the worst things many people do in the morning is snoozing their alarm clock several times. Do not think that this is only about the risk of being late to work. Of course, letting yourself to sleep five minutes more and then five minutes more and repeating it multiple times can stretch to eternity or finally make you forget about your alarm at all so you will drift into a deep sleep. This is actually quite possible, but were are concerned about another issue related to snoozing your alarm.
In fact, snoozing your alarm can increase the level of cortisol in your blood which is popularly known as a stress hormone. That is because with each alarm snoozing you allow your body to relax and switch to a sleeping mode and then you are abruptly pulling yourself out of this state again and again. In such a way, instead of a normal sleeping cycle, your body gets scattered fragments of sleeping which is definitely not a good idea.
In order to avoid an urge to snooze your alarm again, you should manage the time earmarked for sleeping more efficiently. Certainly, the best way is to give yourself a sufficient amount of night sleep, however, you know it well that sometimes it is rather difficult to get up even if you have recharged your energy properly. Then, if you are not able to start your day with the first signal of your alarm clock, set a new time for an alarm that will let you sleep longer, for example for 30 minutes more.
Start your day with a caffeinated drink
For millions of people around the world a morning cup of coffee is a real ritual. Those who really enjoy drinking coffee, usually consider this drink to be their fuel needed so badly for starting the day. Yet, many scientists recommend us to resign having pour first cup of coffee before 9:30 am.
The reason for such a piece of advice is again related to the cortisol hormone which we have mentioned above. Cortisol is working in our bodies in such a way that it naturally makes us more energetic. As you now know, an awakening increases its amount in our blood, however, the pick of the activity of this chemical compound is between 8 and 9 am. Thus, during this time you can feel a real rush of energy under the condition that you have slept during the night.
Unfortunately, caffeine blocks the natural activity of cortisol. Although it also makes us more active, this alertness is concentration is induced by external chemical substances rather than by our natural resources. For that reason, if you want to maximise your concentration in the morning, let cortisol help you first and then, after 9:30, enjoy your first cup of coffee. Yet, don’t forget that caffeine is also present in black, green and white tea as well as in cacao, whereas energy drinks contain even more caffeine than coffee itself.
Use your smartphone right after awakening
Unquestionably, it is rather difficult not to use your smartphone right after opening your eyes in the morning, especially, when you are using its alarm clock function. Of course, if you can just turn your alarm off after awakening and put the smartphone back starting your day with other tasks, there is nothing wrong with it. Yet, for many people, mornings start with checking social networks and emails or reading news online.
First of all, these activities lead to a loss of time and concentration on other more important or enjoyable things. Don’t think that using your phone at the beginning of your day is not the best start only when you have to go to work. Actually, it is even worse during weekends since then you have plenty of time to waste looking at the countless photos of your acquaintances on Facebook or Instagram. Just think about your hobbies on which you never have time. One can resign from doing some sport or reading a book believing that there is no time for such useful and pleasurable activities, however, he or she eagerly uses a smartphone and wastes hours and hours in the most unproductive way.
Another reason for which starting a day with a smartphone is a bad habit is that all those news and posts can easily spoil your mood right in the morning. Both bad news and artificially beaming smiles of your acquaintances on their happy photos on social networks can easily make you anxious bringing bad emotions into your life right at the beginning of the day.
If excessive using of a smartphone is your habit, you should definitely think about purchasing a real alarm clock.