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6/21/13 Why You're Not a Morning Person (and How to Become One) lifehacker.com/why-youre-not-a-morning-person-and-how-to-become-one-514388263 1/5 Why You're Not a Morning Person (and How to Become One ) [1] At 6 AM, most of us are lucky if we have the energy to reach for acup of coffee. Mornings may be rough, but hold off on sleeping in. There are perks [2] to waking up with the sun, and we've got some tips on making it easier. Snooze and Lose: The Need to Know The old “I’m just too tired” complaint may be more than a sorry excuse for waking up late. Research suggests there are biological differences between early larks [3] , who wake up at the same time every morning and feel most active around 9 AM, and night owls, who get more stuff done once the sun goes down [1]. One survey found more than half of Americans [4] fall into the morning category, saying they’re at their “personal best” from 5 AM to noon. And it may get easier to greet the day at dawn as we get older, thanks to body clock changes as we age [2]. It turns out the early bird may get more than the worm. According to self- reports [5] from college students, those who wake up earlier feel more optimistic and proactive [6] than those who rise later. Other studies have found morning larks tend to be harder working and conscientious than night owls. (Still, it’s not clear whether waking up early actually makes someone more productive or optimistic.) And perhaps the secret to a 4.0 isn’t only hitting the books: Another study [7] of university undergraduates found those who said they function better in the morning received higher grades than those who preferred the evening [3]. That’s possibly because [8] morning risers are more likely to get to class on time or to forgo late-night partying. Researchers also suggest memory may improve

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Page 1: Why You'Re Not a Morning Person (and How to Become One)1

6/21/13 Why You're Not a Morning Person (and How to Become One)

lifehacker.com/why-youre-not-a-morning-person-and-how-to-become-one-514388263 1/5

Why You're Not a Morning Person (and

How to Become One ) [1]

At 6 AM, most of us are lucky if we have the energy to reach for acup of coffee.

Mornings may be rough, but hold off on sleeping in. There are perks [2] to

waking up with the sun, and we've got some tips on making it easier.

Snooze and Lose: The Need to Know

The old “I’m just too tired” complaint may be more than a sorry excuse for

waking up late. Research suggests there are biological differences between early

larks [3], who wake up at the same time every morning and feel most active

around 9 AM, and night owls, who get more stuff done once the sun goes down

[1]. One survey found more than half of Americans [4] fall into the morning

category, saying they’re at their “personal best” from 5 AM to noon. And it may

get easier to greet the day at dawn as we get older, thanks to body clock changes

as we age [2].

It turns out the early bird may get more than the worm. According to self-

reports [5] from college students, those who wake up earlier feel more optimistic

and proactive [6] than those who rise later. Other studies have found morning

larks tend to be harder working and conscientious than night owls. (Still, it’s

not clear whether waking up early actually makes someone more productive or

optimistic.)

And perhaps the secret to a 4.0 isn’t only hitting the books: Another study [7] of

university undergraduates found those who said they function better in the

morning received higher grades than those who preferred the evening [3].

That’s possibly because [8] morning risers are more likely to get to class on time

or to forgo late-night partying. Researchers also suggest memory may improve

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during sleep, so getting to bed earlier in preparation for a morning alarm could

help those exam notes soak in.

Being a morning person may actually be good for our health, too. When UK

researchers [9]questioned adults about their sleep habits, they found people who

stay under the covers on the weekdays until 9 AM are more likely to be stressed,

overweight, and depressed than those who get up at 7 AM. Another study found

teenagers who went to bed and woke up late were less inclined to hit the gym

and more likely to be overweight than those who went to bed and woke up early

[4]. Talk about waking up on the wrong side of the bed. (Again, remember it’s

not clear that waking up early causes stress, depression, or weight gain.)

Good Day Sunshine: Your Action Plan

Night owls aren’t totally out of luck. One study found evening lovers are more

productive than morning people are at night [5]. Still, being a morning person

may be more advantageous [10] for most people’s work schedules and routines,

since the workday typically starts around [11]9 AM and the office is (usually!) not

open at midnight. Regardless of the situation, there are ways to reset the body

clock [12] and happily greet the day:

Get enough sleep. It may seem obvious, but getting those recommended

seven to nine hours [13] will make getting up earlier easier. Pro tip? Keep the

laptop and other work out of the bed [14]to sleep soundly.

Stay consistent. Try to set the alarm clock for the same time [15] every

morning—including weekends. A constant wakeup call may make it

progressively easier to jump out of bed.

