If you’re not what they call a “morning person”, you may feel like you’ll just never be able to wake up earlier. The fact is, practically anyone can train themselves to become an early bird, you just have to force the habit until it becomes routine.

You’ve likely read the studies saying that those who wake up earlier are more successful. You may even have set the goal to adjust your wake-up time, sure that an extra hour or two at the start of the day is all you need. But deciding to wake up early and actually following through are two different things. Follow our suggestions if you’d like to test out the theory that an early start is the key to success.

Here are a few tips to help you get trained to wake up earlier.

wake up earlier

Go To Sleep Earlier

We figured we would start you off with one of our more obvious tips. The average person needs 6-8 hours of sleep, but some people need more and some people less. Once you discover how many hours you need to feel rejuvenated and fresh in the morning, make sure you start going to sleep at least that many hours prior to when you want to wake up. It seems simple, but it’s very important.

Gradually Wake Up Earlier Each Day

Making big adjustments to your sleeping schedule makes it hard for your body to adapt. If you normally wake up at noon everyday, waking up at 6:00 in the morning literally won’t happen overnight. Instead, gradually try and wake up a few minutes earlier each day. You can start by setting your alarm clock for one minute earlier each day, or you can try larger intervals such as fifteen minutes. The gradual nature of your changes should allow your body to adapt permanently and not reject the change. 

Reward Yourself In the Morning With Something to Get You Out of Bed Routinely

Find something that you can reward yourself every morning that makes you want to get out of bed. Whether it’s your favorite breakfast or a daily Starbucks run, incentivizing your mornings is a great way to help convince your sleepy self that its worth getting out of bed.

Drink Water Before Bed

Some people purposefully drink a glass of water or two before bed so that they will be forced to wake up earlier to go to the bathroom in the morning. This is the kind of tip that you would want to check with your doctor before trying, especially if you are known to have any bladder or other urinary related health issues. We personally think there are much better ways to wake up than sprinting to the bathroom!

Adjust to Daylight Savings Time Gradually

Just because all of a sudden the clocks change by an hour doesn’t mean you have to adjust your sleep schedule so dramatically. When it’s time to change the clocks, start trying to gradually adjust your body so that when the full hour change comes your body is already in the process of updating to the new time.

Try A Sleep Related Smartphone App

There are some cool apps on the market that monitor your movements while you sleep and attempt to analyze your REM cycles. The point of the app is to learn your sleeping habits and wake you up in between REM cycles so that you have a better chance of feeling awake when the alarm sounds. A quick Google search for sleeping cycle apps supplies plenty of hits. Read online app reviews to find the perfect one for you.

Manipulate Your Surroundings to Cater to Quality Sleep

You’ll never learn to wake up earlier in the morning if you haven’t had a good night’s sleep. There are a number of things you can do to make your sleeping environment more comfortable, from adding pillows to light-blocking curtains. You can even buy automatic curtain openers that you can program to open at a specific time, allowing sunlight into your bedroom on your schedule.

Time For a New Mattress?

Like we mentioned before, if you haven’t had a good night’s sleep it’s going to be hard to wake up no matter what time it is. If it’s been a while since you replaced your mattress, it may be time to try a new mattress.

Limit the Booze

It’s true a glass of red wine may make your eyelids feel heavy, but you certainly won’t feel more refreshed when you wake up. Alcohol disrupts the sleep significantly, resulting in a state of sleep fragmentation and deprivation.

Skip Caffeine after 4 p.m.

Coffee and other stimulants like tea and chocolate can mess with this internal clock when you have them later in the day. Opting for decaf at least 5 hours before bedtime will make following the same schedule easier instead of tossing and turning at night. Stick to about 300-400 mg caffeine  daily if you’re having trouble sleeping, and you will be able to wake up earlier.