Getting out of bed is the second hardest thing in the morning. Jokes aside, as a former night-owl and someone who liked to sleep in every day until he started work, I remember how hard it was to wake up early in the morning, even though I went to sleep at around 10 or 11 pm the previous night. After struggling for a couple of weeks, I decided to see what I can do to improve my sleep, and my morning routine to get a better rest and to not feel suicidal every morning.
When I first started working, I relied on my phone to wake me up. Not soon after, I found a pretty good clock digital alarm that I liked and decided to get it and use it instead of my phone. And in all honesty, the results were quite surprising. I’m not saying I became an early bird in a day, but in about a week I was feeling better in the mornings and I think that has to do more with using a clock digital alarm instead of my phone, than anything else.
First off, when you go to bed with your phone by your side, you’re likely to spend a couple of more minutes, which may end up being close to an hour on your phone. Having to sleep minutes after staring at a glowing screen at close range can affect your sleep quality, and is overall bad for falling asleep. I read somewhere online that you should avoid using any electronics like iPads, phones, laptops, etc. 1 hour before trying to fall asleep.
Next, I found myself checking notifications first thing in the morning, before I even washed my teeth. Not getting out of bed quickly will just make things harder. Once you wake up, get out of bed and go freshen up, you’ve already done most of the heavy lifting, and can then tend to your notifications. This makes your mornings not feel that rushed. Furthermore, waking up in the middle of the night and having a source of entertainment like your phone at an arm’s reach won’t help you go back to sleep.
And perhaps the best thing about digital alarm clocks is their simplicity. They serve for two purposes – to tell you the time, and to wake you up. That’s it. You can’t play with them, they don’t glow in your face, they’re loud in the morning and you can’t snooze most of them. Try getting one and see how that works for you instead of depending on your phone.