Surfers are some of the earliest risers going they just can’t miss the allure of a sunrise surf with friends.Īny changes you make to your sleep schedule should be gradual. Having something fun you’ve agreed to do is a sure way to get out of bed. If you can schedule whatever you’re getting up for in the morning, even better. Top tip: Don’t wear sunglasses first thing. The more light you get in the morning, the easier time you’ll have falling asleep that night. Light acts as a “zeitgeber,” a natural cue to our bodies’ circadian rhythms. Getting outside into the morning light is also great. once the sun is up.” He has even used video games as an incentive with some youngsters to get them up earlier. Things like coffee, the news, social media and uninterrupted smartphone access are all “O.K. Dimitriu recommends having “something fun or desirable to look forward to in the morning” before work. Rafael Pelayo, asking a patient, “What are you waking up for?” Many people work long, hard days, “and the evenings are the only respite - so why end them early?” Just to return to another day of work all over again? Dimitriu recalled one of his mentors, Dr. Do more quiet, relaxing activities in the hour or two before you plan to sleep.” Books, audiobooks, just listening to music or even meditating are all perfect - though make sure you don’t mess around with your phone too much.ĭr. “So many people find it easier to go to sleep after reading a book than after trawling the internet. “Smartphones and laptops are just too exciting,” Dr. To get to bed earlier, you also have to slow down in the evenings. The days get easier.” And once the days get easier, you’ll “learn to love sleep again.” Dimitriu explained, is that “there is a small delay in getting several nights of good sleep and feeling better the next day.” Going to bed early one night won’t cut it, so a lot of people give up before they see any difference. Part of the problem with trying to change your sleep habits, Dr. If you have the freedom to wake up when you like, then things are different, but if that extra Netflix episode is forcing you to cut your sleep short, then you should try to do something about it. It’s “the key to our emotional and creative energy” and comparable to “self-therapy,” he said, adding that it “balances us out in more ways than I can describe” and that without enough of it, our memory and moods take a hit.

Dimitriu can’t stress enough just how important REM sleep is.

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