Wake up early tips

12 Tips To Wake Up Earlier Without Feeling Tired

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You’re here because maybe you’ve been trying to wake up early, but it hasn’t worked, or you want to learn how to wake up early without feeling tired to maximize your productivity.

No matter your reason, planning to wake up early begs the question of how to actually do it without feeling tired or sluggish all day.

Is waking up early without feeling tired even possible?

Short answer: Yes.

Now, there will be many skeptical people reading this post, sure that there could be nothing done to prevent being tired once one starts getting out of bed earlier, but I’m living proof that it works AS LONG as you embrace the lifestyle changes.

These tips come from a former night owl (me) after hunting, analyzing, and trying to grasp just how to make sure I got out of bed way earlier than I was used to so I could have time to build my dreams.

It’s worked, and I’m not looking back.

In fact, I want you to join me in the early morning club.

I want you to wake up at your desired time without using an alarm clock. (gasp)

Since waking up early, I’ve been able to:

✔Bring my work from home mom goals to fruition.
Boost my productivity and get more done.
✔Slow down my busy mom life and practice self-care.
✔Have more energy.
✔Sleep better at night.

So, what do YOU need to do to wake up earlier without feeling tired?

Let’s take a look at how to wake up early successfully…

12 Tips To Wake Up Earlier Without Feeling Tired

how to wake up earlier without feeling tired

1. Go To Bed Earlier

No kidding, right?

When it comes to figuring out how to wake up early, isn’t going to bed earlier the most obvious thing to do?

Yes and no.

Not only should you go to bed earlier (and fall asleep earlier), but you should also go to bed early consistently.

That means on weekends too! 🙂 (Time to ditch the late-night scrolling and Netflix marathons!)

If you want to wake up earlier without feeling tired, then treat your body to a consistent bedtime routine, sleep schedule and morning routine. This will help set you body’s internal clock (aka circadian rhythm).

If I go to bed later than my normal bedtime, I pay for it the next day by getting tired earlier in the day.

It’s like my body expects me to pay back the sleep or something! 🙂

Related read: How to Design a Stay at Home Mom Schedule for Sanity

2. Keep The Same Wake Time No Matter What

tips wake up earlier

The body works very well on a regular sleep routine. A regular routine equals high-quality sleep and a good sleep cycle. 

So help your body by getting up at the same early wake up time every single day, and you’ll be a morning person before you know it.

You’ll put your body in rhythm with your early bedtime, which means you’ll have an easier time waking up early without feeling tired because your body is getting good consistent restful sleep. (Maybe even without an alarm clock or having to hit the snooze button!)

Become a regular early bird, and you’ll never feel tired or sluggish when you wake up!

This get up early tip is probably the most important, if I really stop and think about it.

3. Outline Your Tasks The Night Before

wake up not feel tired

If you need some motivation to wake up earlier without feeling tired, then outline the tasks you’ll work on when you get up.

Having a plan of action every day will give you an energy boost and prompt you to throw off those blankets and get to work. It’s great feeling organized and having a good reason to get your booty out of bed! 

Every night outline the first 3 things you plan to accomplish when you get up early the next day. 

Stop and think… what could you accomplish with a little extra time and energy each morning? It might be just the early wake up call you need.

Related read: 9 Easy Morning Routine Ideas for Moms

4. Do 5 Mins Of Stretching In The Morning

How to get up earlier

After I get out of bed, I stretch for 5 mins.

The house is calm and quiet, and those 5 mins of stretching do wonders for releasing any stress I may be carrying from the day before. Talk about a boost to my energy levels! You can also try a few jumping jacks, yoga poses, or whatever helps you feel good first hign in the morning.

When I sit down to work, my body is relaxed, and I feel awake with a clear mind.

Perfect for getting the work I set out the night before done!

5. Put Down Your Phone

get up early without being tired

This one is hard.

With the multitude of social media sites and apps to distract you, how do you get over the temptation to look at your phone for a few mins when you get up early?

I always remind myself that what’s happening in the virtual world will still be there later in the day.

