If you can’t resist a lie in and hitting the snooze button is a big part of your morning routine, you might want to rethink before you pull the duvet over your head – as it could be making you fat, unhealthy and unhappy.
Researchers from Roehampton University found that ‘morning people’ who get up earlier lead happier, healthier and more productive lives than those who hide under the sheets for those extra hours of shut-eye.
After quizzing 1,068 adults about their everyday lives, the study found that those who leap out of bed at 6:58am, were generally healthier, thrive in the workplace and had higher levels of happiness than the night owls, who start their day at 8:54am.
Although, it’s not all about jumping out of bed at sunrise. Early risers are partial to a lie-in at weekend, but only until 7:47am, where the late sleepers stay put until 10:09am.
So is getting up at the crack of dawn the secret to a happy, healthy and slimmer life?
“Maybe morning types are just better suited to this industrial world we are in, than late risers,” says Dr. Joerg Huber, of Roehampton University.
If you’re in the late riser camp and can’t pull yourself away from your bed earlier than 8am, check out these helpful tips on how to be an early riser by life coach Sophia Davis.
1. Get to bed before the clock strikes midnight. It has been proven that you get a better quality of sleep before 12 and ancient Chinese practitioners swear by it!
2. Ease yourself out of bed gently. Set your alarm 15 minutes earlier than you need to get up. Find some nice calm or uplifting music online and download it onto your phone to use as an alarm. It eases you into your day far better than a loud beep and a rush to get up will.
3. Head to the gym or cycle to work. Exercise in the morning will set you up nicely to feel re-energised and ready for your day. Not only this, but you will feel great about yourself having worked your muscles and relaxed and centred your mind before your day really begins.
4. Positive affirmations. Sounds simple, but just by telling yourself that you are going to have a great day and feel energised and happy will make a massive amount of difference. You get back what you put out, and even science is telling us how powerful our thoughts are.
5. Meditation. Sitting quietly for 10 minutes in the morning upright and concentrating on your breath, or listening to a guided re-energising meditation which you can listen to free on YouTube or download online will do wonders for your general well-being. Large companies like Ernst and Young are now introducing meditation into the workplace because its proven effects on wellbeing and concentration amongst other things. Its simple to do, and costs nothing, so give it a go and watch yourself go from strength to strength.