Waking up in the morning is rarely pleasant. (Unless you’re one of those weird morning people, which—how??) The transition from sleep to awake is often jarring … a brief moment of confusion before the realization hits: it’s time, yet again, to cosplay as an adult human who has their sh*t together. Studies have shown that stress anticipation first thing in the morning can negatively affect our entire day. So to help make mornings (and the other hours we’re awake) a little easier, we’ve rounded up our favorite tips for waking up gently.
Try a sleep-tracking app
We like Sleep Cycle, an app that tracks sleep quality and time spent in each phase of sleep, and wakes us up in our lightest sleep phase. (So we’re not being cruelly dragged out of our REM cycle.)
Use a sunrise alarm
These alarms mimic the sunrise to help us wake up naturally, without a noisy alarm. Hatch Restore is one such alarm. It has a ton of cool features that help improve sleep, including white noise, customizable light colors, and a wind-down routine.
Change the temperature
Getting out of bed feels even harder when it’s too hot or too cold. A smart thermostat can automatically change the temperature at a set time to help us fall asleep and wake up better. Or try the Eight Sleep Pod Pro Cover, a smart device that goes over your mattress and automatically adjusts the temperature of the bed.
Do a quick yoga flow
Take a moment to go through a few yoga poses that can be done without getting out of bed, like happy baby, pigeon pose, and butterfly, to help calm anxiety and practice mindfulness.
The content provided in this article is provided for information purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice and consultation, including professional medical advice and consultation; it is provided with the understanding that Poosh, LLC (“Poosh”) is not engaged in the provision or rendering of medical advice or services. You understand and agree that Poosh shall not be liable for any claim, loss, or damage arising out of the use of, or reliance upon any content or information in the article.
Up next, be the first to know our weekly content and sign up for our Poosh newsletter.