I won’t miss anything.

And that thought holds true for using your phone before you go to bed (a common course of sleep deprivation).

The key to waking up earlier is decluttering your mind before going to sleep with a relaxing bedtime routine.

Playing around on your phone only fills you with more information and ongoings of your friends and family that truly aren’t important to tap into at that time of the day. (Plus- the blue light affects your sleep cycle!)

You’re looking for restful sleep at night and zero distractions when you get up early.

Save phone time for other times of the day- in fact, keep it out of your room to avoid the temptation if possible. Which means not using your phone as an alarm clock.

This brings me to…

6. Read Before Bed

wake up early and not feel tired

According to this article, reading for only 6 minutes before bed can reduce stress by 68%.

That’s amazing!

I read a fiction book every single night before bed.

I get excited knowing I’m heading up to read a couple chapters of my book! 🙂

It’s relaxing, shifts my focus from work, and gives my lil ol’ brain a much-needed break.

What does that lead to?

Restful sleep that’s easy to wake up from without feeling tired.

Falling asleep easily and avoiding sleep deprivatoin, is the most important ingredient to waking up earlier without feeling tired! 🙂

If you’re looking for inspiration for your new morning routine, I highly recommend The Miracle Morning.  There is even an edition specifically tailored to families to maximize your morning potential! (My family loves all the tips from these books- I know you will too.)

7. Drink Lots Of Water

wake up without feeling tired

Most people are dehydrated and don’t even know it.

When you’re not hydrated, you feel sluggish and tired.

Even if you got 8 hours of sleep the night before!

I challenged myself to drink two liters of water every day, and I can’t even begin to tell you how much it’s helped me get up earlier without feeling tired or run down.

I just feel better overall.

Give it a try.

Keep a 1-liter water bottle like this one  (my fav!) beside you and sip away at it during your day.  My daughter now has her own mini version that she loves that comes with a baby-friendly straw (win-win!). 

I bet you start feeling energy you didn’t know existed!

8. Eat Dinner Early

wake up early not be tired

Eating dinner early is good for your digestion which then means it’s good for your sleep and sleep schedule.

Since you’ll digest your food earlier, your body can focus on getting the restful sleep quality it needs.

A huge thing when you’re trying to wake up earlier without feeling tired.

9. Meditate Before Bed

wake up early without being tired

I admit I don’t meditate every night before bed.

Sometimes the chaos of raising a family does get in the way, ha!

But when I can get a quiet 10 mins before I hop into bed (often when I’m in the bathroom, ha!) I meditate. It’s the best sleep medicine around!

There is nothing more relaxing, calming, stress-reducing, and spirit-aligning than meditation.

Not sure how to get started meditating?

Here are some books on meditation that I’ve read and loved to help you on your journey:

  1. 5-Minute Daily Meditations: Instant Wisdom, Clarity and Calm
  2. The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself
  3. You Have 4 Minutes to Change Your Life: Simple 4-Minute Meditations for Inspiration, Transformation, and True Bliss

10. Skip The Alcohol

Drinking disrupts your sleep pattern because your body must burn all the alcohol off which messes with your hormone balance for sleep (among other things) and keeps you from getting a deep restful sleep.

That means you spend less time at night getting good restful sleep no matter how early you go to bed or how fast you fall asleep.

Skipping the drinks means you get more restful sleep, making it much easier to wake up earlier without feeling tired or burnt out!

11. Have An Exercise Regime

tips waking up earlier

A body that moves stays healthy for so many reasons – most of us know that.

But when it comes to your sleep schedule, exercise can help you feel energized during the day and sleepy when you should be going to bed.

Exercise also reduces stress, so you won’t be worrying about that big project you’re working on.

If you think about it, exercise ultimately helps your body’s internal clock and sleep pattern, meaning you’re getting that restful sleep important to your getting up early.

Try working out at least 3 days a week.  As a mom, it might be easiest to sneak in some workout time when you have a spare moment at home (that’s what I do!).  You can simply use your body weight or grab some easy home gym accessories like weights or resistance bands

Your early morning self will thank you for it!

