Whether you’re a night owl, a late riser, or just not a morning person – for many people, the day gets off to a reluctant start. Instead of waking up feeling refreshed, they hit the snooze button several times, roll over, and would love nothing more than to just keep sleeping. Especially in the first few minutes after getting out of bed, many people feel sleep-deprived, lethargic, or irritable.
Why Morning Grouches Have Such a Hard Time Waking Up
Yet a rough start to the day often has less to do with a lack of discipline than with our internal clock and what’s known as sleep inertia. Experts use this term to describe the state between sleeping and waking, in which the body has already woken up, but the brain still needs time to fully adjust to the day. Morning grouches, in particular, often experience this phase especially intensely.
On top of that, not everyone has the same sleep rhythm. While some people are wide awake early in the morning, others don’t really get going until later. You can also learn about the role chronotype, sleep rhythm, and established habits play in this in our article Bedtime – when should you go to bed?
The good news: There are things you can do to make it easier to get up in the morning and wake up more effectively. Often, even small changes in your daily routine and sleep habits can help.
Tips for Morning Grouches: Start Your Day Off Right
1. Don’t jump out of bed right away – wake up slowly instead
Many morning grouches put pressure on themselves and resolve to jump out of bed the moment the alarm goes off. However, very few actually manage to do this. It’s often more pleasant to give your body a few minutes to wake up slowly.
After the alarm goes off, consciously open your eyes and don’t lie there with your eyes closed. Gently stretch under the covers, move your arms and legs, and slowly wake your body up. Even small movements help your body transition from sleep to wakefulness.
Morning grouches in particular benefit from starting the day more calmly instead of immediately feeling stressed.
2. It’s best to avoid the snooze button
As tempting as those famous “five more minutes” may seem – the snooze button often makes getting up even harder for morning grouches. If you fall back asleep after the first alarm goes off, you’re putting your body back into rest mode. Being woken up again a few minutes later can cause the tiredness to linger even longer.
Many people therefore feel even more exhausted after snoozing multiple times than they did before. It often makes more sense to set the alarm a little later and then get up on purpose.
It can also be helpful not to place the alarm clock right next to the bed. If you have to get up to turn it off, it’s often easier to actually stay awake.
3. Mentally prepare yourself for the day
Your mind also needs time in the morning to get going. For many morning grouches, it therefore helps to briefly get in the right frame of mind for the day while still in bed. What appointments are coming up? What are you looking forward to today? What tasks need to be done?
This little mental preparation helps to slowly activate the brain and mentally ease into the day. At the same time, it prevents you from feeling frantic or stressed right after waking up.
4. Light helps the body wake up
Light is one of the most important signals for our internal clock. As long as it’s dark, the body continues to produce melatonin – the hormone that promotes sleepiness. Only light signals to the body that the night is over.
So open the curtains or blinds as soon as possible in the morning and let daylight into the bedroom. Even on gray days, natural light is significantly more intense than artificial indoor lighting.
Especially in winter, many morning grouches find it harder to get up because it’s often still dark in the morning. Daylight lamps can be helpful here and assist the body in waking up faster.
5. Fresh air helps you wake up
Along with light, fresh air should also enter the bedroom in the morning. Open the window, take a deep breath, or – if possible – step out briefly onto the balcony or into the garden.
Fresh air supplies the brain with oxygen and helps you feel more alert. Just a few minutes can be enough to make you feel more awake and alert.
Furthermore, regular exercise in daily life has been shown to improve sleep quality. Those who get enough exercise during the day often sleep more deeply and start the morning feeling less groggy.
6. Cold water can help morning grouches
Cold water can also be a real wake-up call in the morning. Cool stimuli stimulate blood circulation and help the body get into the swing of the day more quickly.
It doesn’t have to be an ice-cold shower right away. Often, simply splashing cold water on your face or hands is enough. Many people also find a few seconds of cool water at the end of their shower pleasantly invigorating.
7. Music puts you in a good mood in the morning
Music often influences our mood more than we realize. Morning grouches, in particular, benefit from pleasant, rhythmic songs in the morning rather than shrill alarm tones or hectic background noise.
A favorite morning playlist can help you start the day feeling more relaxed and positive. At the same time, the brain is activated by auditory stimuli, making the transition from sleep to wakefulness easier.
8. The right breakfast makes a difference
Breakfast also influences how energetic we feel in the morning. Meals very high in sugar cause blood sugar levels to rise quickly at first, but then often drop again. This can lead to fatigue and difficulty concentrating.
Balanced breakfasts with complex carbohydrates, protein, and healthy fats are a better choice. However, if you aren’t very hungry in the morning, you shouldn’t force yourself. Often, a large glass of water is enough to start with, since the body loses fluids overnight.
9. Stay active in the morning if possible
Many morning grouches start their day by settling in on the sofa with coffee or their smartphone. However, this often keeps the body in rest mode for longer. It makes more sense to get some movement into your morning right away – but without pressure or strenuous workouts.
Even small activities help your body adjust. Open the windows, walk a few steps around the apartment, or plan a short morning walk. Natural daylight, in particular, helps the body wake up faster and stabilize its internal clock.
Simple daily routines can also help. Getting active right away in the morning – unloading the dishwasher or walking short distances – helps the body transition more easily from sleep to wakefulness.
The morning often begins the night before
Many people who aren’t morning people focus solely on the act of getting out of bed. Yet they often underestimate just how crucial the quality of sleep is for a good morning.
Those who spend a long time scrolling on their smartphones in the evening, are under stress, go to bed too late, or wake up frequently during the night often feel unrested in the morning, even if they’ve slept long enough. An uncomfortable sleeping environment, heavy sweating, or an awkward sleeping position can also prevent the body from fully regenerating at night.
Regular bedtimes, relaxing evening rituals, and a quiet sleeping environment help the body wind down more effectively. However, many people deliberately put off going to bed even though they’re actually tired – for example, to finally have some time to themselves. This behavior is also known as bedtime procrastination and is one of the most frequently underestimated causes of sleep deprivation and morning exhaustion. At the same time, poor or restless sleep can contribute to feeling constantly tired in the morning despite having slept long enough.
Anyone who has a hard time getting out of bed in the morning, even though they’ve actually slept enough, should therefore take a closer look not only at the morning itself but also at the quality of their sleep during the night.
Sleep well, wake up better – with the right sleep environment
Restful sleep is the most important foundation for an easier start to the day. Morning grouches in particular benefit from a sleep environment that optimally supports the body during the night.
The COSIDREAM® NATURE natural pillow, made with high-quality pure sheep’s wool, offers exceptional moisture management and superior comfort. The breathable natural filling promotes a dry, balanced sleeping experience, contributing to a more restful night and a more refreshed awakening.
In addition, the CONCERTO® topper ensures hygienic freshness and a pleasantly balanced sleeping climate thanks to its breathable, silver-infused fiber blend. At the same time, it helps prevent a damp or cool sleeping surface – an important factor for peaceful and comfortable sleep. People who sweat easily at night or value an easy-care and hygienic sleeping environment particularly benefit from the topper’s moisture-regulating properties.
The cozy ALCANDO® fiber blanket impresses with its easy-care properties, a pleasantly soft sleeping experience, and excellent moisture wicking. The hydrophilic cover fabric made of fine cotton percale supports a balanced sleeping climate and, together with the high-loft fiber filling, ensures comfortable nights. Particularly practical: The duvet is available in various sizes and warmth levels – from light to warm, as well as an all-season version – and can thus be optimally adapted to personal sleeping habits and individual warmth needs.
A good morning often begins long before the alarm clock rings – with a restful night’s sleep.
