Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 3: Wake up
• Method 2 of 3: Continue the morning
• Method 3 of 3: Take precautions later in the day
• Warnings

Your body and mind need sleep every night to function properly. Yet everyone sometimes misses a full night's sleep. If you have to perform on little sleep, there are steps you can take to keep yourself awake during the morning hours.

To step

Method 1 of 3: Wake up

1. Do not press the snooze button. Wake up as soon as your alarm goes off. Reaching for the snooze button may seem like a good way to get a few extra minutes of sleep, but hitting snooze actually makes you feel more exhausted when you wake up.
   • If you wake up with an alarm clock, you are often shaken up in the middle of REM sleep. This is the deepest phase of the sleep cycle. It can be upsetting to be suddenly awakened from REM sleep. When you press the snooze button, your body starts a new sleep cycle, only to be suddenly awakened from your deep sleep. The cycle of falling asleep and waking up makes you even more exhausted when you finally get out of bed.
   • While it may be tempting to hit snooze for those extra few minutes, try forcing yourself to get up as soon as your alarm goes off. Try to remind yourself that this is better for you in the long run to motivate yourself to let go of the snooze button.
   • If you can't resist hitting the snooze button, consider setting the alarm on the other side of the room. That way you have to get up to turn it off. This can help you wake up.
2. Seek light immediately. The human brain responds to light as a sign to awaken from sleep. As soon as you wake up, try to expose yourself to bright light and sunlight. This signals your body and mind that it is time to wake up.
   • Natural sunlight is best. Open the curtains as soon as you get up or stand in the garden for a few minutes in the morning.
   • If you wake up before sunrise, turn on all the lights right away. Artificial light can be a good substitute for sunlight. There are alarm clocks that give an artificial sunrise as an alarm to lure you out of bed in the morning.
3. Take a moderate amount of coffee. Caffeine is a powerful stimulant. When used in moderation (200-400mg caffeine, or about a 240ml mug), drinking a caffeinated beverage in the morning can help you feel fresh all day long.
   • Studies show that the use of caffeine improves general cognitive function with little sleep. Have a cup of coffee within the first hour of waking up. This will help you feel energized all day long.
   • Don't overdo it. Many people think that drinking a lot of coffee or an energy drink packed with sugar and a lot of caffeine will help them wake up. But too much caffeine can cause dehydration, resulting in fatigue. In addition, you can develop other physical symptoms, such as anxiety and concentration problems.
   • Do not take caffeine at least six hours before bed, as it has been found to interfere with sleep.

Method 2 of 3: Continue the morning

1. Stay hydrated. Hydration can help prevent fatigue, especially if you're on a lack of sleep. Make sure to stay hydrated throughout the morning to help wake yourself up.
   • Start the day with one to two 240ml glasses of water. Continue to drink water throughout the day. Drink a total of 9 to 13 glasses (2 to 3 liters) of water throughout the day, which is the generally recommended amount. Remember that everyone is different, so you may need a little more or less. Bring a bottle of water to work or school and sip it regularly.
   • Also eat foods with a high water content, such as iceberg lettuce, cucumber, green peppers, watermelon and carrots.
2. Get some exercise. Keep moving all morning. Exercise promotes circulation, making you feel energized all day long.
   • If you have time to exercise in the morning, do it. Just doing some light aerobics at home, something like jumping jacks, for 20 to 30 minutes can help you wake up.
   • However, if you don't have time for a brisk workout, a light walk can help. If possible, consider walking to work or school instead of driving. Walk around the block for 15 minutes before jumping in the shower. This has the added advantage that you are exposed to natural sunlight, which can be stimulating.
3. Have breakfast. If you're trying to wake up with little sleep, breakfast is vital. Your body needs all the fuel it can get to run smoothly despite a lack of rest.
   • Try to eat breakfast within an hour of waking up. Research shows that this improves your overall alertness later in the day.
   • When you're sleepy, you tend to crave sugar and carbohydrates - use your willpower to avoid this. Go for a healthy breakfast such as oatmeal, yogurt and fruit, or hard-boiled eggs. Processed foods and junk foods will give you a slump later on, making you even more tired.

Method 3 of 3: Take precautions later in the day

1. Try to relax as much as possible. Try to relax later in the day and avoid activities that require a lot of mental processing. If you have work or school this can be difficult. If possible, move meetings or phone calls at work. Limit interactions with others, as people who sleep little tend not to pick up on non-verbal social cues. Don't make it too difficult for yourself all day long. Remember that everyone has bad days.If you do not function optimally during a class hour or a working day, you can always do better tomorrow.
   • The calmer your mind is during the day, the faster you will fall asleep at night.
2. Don't multitask. Your memory is affected if you have not slept much. Multitasking at work and school is a bad idea. Try to stick to one task at a time if you haven't slept much.
3. Take steps to improve your sleeping habits. If you regularly get too little sleep, look for long-term solutions. Try to improve your sleeping habits so that you fall asleep more easily and get a good night's sleep every night.
   • Go to sleep at about the same time every day and wake up at about the same time. Your body functions in a natural circadian rhythm. If you go to sleep at 11 a.m. every night and wake up at 8 a.m., your body adjusts naturally. You feel tired before going to sleep and energized in the morning.
   • Keep your sleeping and waking life separate. Don't keep electronics in your bedroom or engage in activities other than sleeping (or having sex) in your bed. You want your body to associate your bedroom with sleep time so that your mind is ready for rest when you get into bed.
   • Perform a relaxing ritual before going to sleep. Before going to sleep, do a restful activity, such as meditating, reading, or taking a warm bath. Having nighttime rituals that you perform before going to bed will help alert your body that it is time to go to sleep.

Warnings

• Do not drive if you have slept little. Lack of sleep at the wheel can lead to accidents.
• Although you can never "catch up" to sleep, an afternoon nap with sleep deprivation can increase your alertness and thus help better than caffeine. A 15 to 20 minute nap during the day resets your system and has been shown to increase your energy and alertness and improve your motor performance. Do not take naps that last longer than 20 minutes, as you may enter REM sleep, which can lead to dullness upon waking.