For some people, waking up in the morning is no problem. They thrive in the early hours of the day and even enjoy being up before the sun breaks. For others, rising early can be incredibly stressful and almost impossible to do. They are more comfortable staying up late and sleeping in as long as possible.

This is great on the weekends, but for most of us we have an early call time when it comes to the work week. It might seem fun the night before to stay up late watching shows or using the computer, but we certainly pay the price the next morning. Here are some tips on ways that you can work towards becoming a morning person — and not actually hate it.

Set your alarm 15-30 min earlier every week

Becoming a morning person isn’t going to happen overnight. Gradually train your body to wake up a little earlier each week by setting your alarm 15-30 min earlier than normal each day for a week. Do the same thing the following week using your newly established wake up time from the previous week. Do this until you reach your desired wake up time.

Go to bed early enough to get a full night’s sleep

One thing that will help those earlier wake up times is making sure to get enough sleep. Most adults function best on 6-8 hours of sleep, so figure out when you need to wake up and work backwards from there. Sleep is incredibly important for many different bodily processes, so make sure to give it the priority it deserves.

Get ready for bed an hour before you aim to be asleep

An hour before you want to be asleep, start your nighttime routine. Brush your teeth, wash your face, and change into clothes you will sleep in. This is a cue to the body that sleep is coming soon and will also prevent you from staying up later than intended by starting your routine at the time you should already be in bed.

Limit phone and TV usage 30 min prior to sleep

Studies have shown  that blue light sources — those from phone and tablet screens, for instance — are the most disruptive to the body’s natural sleep and wake cycles. At least 30 minute prior to sleep, make sure to put away sources of blue light so that your body is naturally able to start the sleep cycle.



Stop snoozing

Although snoozing the alarm can seem like a way for you to get every last second of sleep, it can actually be more disruptive to your sleep patterns. Simply getting up and moving around will start to wake you up and even though you may feel tired when the alarm goes off, getting out of bed will wake you up and allow you to start your day.

Making sleep a priority is the biggest step you can take towards shifting your wake up times. Make sure to get enough and soon those mornings won’t feel so rough anymore.