The alarm starts to buzz, you open one eye, look at the time, and hit snooze. Then, cover your head with the sheets and roll to the other side, only to hear the alarm’s annoying sound a few minutes later. You need an energy boost ASAP.
Do you know the feeling? Most of us sleep, but during the night, we don’t get the rest we need. Our bodies crave more and more sleep, but that is a luxury we can’t have.
It’s time to go to work and start preparing for all the things we have to do during the day. How do you get up from bed when you feel your body weights a ton?
If you’re dreaming about ways to boost your energy, wake up, it’s time to change your routine with simple hacks that can turn you into superman.
Are you still in bed?
Come on, get up, and let’s turn this kryptonite alarm clock into your best friend.
Take it slowly
If you hit the snooze button too often and fall asleep, you might get up too late. Then you can have a panic attack, trying to defeat time and get quickly dressed by fighting with your clothes in the closet like a ninja.
Your mind gets blurry, you feel cranky and want to leave the house, but those keys are hiding from you. Stop, stop, stop… You get exhausted even before you started your day.
Jump into the shower and turn the cold water on
You don’t have to do that straight from the beginning, you can gradually shift from hot to cold and back. As time goes by, your tolerance to cold will get better, and you’ll get all the benefits. If cold water can’t wake you up, nothing will.
In the start, the feeling of cold on your body, especially in winter, is like real torture. But as you get accustomed to it, you’ll lower your stress levels, and you’ll feel more alert.
Superman is back in the building.
Of course, if you have health problems that might be impacted by cold, you should totally avoid it.
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Make going to bed early a habit
Let’s rewind a little bit before we continue. Going to bed early can help your body get the rest it needs, and I don’t mean going to bed with the chickens. Having a schedule and creating a ritual to slowly wind down can make a huge difference in your energy levels.
You can slowly turn down the lights, hear calming music, and grab a book to read. Keep your smartphone away from sight. I know how much you would love to check your social accounts for the millionth time, for your own good stays away.
Stay away from electronic devices
About 73% of people claim to experience this unique flavor of anxiety, which makes sense when you consider that adults in the US spend an average of 2-4 hours per day tapping, typing, and swiping on their devices up to over 2,600 daily touches.
Smartphones have become an extension of ourselves and are stealing away our time and our life. Hearing the notification sound triggers the dopamine rush, like a salivating dog in Pavlov’s experiment (Pavlovian Conditioning).
In the 1890s, the Russian physiologist was researching salivation in dogs in response to being fed. At some point, he realized that if a trigger (ex. object or sound) was associated with food, dogs would salivate when they heard the sound even if no meal would be present.
I can totally hear my thoughts saying: “Good girl, sit. Leave your smartphone alone.”
Make yourself a cup of coffee
OK, so you got up from bed, it’s time to take a sip of coffee. Coffee can help you get a boost in the morning, but overdoing it can reverse the effect.
Drinking your morning coffee calmly can help you focus and get the benefits you want to start your day. Don’t carry your coffee cup in your hand like an accessory.
Order a real one that doesn’t include only 1% percent coffee. Adding cream, syrup, sugar, toppings makes it less of a coffee and more of a birthday cake.
Drink water during the day
Staying hydrated will make you feel less tired. Water regulates body temperature, keeps joints lubricated, prevents infections, delivers nutrients to cells, and keeps organs functioning correctly.
Being well-hydrated also improves sleep quality, cognition, and mood. This doesn’t mean that you should move your desk by the water cooler.
If you tend to forget to drink water, you can download an app that will remind you regularly. Of course, you can keep a bottle or a glass of water close to you, this will also help you stay hydrated.
I know what you’re thinking… Can you drink a soda instead? It’s not the same, and it will be wise to stay away from the extra sugar and calories.
Eat healthy foods, fuel your body with nutrients.
You might get up from your desk and drink water, but you pass by the vending machine, right? Just pass by and don’t look at the siren-like machine that it’s calling your name. As much as you think that a quick snack will help you get extra energy, it won’t.
Empty calories included in highly processed foods will make you feel tired and sleepy. Additionally, if you didn’t get enough or quality sleep the previous night, you are more prone to eat more snacks than usual, and everything goes south.
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Working out can give you the energy boost you need
Finally, you get back home after a long and tiring day at work. The first thing that comes to mind is to lay on the couch, grab a snack, and watch tv. Stop where you are, and move away from the sofa. Don’t succumb to the urge.
Change into your workout clothes, put on some music, and start to exercise. Although you might feel tired in the beginning, you’ll see that you’ll feel much better. At first, you might think that you don’t have the power to move your feet, but you’ll feel more energized in the end.
Now it’s time to go back to bed. This time you’ll get a much better sleep, which is the most fundamental component when you want to boost your energy.
Sweet dreams.