Tips to become a morning person

Some people seem to be natural morning people. They find it easy to wake up early and get their day started. Others dread early mornings but seem to thrive late at night.

If you're a night owl, you might be wondering how you can shift your body clock to become a morning person. First, let's cover why some people are morning people and others are night owls.

Morning lovers and night owls

Your chronotype (morning lover or night owl) is determined by your sleep-wake cycle, which is dictated by your circadian rhythm. Your circadian rhythm is like an internal body clock, and it is mainly regulated by a hormone called melatonin, which naturally rises and falls each night and day.

Although the natural fluctuations in melatonin will be similar in all humans, there are slight variations from person to person, and it's these variations that determine whether you're an early bird or a night owl.

Why become a morning person?

Although neither chronotype (early bird or night owl) have specific health benefits in and of themselves, the former (early bird) tends to have advantages over the latter (night owl) in the modern-day world.

Many of us are expected to start work in the morning, children need to be at school in the morning, and many in-person services are not available late in the evening. For these reasons, being a late riser can sometimes interfere with some activities.  

How to become a morning person

Luckily, there are plenty of things that you can do to help become more of a morning person.

• Try to maintain a regular nighttime routine
• Switch off technology or use blue light-blocking glasses after 7 pm
• Try and eat your last large meal at least three hours before you go to bed
• Get outside into the sunlight first thing in the morning
• Exercise regularly
• Open your curtains in the morning when you wake up
• Make sure you're in bed by 11 pm when your melatonin level is reaching its peak
• Avoid coffee consumption after 3 pm if you're particularly sensitive to caffeine
• Having a morning routine you enjoy