It turns out, you might just be setting unrealistic goals for yourself. If you tend to snooze your alarm clock, beg for five more minutes of sleep, and not want to talk to anyone until you’ve had your first cup of coffee, well, you just may not be a morning person. But that’s OK! “Interestingly, they’re all in various geographical settings,” Vora comments, “but all seem to have a community where you may hang out by the fire after sunset, eat dinner, dance, sing, maybe make love, and then it’s lights out because historically, it’s not safe for humans to be out in the dark.” Vora acknowledges that this early-to-bed, early-to-rise ideal can be easier said than done, but there can be some flexibility in scheduling. “It can vary a bit around the time of the year,” she says. “So maybe you go to bed a little later as it gets closer to summer solstice, and then in the winter, we should all be hibernating like bears.” Either way, aim to get to bed by around 10 p.m. to optimize your sleep schedule. The problem with blue light is that it signals the pineal gland in your brain not to put out melatonin8 and thus not to make you sleepy. “Even with a blue blocker on your phone, scrolling is neuro-excitatory9, and tells your brain that it’s time to get revved up. That’s the opposite of the signal you want to be sending your body in the evening with a big morning ahead of you!” Albina warns. “One of the most critical things is getting the phone out of the bedroom,” Vora says. “It’s a source of blue light and often the last thing we see before bed and the first thing we see when we wake up.” On top of that, she cautions, “So much of what’s on our phones is stressful, whether it’s geopolitical news or work emails or random dings and pings—you don’t want those associations to disrupt the quality of your sleep.” As Albina points out, our brains are wired to prefer a slower, steadier transition into the day10. One way to foster that kind of gentleness is to opt for a different kind of alarm—i.e., not the standard, suddenly blaring variety. 11 One study11 from researchers at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology found that melodic sounds of songs were strongly linked with less reported sleep inertia, while unmelodic or neutral sounds and songs were linked with more reported sleep inertia. So you may want to consider investing in an alarm that utilizes pleasant sounds or even one that simulates morning light12. “By getting up right when the alarm goes off, you’re also training yourself to have healthy sleep habits, and studies show that going to sleep and waking up around the same time daily leaves us feeling more rested overall.” According to Vora, that snooze function isn’t doing you any favors, but there is a way to taper usage without going cold turkey. “I think hitting the snooze button is like flushing money down the toilet: No one wins, you don’t get good rest or quality sleep, and you still may not get to work on time,” she says. “I recommend getting the phone out of the room and using an alarm clock. Then you can set two alarms: One is the nonnegotiable-latest-wake-up time alarm, and the other is about 10 to 15 minutes before that. That way, you can still get that ‘snow day’ feeling of, ‘oh, I can snooze!’ but that second one means business.” It makes sense that artificial outdoor lights13 would have the potential to negatively affect your circadian rhythm (your body’s mechanism for controlling the sleep-wake cycle) and that immersing yourself in total darkness could help communicate to your brain and body that it’s time to rest. But then there’s that whole issue of waking up. “What’s tricky is that if you live somewhere where it’s possible to have the sun slowly wake you in the morning without having artificial (and thus, blue) light exposure overnight, then I recommend sleeping without pulling the blinds.” And if that’s not an option? Investing in a dawn simulation alarm14 can help. And if your internal monologue around rest, sleep, and stress seems automatic, Albina says there are actionable steps you can take to start chipping away at old patterns. “Instead of running through every possible negative scenario, remember that your nervous system will react to your concerned thoughts with the appropriate chemicals,” she says. “Help calm and regulate your nervous system with practices like grounding and orienting. Next, consider focusing on a new thought, like, ‘my body will get the rest it needs,’ or ’the morning will be exactly what it will be, and I’m doing everything I can to make it wonderful.’ Focus on bringing the energy you want in your life into your life versus focusing on the potential negative.” She’s also a contributing editor at California Home Design.