Start slowly. Pick a new wakeup time and gradually work towards it. Want to

wake up at 7 AM but stuck at 8? Start by setting the clock for 7:45, and move

down in 15-minute increments until that new time goal is reached.

Skip the snooze. Disrupting sleep an hour or so before actually getting out

of bed may disturb our REM cycle [16], which helps stimulate brain regions

linked to cognition. Don’t want to mess with that (or bug a roommate with

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multiple alarms!). Set one alarm for when it’s time to rise—and maybe

another a few minutes later in case you snooze through.

Set some happy sounds. Skip the beeps and blares and set an alarm tone to

something soothing or fun. Need an idea? Here are 10 [17].

Let in the light. Research shows a little light [18] may be all we need to reset

the body block [6]. A simple solution is to keep the blinds open during the

night. Or greet the day and brush your teeth outside!

Eat breakfast. Sleepiness doesn’t disappear just from drinking a cup of

coffee [19]. Having enough time for some green eggs and ham (or maybe just a

yogurt parfait [20]) will also provide energy [21], not to mention it’ll boost

that brainpower [22], too.

Hit the gym. Those tired eyes may go away once a morning workout routine

[23] is in order. Exercise will definitely boost energy—give these early-bird

exercises [24] a try. [7]

Treat yo’self. Have a reward waiting in the a.m. to motivate climbing out of

the covers. Dive into some freshly baked fruit and nut bars [25], or slide into a

warm bath instead of taking a quick shower.

J.F.D.I. Sometimes we need to bite the bullet and “just f’ing do it [26]."

Researchers have found that creativity may flourish [27] when we feel groggy,

so don’t let a little drowsiness interrupt seizing the day!

Hey, Sleepyhead! How To Be a Morning Person [28] | Greatist

Laura is the Growth Director at Greatist, and when she's not hanging at HQ with my

best buds (aka co-workers) you can find her training for marathons, writing, or

searching for the perfect bloody mary. She has an odd obsession with mountains,

and is passionate about helping others become happier and healthier.

Image remixed from Igor Kovalchuk [29].

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1. http://lifehacker.com/why-youre-not-a-morning-person-and-how-to-become-one-

514388263

2. http://www.inc.com/news/articles/2010/07/research-says-morning-people-are-more-

proactive.html

3. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090623150621.htm

4. http://www.gallup.com/poll/101866/majority-americans-personal-best-morning.aspx

5. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1559-1816.2009.00549.x/abstract

6. http://hbr.org/2010/07/defend-your-research-the-early-bird-really-does-get-the-

worm/ar/1

7. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080609071331.htm

8. http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/news/20080609/early-birds-get-better-grades

9. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/8763618/Early-risers-get-ahead-of-the-

game.html

10. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/04/090423-night-owls-brains.html

11. http://www.bls.gov/tus/charts/chart17.txt

12. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/18/so-you-think-you-can-be-a-morning-person/

13. http://www.sleepfoundation.org/article/how-sleep-works/how-much-sleep-do-we-really-

need

14. http://greatist.com/happiness/is-it-ok-to-work-in-bed/

15. http://www.stanford.edu/group/bbeam/sleep.html

16. http://www.citytv.com/toronto/citynews/life/health/article/3068--why-you-shouldn-t-

hit-your-snooze-alarm

17. http://www.ineedmotivation.com/blog/2008/04/10-cool-unique-songs-to-wake-up-to/

18. http://www.ccjm.org/content/78/10/675.long

19. http://greatist.com/health/how-much-is-too-much-caffeine/

20. http://greatist.com/health/greek-yogurt/

21. http://www.menshealth.com/jumpstartyourday/3-reasons-you-need-breakfast.php

Want to see your work on Lifehacker? Email Tessa [30].

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22. http://www.prevention.com/food/healthy-eating-tips/breakfasts-jump-start-your-brain

23. http://greatist.com/happiness/learn-to-love-morning-workouts-032412/

24. http://lifehacker.com/385021/boost-your-energy-this-morning-with-simple-exercises

25. http://greatist.com/health/recipe-fruit-and-nut-bars-041312/

26. http://justfuckingdoit.com/

27. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=sleepy-brains-think-freely

28. http://greatist.com/happiness/hey-sleepyhead-how-be-morning-person

29. http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-39425680/stock-photo-lazy-owl.html?

src=B7y_4B7eLzoDSBzpARGfng-1-81

30. https://mail.google.com/mail/?view=cm&fs=1&tf=1&[email protected]