If you're not a morning person, waking up can be a real chore.
Thankfully coffee exists to help give you that much-needed boost. But what happens if you need to cut down your caffeine consumption? Or you simply haven't got any of those magical beans in the house?
The folks at ASAP Science have put together a handy list of natural (and scientifically proven) hacks which can help wake you up of a morning - and there's not an espresso in sight.
1. Find the light
Melatonin is a hormone secreted by the brain and is critical in regulating your sleep. When it's dark your body produces more melatonin making you sleepy and when it's light the production of melatonin drops.
If you're struggling to wake up, open those curtains, get outdoors and see the light.
If it's winter or you wake up before the sun rises, try an illuminating alarm clock.
2. Take a cold shower
Or end your shower with cold water.
Studies have shown that exposing yourself to cold water can activate components of the brain responsible for regulating wakefulness.
The shock of cold water on your body can also increase your metabolic rate, reducing feelings of fatigue.
3. Hydrate yourself
Much of your body is made up of water (60% to be precise), but when you sleep you sweat, breathe and get up to go to the toilet - all of which can dehydrate you.
Research suggests mild dehydration reduces alertness, increases fatigue and negatively affects mental concentration.
So down a glass of water first thing.
4. Eat a healthy breakfast
A study discovered that people feel more alert after consuming breakfast first thing in the morning.
If the breakfast is high in sugar, alertness wears off quickly.
However if the breakfast is high in fibre and carbohydrates, alertness lasts longer throughout the morning.
5. Drink orange juice
Citrus fruits are high in flavonoids, which have been linked to slowing cognitive decline associated with ageing and decreasing the onset of diseases like Alzheimer's.
One study found that participants who consumed flavonoid-rich orange juice had increased alertness and cognitive function than those in a control group.
6. Get active
Studies have found that physically active students tended to perform better on tests than those were less active.
Exercise enhances cognition, due to the increased blood flow throughout the body, providing your brain with more oxygen and increasing mental performance.
The hippocampus, which is part of the brain critical for learning, is also highly active during exercise.
7. Listen to music
Music has the ability to send you into a state of arousal, causing pupils to dilate and blood pressure to increase.
It can also increase activations in regions of the brain associated with movement and emotion, while potentially releasing the feel-good chemical dopamine throughout your body.