12. Take Melatonin

how to wake up earlier without feeling tired

Your body naturally produces the hormone Melatonin (it regulates your sleep and wake times).

If you’re struggling to get a good night’s rest, you can also take a Melatonin supplement to help regulate your sleep pattern when you want to start waking up early in the morning. (Talk to your doc if you are taking other meds or have concerns). 

You’ll fall asleep faster and stay sleeping longer.

You’ll wake up early feeling refreshed and ready to take on the day!

Other natural options for encouraging sleep are ginger and chamomile. 

Related read: How Can I Help My Baby Sleep?

Waking Up Early Benefits

If you’re still on the fence about waking up earlier consistently, here are some of the benefits of being a morning person:

✔Better quality sleep.
✔Good sleep pattern.
✔Reduce stress.
✔Allow you to be more productive.
✔You can work on your goals.
✔Time to yourself for some mom self-care.
✔Better mental health.
✔More energy.
✔Quiet time.

Like anything you do in your life, take your time getting into a routine of getting up earlier and becoming a morning person.

Start by getting up half an hour earlier than you do now to avoid unnecessary sleep deprivation as your body adjustes.

After about a week, get up another half an hour earlier.

Keep doing this until you’ve reached the time you desire to wake up each day.

Make notes in a journal about how good you feel and what you’ve accomplished in your newfound hours!

Waking up early is key to the success of your life goals.  Morning is when we’re most productive (I can vouch for that!)

Use some of my tips to help you stick to waking up earlier without feeling tired.

It can be done. You just have to commit to it. 🙂

Are you a self-professed night owl like I was?

What tips do you plan to use to wake up earlier without feeling tired?

Do you have any other tips for helping others wake up early?

Let me know in the comments!

get up earlier without feeling tired

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46 Comments

    1. Since I’ve been putting down my phone at night and when I get up, I feel less stressed. Definitely give it a try!

      Thanks for reading!
      Elaine x

  1. I do not have children, but I work tons of hours at work and have been trying to get better about waking up earlier so I can get things done that I do not have the energy to do after work. These are great tips to follow to help me better get on this schedule.

    1. I’m so glad you found the post helpful! Good luck and let me know how it goes! 🙂

      Elaine x

  2. I LOVE these tips! I try to do several of them to ensure I wake up feeling not as tired, but would love to incorporate more of these into my daily routine!

    1. You definitely should! You’ll be amazed at how good you’ll feel!

      Thanks for reading!

      Elaine x

  3. great post! i will defenitly have to give these a try, im always exhausted during the day and tell myself i’m going to bed early but then 10 pm hits and i have a second wind!

    1. I know all about that second wind lol!! The key is to change your sleep pattern!

      Good luck!!

      Elaine x

  4. This is a great list! I had to make a lot of these adjustments when my kids were born. The one that helped a ton was exercise, it helped to get diminish that second wind feeling I felt around bed time and now if I go for a long time without exercising, I can tell the difference in my sleep.

    1. Exercise is so important! It gives you energy AND helps you keep your early bedtime.

      A win-win!

      Thanks for reading!

      Elaine x

  5. I need to work on the “without being tired” part! ? Does reading bedtime stories count towards that 6 minutes? ? These are super tips – I need to put some of them to good use!

    1. Hahaha! The joys of motherhood! I do hope you use some of these tips! They work!

      Thanks for reading!

      Elaine x

    1. Putting your phone down is the hardest! I had trouble at first but not I love disconnecting and relaxing before bed and not getting distracted when I get up early in the morning!!

      Good luck!

      Thanks for reading!

      Elaine x

  6. I need to work on putting down the phone! It’s so hard though!!! I love having a great book to read that has really helped my fall asleep earlier!

    1. I find reading is so helpful to declutter my mind. I get excited when I know I’m heading to bed to read for a few mins!

      Thanks for reading!

      Elaine x

    1. Melatonin is my go to if I’m particularly stressed out haha!!

      Thanks for reading!

