What Is a Good Morning Routine?
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There’s long been a list of highly successful CEOs and athletes who credit waking up at the crack of dawn or earlier as key to their productivity.
And now TikTokers are jumping on it with posts about the “5-to-9 before the 9-to-5” getting lots of attention. Hashtags #productivity, #selfcare, and #morningroutine garner 10.8 billion, 52.2 billion, and 22.9 billion views, respectively.
Many related videos claim performing the right “morning routine” (a string of health-promoting activities, like drinking water, meditating, journaling, exercising, and eating a picture-perfect breakfast) before you officially start your day is the secret to success, health, and happiness
For instance, @kaelimaee’s video from June 6, 2023, with 1.9 million views shows a morning routine that includes a multistep skincare regimen, green drink, and yogurt bowl. TikToker @nalae.co’s October 14, 2022, video had 1.2 million views shows a 5-to-9 routine of stretching, meditating, exercising, skin care, morning walk, breakfast, and content creation. And TikToker @christine.elzabeth’s video from June 18, 2023, with 1.3 million views shows her waking up before the sun at 4:30 a.m. to get in a swim, workout, dog walk, green juice, and breakfast.
Having a morning routine, generally, tends to be a positive thing, says sleep expert Wendy Troxel, PhD, senior behavioral scientist at RAND Corporation and author of Sharing the Covers: Every Couple’s Guide to Better Sleep. She likes to call them “wind-up routines,” she says — because they can get you going and energized for the day ahead.
“Mornings can be difficult, but by establishing a wind-up routine and being intentional and consistent, you can ease into your wake-up and be more alert in the morning,” she says. And, she adds, many people do tend to neglect them in favor of hitting the snooze or scrolling on their phones before getting out of bed.
But, it’s also worth recognizing that you don’t necessarily need to take it to the hours-long extreme some of these social media afficionados do to benefit from a morning habit.
Is Being an ‘Early Bird’ Good for Your Health?
You can get a whole lot done before everyone else wakes up if you just hop out of bed early enough, so the thinking goes. Apple CEO Tim Cook wakes up at 3:45 a.m., he told Time magazine in 2012. Kris Jenner rises at 4:30 a.m. to get it all done, she told Poosh in 2019. On workdays, Jennifer Aniston does the same, she told Well+Good in 2018. In February 2022, Kate Hudson told The Chalk Board that she was herself a morning person, revealing that her morning rituals consist of sipping celery juice, putting on workout clothes, and doing some breathing exercises.
But whether it’s actually healthier for you than getting up a few or several hours later is a question science hasn’t quite parsed out yet.
Research suggests that early birds may be more active compared with night owls, though other research didn’t find any difference in diet habits between the two.
And while an earlier study (titled, in part, “Happy as a Lark”), found early birds (larks) to be happier compared with night owls, a more recent study suggests that that positivity may stem more from the propensity for early risers to be more religious. In other words, it’s not really the act of getting up super early that’s lifting their mood.
Another recent study found that people who describe themselves as having an “evening” chronotype were at higher risk for type 2 diabetes compared with people who claimed to have a “morning” chronotype. But the evening chronotype also reported less healthy lifestyle and behavioral factors that are known to contribute to diabetes risk.
Early risers may have another thing in common: self-discipline.
Alex Dimitriu, MD, a psychiatrist and sleep medicine doctor and founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine in Menlo Park, California, notes that having self-discipline is a characteristic that can make someone more successful in professional and other pursuits — “which may also make someone better at creating and adhering to an early bedtime and early wake time.”
Adequate sleep, he says, “also improves impulse control and makes people more disciplined.” And if you stick with a consistent sleep routine that may make you more likely to regularly get plenty of sleep compared with not keeping a regular sleep routine.
Is There Such a Thing as Too Early a Morning Routine?
Absolutely. What’s most important is that you’re getting enough sleep. “Most adults should aim to get between seven and eight hours of sleep,” Dimitriu says.
“Sleep should never suffer at the expense of a morning routine,” he says.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that adults get at least seven hours of sleep per night.
That means that if you’re waking up so early you’re shorting yourself on sleep, you’re waking up too early.
So, if you aim to wake up by 6 a.m., that means you should get to sleep (lights out and phones off) by between 10 and 11 p.m. to get adequate sleep. If you’re a 4 a.m.-er, that puts you back to 8 to 9 p.m.
