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How to Wake Up Early in the Morning: Tips That Work
Written by: Gabrielle Talan
Gabrielle, a former insomniac turned sleep writer, brings over a decade of content expertise to her work. For the past 3 years, she's focused exclusively on sleep topics – a happy choice that helps give her the deep and restful sleep she craves.
Do you struggle with waking up early? Please don't beat yourself up over it. Everyone does at one point or another. However, we applaud you for wanting an earlier wake-up call because the benefits are worth it.
Rising early gives you more time to accomplish tasks and be more productive. You can also plan your day without rushing. It may also benefit your mental health, reducing your risk of depression and anxiety, as research suggests.
Here are 15 tips that'll help make you a pro when it comes to rising with the sun.
Key Takeaways
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Waking up early requires lifestyle changes, including an earlier bedtime, a consistent sleep-wake schedule, strategic light exposure, and a well-balanced diet. Together, these adjustments will gradually reset your circadian rhythm.
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What you do before sleeping impacts your ability to get up early. Good sleep hygiene habits, including limiting caffeine and alcohol, avoiding late meals, reducing evening light exposure, and establishing a soothing bedtime routine, make it easier to rise early.
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Waking up early becomes easier with consistency and motivation, such as sticking to your sleep-wake schedule even on weekends and factoring enjoyable activities into your morning routine.
Table of Contents
Go to Bed Earlier
Try to go to bed earlier (ideally well before midnight). Your body needs 7 to 9 hours to get up with minimal effort. You won't reap the benefits of rising early if you're sleep-deprived.
Going to bed earlier ensures that you progress through all the sleep cycles, waking up refreshed instead of experiencing sleep inertia (feeling groggy and disoriented when you wake up).
An earlier bedtime also aligns your circadian rhythm, which is influenced by light and darkness. Turning in early causes your body's internal clock to shift earlier, so you feel sleepy at night and alert in the morning.
Gradually Set Your Alarm Earlier
Set your alarm 15 to 30 minutes earlier than usual every couple of days. Eventually, your body clock will learn to recognize an earlier wake-up time.
You're more likely to succeed at rising early if you introduce it in increments instead of shocking your system.
Don’t Sleep In on the Weekends
It's only natural to want to sleep longer on weekends. However, this seemingly harmless habit will disrupt the momentum of your sleep schedule.
You'll have difficulty falling asleep on Sunday night and waking up early on Monday, resulting in sleep debt and sleep deprivation.
Avoid Hitting the Snooze Button
Apart from preventing you from getting out of bed when you meant to, hitting snooze sets you up for feeling groggy and disoriented.
Every time you press snooze, you fall back into fragmented sleep that isn't restorative. Your brain is also confused by multiple interruptions, making it harder to understand when it should be alert.
Choose a Pleasant Alarm Sound
A jarring alarm isn’t a nice sound to wake up to. If you want to get up early, choose a gentle alarm that increases gradually.
Consider a sunrise alarm clock, which gently wakes you with pleasant sounds and lighting. It will ease you into waking by mimicking early morning lighting and sounds. You'll wake up in a better mood, minus the sleep inertia caused by waking abruptly from deep sleep.
Drink Less Coffee and Alcohol
Drinking too much coffee and alcohol prevents you from waking up early by interfering with your sleep cycle.
Your body's core temperature lowers in preparation for sleep. Initially, alcohol dilates blood vessels, causing a rapid drop in temperature that might help you drift off. Later, as your body metabolizes alcohol, it constricts blood vessels, leading to a spike in core temperature. These temperature fluctuations disrupt sleep and delay the body's natural morning temperature increase, making it harder to wake up early.
Coffee perks you up because it contains caffeine, which blocks adenosine receptors in the brain. Adenosine is what makes you sleepy as the day progresses. Caffeine also sabotages sleep quality by reducing the time spent in restorative deep sleep stages, making it challenging to rise early. Therefore, limiting your coffee consumption will ensure you won’t have difficulty drifting off at night and getting quality sleep to wake up early, feeling refreshed.