      Elaine x

  7. I’m happy that I do most of these but it still feels good to snuggle in bed for an extra minute or two before kicking myself out. I turn off all screens at least an hour before bed, i also do a bedtime yoga routine. I get bursts of energy in the evening too but my sleeping pill helps with that so I get to bed before 2am to get up at 6am.

    1. Wow good for you!! This girl needs her 8 hours of sleep to not feel tired! Yoga is definitely something I want to do in the future!!

      Thanks for reading!

      Elaine x

  8. Really great tips! In the summer I get up a few hours before my kids so I can get most of my work out of the way and it’s so nice to not have to stress about work and the kids when you get stuff done before they get up!

    1. Reading is so relaxing! And SO much better than surfing your phone!!

      Thanks for reading!

      Elaine x

  9. These are fantastic tips. I think the hardest one that I need to do better on is more water, waking up no matter what, and early dinner.

    1. Yes! Sipping water all day has helped give me energy!! I also find eating dinner early so helpful in making sure I want to go to bed early!

      Thanks for reading!

      Elaine x

    1. That is definitely an important way of making sure you don’t feel tired. Most people forget or don’t place a lot of value on eating dinner early but it works!

      Thanks for reading!

      Elaine x

  10. Great tips, thanks so much! Mentally I want to be an early morning person, and I know it would help me a lot to have even an extra hour to myself in the morning to get a head start on work. But physically I always want to keep sleeping and typically do. I know it can be done, but getting up at 6am instead of 7-7:30 just sounds so much worse in my head. lol

    1. Haha I’ve been exactly where you are! After being a self-professed night owl for years the thought of changing was actually scary at first. But I knew I needed to be more productive in order to make my business a success and it’s working! Getting up early takes a lifestyle change and that’s where most people get things wrong. It won’t happen overnight either – like anything worth doing, it takes time.

      Hope you can use my tips soon – I promise you’ll love getting up early especially when you see what it does for you!

      Thank you so much for reading!

      Elaine x

  11. Thank you for making these useful tips. I am personally the person who is difficult to wake up and go to bed earlier. When I tried to read all these tips, finally I find that’s point! And Everyone knows that one of the hardest things is putting down a phone at night. But we must try it if we want to get up earlier without feeling more tired.

    1. Hi Rahma!

      You’re so right. A lot of these tips for getting up early without feeling tired aren’t “easy”. Truthfully, if you want to be more productive and become an early riser, it’s going to require a lifestyle change. I hope you’re able to make the changes and that you are able to wake up early. Best of luck and tell me how it goes!

      Elaine x

  12. Hi Elaine, Thanks so much for these excellent tips! I’ve been reading about ways to wake up earlier for years and yours stands out as being one of the very best articles I’ve ever seen. I particularly like your suggestion to wake up a half hour earlier each week until you reach your desired wake time, reading before bed and writing a list that can act as a motivator when springing out of bed. Much appreciated!

    1. Thank you so much! I am a firm believer in the wake up earlier tips I provide because I use them myself so I know they work. Waking up earlier and adjusting my lifestyle has been a game changer as an entrepreneur. I’ve grown my business to success as a result of the productivity I’ve gotten from being an early riser and I know if people take the tips seriously, they too can have that kind of success.

      Thank you for reading! x

      Elaine

  13. Thanks,
    Great tips, however i would appreciate if you changed tip 4 to Prayer and Spiritual connection to your God
    It is God who gives the life we live and breathe to exercise and achieve our goals.
    This is very different from meditation

    1. Hi Goretti!

      Thank you for your reading and for your comment!

      I will leave that point alone as I write from the perspective that everyone can choose their beliefs and work through the tips with that in mind. Meditation is quite beneficial for a wide range of things so it is definitely important to mention it as a tool. Some of the most important benefits of meditation for waking up earlier is the fact it reduces stress, helps with anxiety, and enhances self-awareness. Getting a handle on those things will then help with waking up and achieving goals etc.

      Thank you for reading!

      Elaine xx

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