This time of year, the days are short and the nights are long. You might find yourself having a little more trouble waking up refreshed in winter. But hiding under the warm covers when it’s chilly outside isn’t always a sign of being lazy or deterring the start of your day.
There’s something else at play.
Every day, as it gets darker a little earlier each day, your body produces slightly more melatonin, a hormone that helps you sleep. During the summertime, when the sun rises earlier, you’re exposed to the natural light earlier in the day making it easier to roll out of bed. But in the wintertime, when the sun rises later, you may find it harder to spring out of bed in the morning.
But alas, the day is awaiting your presence, so you’ll have to get up at some point! Here are our best tips to help you do just that.
1. Start with a Glass of Water
This sounds deceivingly simple, but it really works! Sipping on some water as soon as you wake up helps to jumpstart your body. And once your body gets going, crawling back into bed seems a little less tempting.
Plan ahead the night before and set out a glass of water on your nightstand. If plain old water doesn’t excite you, try squeezing in some fresh lemon juice or a mint leaf. This simple trick also helps to wake up your digestive system and get it moving for the day.
2. Have Something to Look Forward to in the Morning
Have you ever planned a vacation and couldn’t wait to wake up in the morning to get going? The same thing applies in our everyday lives. It’s much easier to hop out of bed when there’s something exciting you’re looking forward to.
Now, we know you can’t have a Disneyland vacation planned out every morning, but there are plenty of other ways to make each morning enjoyable, including:
- looking forward to your favorite breakfast
- enjoying that warm cup of coffee or tea
- a nice hot shower with that special, luxurious soap
- your morning exercise routine or yoga stretches
Whatever it is, create a morning routine that includes something you can look forward to each morning.
3. Enjoy Your Favorite Essential Oils
Love the smell of essential oils? If you don’t have a diffuser, you’re definitely missing out! Waking up to the smell of energy-inducing, mind-boosting essential oils is an amazing way to start the day.
Don’t be afraid to get a little extra indulgent with this morning routine:
- Place an essential oils diffuser by your bed, and connect it to a timer.
- Set the timer to start about five minutes before your wake-up time.
- Prefill your diffuser with water and your favorite scents. We recommend invigorating oils, like peppermint, citrus, or eucalyptus.
There you go! You’re all set for a morning aromatherapy wake-up call.
4. Targeted Supplements
Sometimes we just can’t get everything we need from our food. That’s where targeted supplementation comes in! These are our favorites for wintertime:
- Ashwagandha Complex contains adaptogenic herbs to help your body adapt to seasonal changes and stressors.
- Vitamin D3 – because we’re not getting sunshine on our skin anymore.
- Cod Liver Oil – as a source of essential fatty acids with naturally occurring Vitamins A and D.
- For a more extensive list, read our recent blog on Winter Wellness. You’ll want to have some good things on hand!
Final Thoughts: Waking Up Refreshed in Winter
Even though winter brings with it some cold, dark days, you don’t have to resist getting out of bed. It’s perfectly okay to enjoy the cozy covers while you’re in them, but when it’s time to get up, you’ll have something to look forward to! Try out one of these three tips so you can keep waking up refreshed in winter.