Are you groggy when you wake up in the morning? Do you find yourself smashing the snooze button on repeat? Is your first half hour of the day (or hour of the day) just slow and stumbly?
There’s a set of tools — all free — that can help.
how to wake up in the morning
First of all, you are not lazy. That feeling has a name — sleep inertia — and it’s totally a real thing.
The RISE-UP Protocol was developed by sleep researchers as a way to help folks with sleep inertia — that feeling of not-quite-awake so many people experience every morning. Because sometimes you do have to actually be awake, and groggy mornings are not super fun.
RISE-UP is an acronym, which stands for:
- R = Resist the snooze button. Keeping your wake time consistent can help you feel better on both ends of the night.
- I = Increase activity, especially in the first hour after waking. Walk your dog (or yourself), put on some music and dance.
- S = Shower or splash your face and hands with cold water. It’s a tried and true wake up call!
- E = Expose yourself to sunlight: Touch grass, say hi to your flowers, sip tea on the porch, snuggle up to a bright window, or use a light box.
- U = Upbeat music: Much like cold water, a good song can get your blood pumping and improve your wakefulness. Podcasts can also help.
- P = Phone a friend: The point here is to have a social reason to get out of bed. This can be a phone call, or an outdoor coffee date, a walk with friends, or even hanging out with the folks you live with or near.
learn more about the RISE-UP Protocol
I did a deeper write of the RISE-UP Protocol as a resource for patients on my clinic website. You can check that out here.
Waking up is a key component of cogntivie-behavioral therapy for insomnia, the first-line treatment for folks with chronic inability to sleep. If you’d like to discuss ways to optimize your sleep, I have appointments available for folks in Alaska, Oregon and Connecticut.
Wishing you a great day so you can have a great night — because good sleep rocks.
more on sleep
- Got insomnia? Try CBT-I first.
- Sleep cool is self defense
- Is melatonin safe? Is it effective?
- Herbs for sleep + mental health in turbulent times (podcast)
- Sleep better tonight with this simple hack
- Sleep matters
Header photo by Lars Kuczynski on Unsplash.
