Making the Most of Your Morning

Many of our patients come to us with sleep difficulties. Sometimes we may have trouble getting to sleep at night, and when we do it can be especially challenging to wake up in the morning. If you’re struggling with sleep difficulties, take a look at our blog post on CBT for Insomnia, or schedule a free phone consultation to learn more about how we can help with these concerns.

For those struggling with more occasional and/or less severe sleep concerns, getting up in the morning can still be challenging. In this blog post, we will explore some strategies to help you get out of bed and tackle the day, even when you’re not feeling as well rested as you would like. The single most effective thing you can do to help yourself sleep better is to wake up at the same time every day. In our clinical experience, this is often a suggestion that is very difficult for patients to implement. Common concerns our patients express about this are:

• Not feeling like they got enough sleep the night before, so not wanting to get up early and “miss out” on an opportunity for more sleep
• Not wanting to face the day or face certain activities that might be happening that day
• Not liking mornings or not being a “morning person”
• Feeling physically drained and/or exhausted

Sometimes it can be challenging to overcome these concerns and get out of bed anyways. In our practice, we observe that people who do manage to get out of bed at the same time every day are more satisfied with their sleep and well rested than those who do not. These are some strategies that our patients have found helpful when they are trying to get themselves out of bed:

• Take a shower first thing in the morning
• Make yourself a special breakfast that you enjoy
• Get out of bed and settle into a comfortable chair for meditation
• Brew your favorite coffee or tea
• Schedule plans you can look forward to first thing in the morning
• Invest in a good quality robe and slippers, so that when you get out of bed in the morning you can transition into a comfortable and warm outfit.
• Journal about 3 things you are looking forward to or are grateful for on this day
• Start off your day with some physical activity (walking, stretching, or a trip to the gym). If it’s difficult for you to workout first thing, set yourself up for success by laying out your exercise clothes and shoes the night before.
• Remind yourself that even if you do fall back asleep, the sleep you will get will likely be low quality and not restful.
  
  

If you find yourself struggling to get out of bed, give these strategies a try and see if you can get yourself on a regular bedtime and wake time schedule. If you consistently have difficulty getting out of bed, you may wish to consider CBT for Insomnia or other treatments to help improve your sleep quality and efficiency. Reach out to us for a free phone consultation to learn more about how we treat sleep concerns.