Don’t Drink Coffee Later in the Day
Timing matters as much as the amount of coffee you drink. The stimulating effects of coffee may last a long time. If you want to rise early, avoid drinking coffee too close to bedtime, or you'll find it hard to drift off and spend enough time in the deep sleep stages, resulting in poor sleep.
A study published in the National Library of Medicine found that caffeine consumed 6 hours before bedtime significantly disrupts sleep.(1)
Eat a Balanced Breakfast
Your circadian rhythm is also influenced by when you eat. A healthy breakfast at the same time every day cues your body to wake up in anticipation of this meal.
Breakfast also regulates your appetite. You're less likely to overeat in the afternoon or evening when you have breakfast. A regulated eating pattern comes with a regulated sleep pattern, which helps make waking early easier.
A well-balanced brekkie helps you get up early and function well throughout the day. Eat foods that are rich in protein, such as eggs and Greek yogurt. Complex carbohydrates like oatmeal will provide your body with the glucose necessary for morning brain function. Healthy fats, such as those found in avocados, will sharpen your focus and keep you full.
Don’t Have Dinner Right Before Bed
Time your evening meal at least 2 to 3 hours before bedtime. Otherwise, your body will work at digesting instead of sleeping. Digestion raises your core body temperature, while sleep requires it to drop, resulting in a disruption of your sleep cycles.
A late dinner also increases your risk of acid reflux and indigestion, which can interrupt sleep. You may not notice these awakenings, but they will disrupt your sleep cycles, lowering sleep quality.
Have a Soothing Evening Routine
A soothing evening routine can lower levels of cortisol (the stress hormone), which builds up during the day.
However, cortisol isn't all bad. It also helps you wake up and feel alert. Cortisol naturally increases before your wakeup time. An unnatural amount of cortisol in the evening interferes with this process.
Establishing a calming bedtime routine that includes a warm bath, meditation, and gentle breathing exercises helps you wake up early. Less stress and anxiety mean better sleep quality.
Expose Yourself to Light Early in the Morning
Exposure to natural morning light helps you wake up early by resetting your circadian rhythm. When your retinas are exposed to daylight, it triggers the release of cortisol and inhibits melatonin, the sleep hormone.
Maintaining consistent light exposure trains you to sleep early by regulating your sleep-wake cycle. It also has other benefits, including improved sleep quality and earlier melatonin production, leading to earlier sleep.
Don’t Expose Yourself to Light in the Evening
Evening light exposure can disrupt your sleep patterns, preventing you from sleeping and waking early. Remember that darkness facilitates the release of melatonin, which helps you unwind for bed.
Exposure to blue light from gadgets at night tricks your body into thinking that it's time to be awake. Stop looking at a screen an hour before bed. If you can't control external light sources, invest in a 100% light-blocking sleep mask.
Do Something You Enjoy First Thing
Start the day with an activity you genuinely enjoy. Having something to look forward to when you wake up motivates you to sleep and wake up early.
You can also engage in activities that help you wake up. One example is an early morning nature walk. It's enjoyable, exposes you to bright light and serves as exercise to kickstart your day.
Make a Plan for the Day Ahead
The early morning hours are usually quiet and peaceful. Take this time to plan your day, knowing you don't have to rush.
Purposeful and exciting planning can trigger your body to release dopamine (the feel-good hormone). Make planning a daily habit to create anticipation for your next session, motivating you to get up early.
Exercise at the Right Time
Consider working out in the morning. Exercise delivers a cocktail of alertness-promoting hormones: cortisol, adrenaline and norepinephrine.
Exercise also influences your circadian rhythm. Working out at the same time every morning trains your body to recognize that it's time to be alert. It'll make waking up early progressively easier.
That's not to say that you can't exercise later in the day. However, time your workouts at least 2 hours before bedtime, or you may have trouble falling asleep.
What Are the Challenges of Waking Up Early?
Waking up early takes effort and patience. You might naturally sleep and wake up early, or you might just not be a morning person. If you're the latter, also known as the night owl chronotype, sleeping and waking up early can be extra tricky.
Here are some of the challenges you will need to overcome:
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You may lack motivation to get up early. However, you can motivate yourself by doing something you enjoy first thing in the morning.
