Recently, my alarm went off at 3:30am for about a 5am show at the airport. I like to think of myself as a morning person, but that's pretty darn early. Since starting this job I've had several mornings that started that early, so I've nailed down some tricks that help me wake up when the alarm goes off. I figured I'd share them with you so that you can tackle the early morning starts just as well!
Stay Hydrated
For a few months last year, I was noticing that I didn't always feel 100% after waking up. This isn't a fun way to start the day, and it increased the amount of time I needed to become fully alert. When I thought about it more, I realized that I hadn't been good about staying hydrated. By forcing myself to drink more water throughout the day and before bed, I essentially eliminated the problem. Waking up got easier as well. So keep yourself hydrated! Have a glass when you wake up too. It's especially important if you're a frequent flyer or crew member; it gets dry in airplanes.
Avoid Sugar and Caffeine in the Evening
This one is pretty obvious; avoid these two substances whenever possible the evening before your early wake up call. I try to stop drinking anything with caffeine in it in the afternoon, and I limit my sugar intake greatly in the evenings. This holds especially true if you're trying to go to bed earlier than normal, but it's good practice in general. Let's throw alcohol into this one as well; it's widely accepted that alcohol impacts our ability to get quality sleep and it'll dehydrate you as well.
Get 8 Hours of Quality Sleep Whenever Possible
The general consensus on sleep seems to be that we need about 8 hours a night. This'll be a little different for each individual, but the early morning starts become that much easier when the quality of your sleep is already good in general. When it does come time for that early start, you'll be that much more alert when the alarm goes off. One tip that helps with the quality sleep part of this is making sure the phone goes off before bed. The blue light that our devices create interferes with our ability to fall asleep, so activities like reading are much better right before bed instead of scrolling the news feed (although I am still guilty of this sometimes). I have all of my devices set up to turn on a blue light filter in the evenings, reducing the effect that the blue light has on my body as well.
Create a Morning Music Playlist
This is a fun one that I've been doing for about the last month and kind of the cherry on top for this topic. I've actually got a whole playlist made that I turn on each morning when I'm out on a trip. It helps me wake up and get excited for the day.
By doing all of these things as a part of my routine, I've found that I can be fully alert within about 10 minutes of the alarm going off almost without exception. Obviously there's still going to be mornings where the pace is slower. For that reason, I always try to pack up and have as much set up as possible the night before. That's also where the coffee comes in. Having said that, the number of good days that I have greatly outnumbers the bad. Hope this is helpful for some of you! What's your best early morning tip?
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