Let me tell you a story about a patient who called the clinic last week, who REALLY struggles with getting out of bed in the morning…
David gave us a call struggling with severe back pain – back pain so bad that it was stopping him from even walking! David wanted an emergency Physio appointment, but the thing is, when we offered to see him first thing (which meant him waking up an hour earlier than usual), believe it or not he said no…
Now think about that for a moment – a gentleman suffering with back pain so bad that it’s even stopping him from walking (and probably even affecting his sleep), couldn’t bring himself to wake up an hour earlier than usual to ease his pain…
Seems pretty illogical, but the thing is most people find getting out of bed in the morning tough, and it doesn’t make it any easier when dark, cold mornings make staying snuggled under a duvet far more inviting than getting up.
Thing is, spending MORE time in bed will do the opposite to what most people think it will do. It won’t actually make you feel more awake, it’ll make your feel MORE tired ( especially if you have over 8 hours sleep).
So with that in mind and for the sake of your health, here are some tips that have worked for my patients to help you get out of bed in the morning feeling fresh, and more alert no matter what time of year it is:
1.) DON’T Hit Snooze
When your alarm clock goes off, you’ve got to get up within a minutes. Resist the temptation of hitting the snooze button, or you’ll most likely wake up wanting to hit snooze again.
Once you’re up, stay up and jump right in the shower!
2.) Set Your Alarm At The Same Time Every Day
And yes this even means Saturday and Sunday! Even though the time you go to bed has an impact on your energy levels, if you get into a sleep, and wake-up routine of the same time every day, you’ll put an end to feeling lethargic for good and waking up will feel LOTS easier.
And finally one of the best sleep tips for winter…
3.) Set A Timer For Your Bedroom Heater
Getting up when it’s cold is no fun at all, so to turn this around, set a timer on your heater for it to come on at least 10 minutes before your alarm goes off… (that you’re not going to be hitting the snooze button on ;-)), this way it won’t be so bad getting out from under the duvet in the morning.
Now’s the perfect time of year to get these daily sleep habits into action to say goodbye to the “drudgery” of winter mornings.
For more health tips like this to help you live an active, more mobile life visit here: http://www.thehealthyhabitbook.com/
You might know Paul as an expert Columnist who writes weekly health articles for TWO of the North East's biggest daily Newspapers, The Northern Echo And The Hartlepool Mail, he is a regular Speaker at Industry Seminars around the globe and a Radio Personality, often heard on the BBC. Paul has been an expert guest on dozens of Radio shows and regularly interviewed in newspapers, magazines and trade journals all over the world, including the Guardian.
Paul’s background included working extensively in the Premier League with a Top Professional Football Team, and since quitting his job in Professional Football in 2007, his Physio Practice has become the fastest growing in the UK and biggest in the North East. So successful, that companies like BUPA, ASDA, The Vela Group And Coast & Country, repeatedly retain his Physio company's services to keep healthy their own staff and workforce. Paul Gough Physio Rooms is now a large multi-physio, multi clinic speciality practice in Darlington, Durham, Guisborough and Hartlepool.
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