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You might have difficulty falling asleep. Often, stress, anxiety, and sleep disorders like insomnia can keep you up late into the night. A soothing bedtime routine can lower your nighttime stress levels, so you can drift off faster.
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Waking up early is hard when you hit snooze, which can cause fragmented sleep. Place your alarm across the room, so you need to get up to silence it. A sunrise alarm clock can help wake you up gradually.
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Feeling groggy and sluggish upon awakening is referred to as sleep inertia. Prevent it by going to bed early and avoiding the snooze button.
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A lack of consistency, such as sleeping in on the weekends, could derail your efforts. A consistent sleep schedule makes it easier to rise with the sun.
What Are the Benefits of Waking Up Early?
Waking up early is beneficial for your overall health and can enhance your quality of life.
Here are some key benefits of waking up early:
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Starting early in the morning increases productivity. It lets you finish essential tasks with a clear head. Mental clarity is easier during the quiet hours of the morning – ideal for reflection and decision-making.
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Waking up early also benefits your time management skills. Waking up late deprives you of time to plan and get organized, leaving you stressed and rushing.
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Waking early also promotes healthy habits like regular exercise. A study published in the National Library of Medicine found that exercise releases endorphins that help improve mood, lower stress and anxiety levels, and boost energy. Working out in the morning means you get all those benefits during the day.(2)
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Waking up early is good for your mental health. It reduces your risk of depression, anxiety and mood disorders. Harvard Health Publishing says a study found that participants who moved their bedtime and wakeup time an hour earlier had improved depression scores.(3)
Conclusion: How to Become More of an Early Bird
Waking up earlier is about making strategic tweaks to your lifestyle that work with your body's circadian rhythm. These include going to bed earlier, exposing yourself to natural morning light and avoiding artificial light in the evening, to name a few.
Getting up early adds precious hours to your day, improves mental health and increases productivity. It may seem difficult at first, but with effort, determination and by following the tips in this article, you'll find yourself settling into your new wake-up routine.
Do you have more tips on how to wake up earlier? Comment below to share them with other readers.
Frequently Asked Questions About How To Wake Up Early
Why Do I Feel Tired When I Wake Up Early?
You probably feel tired when you wake up early because you didn't get enough sleep. You may also have trouble falling asleep at night due to stress, anxiety and sleep disorders.
Other things may also be impacting your sleep quality, such as consuming alcohol and caffeine too close to bedtime, using your gadgets late at night, or vigorous exercise right before bed.
How Long Until I Get Used to Waking Up Early?
For most people, getting used to waking up early takes approximately 2 to 3 months. However, it also depends on how consistent you are with your new sleep-wake schedule, getting morning light exposure and reducing your evening light exposure.
It also depends on your sleep chronotype. Night owls tend to have more difficulty adapting to an earlier sleep-wake schedule, while early risers find it easier to adjust.
Age also plays a role, with younger people finding it easier to adapt to an earlier wake and sleep schedule than older adults.
Can Anyone Learn to Wake Up Early?
Yes, most people can adapt to an earlier wakeup schedule with patience, effort and lifestyle adjustments.
However, those who are lifelong night owls may find it extremely difficult. They may be better off adjusting their work schedule and lifestyle according to their natural sleep-wake pattern.
How Can I Avoid Going Back to Sleep When I Wake Up Early?
You can avoid going back to sleep in several ways. Try a 5-second countdown, where you get out of bed without leaving any room for thought when you hit 1.
You can also place your alarm away from your bed, forcing you to get up to silence it. Then, head straight to the bathroom and splash cold water on your face. You can also try jumping jacks, drinking a glass of water, or stepping outside to expose yourself to sunlight.
Sources:
(1) "Caffeine effects on sleep taken 0, 3, or 6 hours before going to bed.” National Library of Medicine, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24235903/. Accessed 25 August 2025.
(2) “The Effects of Acute Exercise on Mood, Cognition, Neurophysiology, and Neurochemical Pathways: A Review.” National Library of Medicine, pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5928534/. Accessed 25 August 2025.
(3) “Waking up one hour earlier than usual may reduce depression risk.” Harvard Health Publishing, www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/waking-up-one-hour-earlier-than-usual-may-reduce-depression-risk. Accessed 25 August 2025.
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