“This waking up really early requires going to sleep really early, and many people will find that difficult to do due to our lifestyles,” says Troxel. If you find that an early-to-bed, early-to-rise schedule is easy for you, that suggests you’re a naturally “strongly inclined” morning person, she says.
And remember, “Good sleep occurs when the timing is consistent,” Dr. Dimitrui adds. Waking up early on the weekdays but sleeping in too long on the weekend can be a problem, too, as it can mess with your body clock. “Circadian misalignment results from erratic sleep and wake times and can make people sleepy at the wrong time,” he explains.
Something else to keep in mind is that if you’re waking up early, but not feeling rested during the day, that may be a sign that you’re not getting enough sleep. Waking early unintentionally can also be a sign of an underlying medical issue, including sleep apnea, anxiety, or other health issues, says Dimitriu. If this describes how you feel upon waking, it’s important to connect with your doctor and share your concerns.
And certain circadian rhythm disorders can also affect how early you wake up.
People who have advanced sleep phase syndrome, for example, go to bed very early and then wake up very early, according to Stanford Medicine, which can impact your ability to attend social activities. If you have this circadian rhythm disorder, this is your natural inclination — even if you go to bed late, you still will wake up earlier than you’d like, which can create a cycle of sleep deprivation, per UpToDate. The difference is that someone with an intentional early morning routine is choosing to rise before the sun.
What a Healthy Morning Routine Should Look Like
A consistent morning routine can both help set your body’s natural clock (so you feel awake and sleepy when you should be), allow you the space to fit in a couple of healthy habits, and also serve your unique needs and interests (and thus boost well-being).
But, do make room for flexibility in your morning routine, too, says Troxel. “You don’t want to build rigid ideas of what your morning has to look like.”
Maybe you have a shortened morning routine for days when you need to get up and get out the door, and a longer version for when you do have more time.
Even if you have just five minutes, you can use that time wisely to “wind up” and face the day ahead with more energy and even a better mood. Having a consistent morning routine is key for seeing the benefits, which is why you can pick and choose from the below depending on the time available and your personal preferences.
Here are some components a healthy morning routine might include:
- A Snooze-Free Wake-Up and Out-of-Bed “Abrupt awakenings are your friend,” says Troxel. Hitting the snooze prolongs that groggy feeling, so set your alarm for the latest possible time you have to get up and when it goes off, immediately get your feet onto the floor, she says. (This may take practice!)
- Movement Activity gets your blood pumping quickly, which is a great way to boost energy, says Troxel. You don’t necessarily need to hit the gym for a full on workout (if that’s not your thing). But do move in some way. Troxel suggests: briskly walk to another part of your home, do a few jumping jacks or squats, or hold a plank.
- The Sensation of Cold Wash your face with cold water or briefly turn your shower to cold (the latter is only for the brave). “Cold water is not for everyone, but it’s a great strategy to boost alertness and mental resilience, as you’re starting your day doing something a bit difficult,” she says.
- Light Whether it’s outside, turning bright lights on inside, or using a light box, “Exposure to light in the morning helps calibrate our biological clocks (circadian clock) to start a timer of sorts, which tells the body that the day has begun,” says Dimitriu. It also makes it easier to fall asleep at the end of the day, too, he explains. Outdoor light is preferred, as it’s the most powerful cue for your body clock. Sit outside and drink your coffee or walk your dogs (if you have them), Troxel recommends. If outside is not a possibility or it stays dark until you leave for work, then seek out rooms in the house that tend to be the brightest, like your bathroom or kitchen, she says.
- Breakfast Your mealtimes are a personal choice depending on preference and diet, but if it works for you then breakfast is a healthy addition to your morning. “A substantial body of evidence speaks to having a healthy meal in the morning,” says Dimitriu. For example, a meta-analysis found an association between eating breakfast and better heart health and less risk of mortality compared with breakfast skippers. Another meta-analysis found that skipping breakfast was associated with a 39 and 31 percent higher odds of depression and anxiety, respectively.
Bottom Line
A morning routine provides an opportunity to support your health by setting your body clock and allowing for time to build in healthy habits, but it does not have to be complicated or lengthy. Most importantly, it should be designed for you and your needs — and not determined by a social media trend or influencer.
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