Hate Waking Up Early? These 17 Morning Hacks Are Lifesavers

By Macy Cate Williams

Updated on 5/25/2016 at 7:00 PM

POPSUGAR Photography | Mark Popovich
POPSUGAR Photography | Mark Popovich

Sometimes waking up early on a workday is a serious struggle, especially if you're not a morning person. We've rounded up some useful hacks that are proven to help you get out of bed as early as you'd like. Check them out and see if they work for you!

  1. Try using an app: There are apps specifically meant to help you wake up, like Sleep Cycle and Waky.
  2. Set up an alarm clock across the room from your bed: It will force you to get up and get going.
  3. Don't look at your smartphone before bed: The small screen stimulates your mind and gives you a bad night of sleep, meaning an even harder time of waking up in the morning.
  4. Use a loud, jarring noise as your alarm: The surprise of the sound will wake you right up. Change it every week.
  5. Give yourself a reward for waking up: Whether it's a tasty breakfast or an hour of shopping later in the day, give yourself an reward you can only get if you wake up on time — it will motivate you.
  6. Don't drink caffeine later on in the day: Getting a good night of sleep is greatly altered by the caffeine you consume beforehand. Try to stay away from coffee, soda, and energy drinks at least six hours before bedtime.
  7. Have a morning buddy: Find another friend who has trouble waking up and plan morning coffees with one other. Or even just promise to text each other when it's time to rise and shine. The accountability will make you want to get going.
  8. Don't make the snooze button an option: If you need to tape it or simply act as though it doesn't exist, do whatever it takes to make snoozing nonexistent. Then you'll know there's only one time option for waking up.
  9. Face your alarm clock away from you: Not being able to keep track of the time is proven to help you get out of bed.
  10. Mentally prepare yourself: As you're drifting off to sleep, tell yourself, "I need to wake up early tomorrow" several times. Go through the routine you need to power through.
  11. Keep your windows or curtains open: When the sun rises, the light will help you wake up.
  12. Eat foods high in fiber and low in fat: A study has proven that eating food in these categories gives you a better night's sleep, which leads to easier mornings.
  13. Get yourself pumped up: Before falling asleep, think of one thing you're doing the next day that really excites you. You'll be ready to hop out of bed.
  14. Try not to sleep in during the weekends: It throws your body off; it's better to have a regular schedule for waking up.
  15. Write down your wake-up goal and put it in a prominent area: Write out the time you will wake up and put it on a bulletin board or tape it to your bathroom mirror. Remind yourself of your goal regularly.
  16. Associate mornings with good feelings: If you have always dreaded mornings, you have to create a new association so that you look forward to them. Plan to do things you love during that time.
  17. Consider your health: If you're drowsy in the morning, it could be a vitamin D or iron deficiency. Make sure you're getting all the nutrients you need!