how a night owl joined the 5am club: developing a healthful morning routine
Hi, hello it’s me - a former anti-morning night owl completely transformed into a member of the 5am club — who now considers the morning her favorite time of day. One of my favorite evolutions in my wellness journey was changing the structure of my day. I find myself to be the most productive, most motivated, most ON FIRE in the morning hours and much of my business and self development work takes place between 5am and 8am — this time of day is everything to me.
However, as mentioned, I wasn’t always this way. Pre-pandemic, I worked mostly nights given the nature of my job. My hours typically ranged from 6pm to around 12am, oftentimes getting to sleep around 1-2am. If class was not an issue the next morning, I’d likely sleep til about 10-11am and repeat the cycle the next night. This was my norm — considering I’ve been a bartender for nearly 10 years and in the restaurant industry for about 14 — it came with the territory. Obviously, my night shifts prevented me from truly taking care of my mind and body with respect to honoring my circadian rhythm and prioritizing my sleep wake cycle. There’s also the potential that those of you reading may engage in shift/overnight work which also prevents you from ‘rising and setting with the sun.’ However, it is still possible to cultivate better lifestyle habits to optimize your mornings, optimize your sleep, and optimize your wellness.
Over the course of the pandemic, given the impact this had on the restaurant industry, things changed. I abruptly got a taste of what it was like having evenings off, getting to bed at a reasonable hour — and it was lovely. While I was out of a job for several months given the circumstances, I am so grateful to have had this opportunity to revise my routine and take better care of myself along the way.
Fast forward now, as we’ve entered 2023, and my mornings are my favorite time of day.
A few things that have helped me become a morning person:
1. Prioritizing an earlier bedtime - the obvious. Now that I work mainly days, I am able to get to bed between 8pm and 9pm every night and it has been one of my favorite developed habits. This obviously has it’s setbacks at times, especially on the weekends when socializing, it can be more challenging. But, the benefits I find it brings me outweigh the periodic difficulty I have staying up past 10pm.
2. Develop a morning routine I am excited about — coffee, reading, journaling, coffee, my sunrise walk with Lu, writing my book, drinking my greens, coffee — did I mention coffee? I get so excited for my mornings that getting out of bed becomes much easier. How can you choose to create a morning routine that gets your excited? Maybe it’s stretching first thing that makes you feel good, or a self-development book that fuels your fire for the day — maybe it’s gratitude journaling or taking your dog for a longer walk. Whatever it is, do it, and then do it again. Repeat it so that it becomes a part of your routine. As you build a routine that fills your cup, the morning becomes so much more accessible to you.
3. Prioritizing my circadian rhythm — engaging in behaviors and lifestyle practices that best support my natural rhythm allow me to feel tired when I’m supposed to and feel rested and ready to rock upon waking. This means — avoiding blue light technology before bed, avoiding hitting snooze, avoiding caffeine too late in the day, among other lifestyle choices that influence our rhythm.
4. Developing a solid nighttime routine and consistent sleep hygiene - creating a consistent nighttime routine and getting to bed at the same time each night helps improve the quality of your sleep and as a result, facilitates your ability to feel rested upon waking. I firmly believe that your morning and nighttime routines are the bookends of your day — they help keep your day upright. If you’re not prioritizing restful sleep, your mornings will be much more intolerable. Address any sleep concerns, get to the root of the issue, then develop proper sleep hygiene — you will wake up much more refreshed.
5. Just the simple fact I have time in the morning to get ready for my day - motivation enough. Waking up late and/or rushing to get out the door (or in some cases, log onto Zoom), is not healthy for your stress response. If you are beginning the day in this energy, it will dictate the trajectory of your day as well as trigger your stress response which promotes inflammation. Giving yourself the time to get your day going not only helps you feel more prepared, but inhibits the possibility that your sympathetic nervous system is activated, digestion is impaired, and inflammation can ensue.
6. Took small steps to do so. I won’t lie and say that I joined the 5am club overnight (pardon the pun). Instead, just like my philosophy in coaching, I took small steps that lead to the sustainable change. I started by waking up earlier, around 7-8am, and continued to pull back by 15-30mins to get to 4:50am-5:00am.
7. My Hatch alarm clock! While this is a recent addition to my nightstand, it has become so helpful to support my body in terms of sleep and waking. I feel this could be super valuable to anyone who is looking to better support their sleep — a worthy investment. I also find myself avoiding technology for much longer in the mornings which is also super important for your wellness and supporting your stress response.
If you are wanting to improve your mornings, as they truly do set the tone for the remainder of the day, let’s chat. While you may not want to become a 5am club member, it is still very important to give yourself the time in the morning to get ready for the day, eat a nourishing breakfast, and the rest as the stress from a chaotic start can impact your health exponentially. The morning has truly changed my life - in a number of ways - and it has become a nonnegotiable part of my daily routine.
If you need support in this area, I am now accepting 1:1 clients.
