5 morning routines that won’t wear you out

5 morning routines that won’t wear you out

When you feel tired throughout the work day, you might blame it on a late night or poor sleep. But your morning routine might actually be what started you out on the wrong foot.

“We have been told how important sleep is to wellness,” says Dr. Ric Saguil, a family medicine physician with Advocate Medical Group. “But our wellness also begins each morning when we open our eyes.”

Dr. Saguil offers these seven tips to start the day off right:

  • Wake up, get up: Spending an extra 20 minutes in bed on your phone or going back to sleep does two things to your body. First, it tells your body that it should stay sleepy. And second, if you fall back to sleep and end up snoozing, you will be waking up in the middle of REM sleep, which can leave you disoriented and even more tired.
  • Rehydrate: Getting fluid in your body after sleeping all night makes sense; your body is thirsty. Having a cup of water or tea will help you begin to hydrate and will also prevent irritability and tiredness, which are common symptoms of dehydration.
  • Morning shower: Night showers, though they sound like a good idea, actually do the reverse of what you need right before going to bed. In order to sleep, your body needs to lower its temperature. A shower at night prolongs that cooling process and makes it hard to go to sleep.
  • Move: Exercising or even a brisk walk or stretch the first hour you wake up has proven to help energize the body to prepare for the rest of the day. It increases endorphins and gets oxygen and nutrients flowing in your body, which in turn helps the lungs and the heart to be at active and awake rates.
  • Helpful sounds: Whether you use your phone, your favorite song, an alarm or a radio station to get you awake and going, it’s important to avoid music and sounds which evoke a sleepy lullaby tune and stress-inducing chords.

“Altering these habitual tendencies will cause a significant shift in your energy levels throughout the day,” says Dr. Saguil. “These steps may help you feel less tired and possess a healthier, positive outlook throughout the day.”

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Comments

11 Comments

  1. Gloria Picchetti October 7, 2019 at 7:22 pm · Reply

    I love my AM routine no matter what I do first and I am sticking with it. Yoga, coffee, prayer, charity email clicks for the welfare of animals.

  2. Showering after sleeping means you sleep with the previous days dirt, grime & sweat. I prefer sleeping kleen!

  3. I have heard that night time showers can relax you and help you fall asleep. Which is it?!?

  4. I agree with Mr. Kleen – when I sleep without a night shower, I find that all the oils and grime on my body keep me warm and uncomfortable, whereas when I do shower at night, my body feels more relaxed, and maybe I get warmed up by the warm water, but by body quickly finds its equilibrium and I definitely fall asleep a lot faster.

  5. Thank you for the advise but I agree with the above comments that showering before going to bed does more better with additional relaxed benefits

  6. Candyce Grzenia April 13, 2020 at 3:01 pm · Reply

    I had always heard that a relaxing bath before bedtime was the correct thing to do to help relax you to sleep better. I know there are people that don’t like to take baths because they feel they’re just sitting in their grime, and if there are people that feel a shower relaxes them, then I guess they should know if they’re getting enough rest or not. I, myself, think that a shower is the wake up solution.

  7. I maintain a consistent “early to bed and early to rise” routine daily. I avoid watching news and other shows prior to going to bed. I am up early everyday since retiring in 2013 and I exercise 6 days awake. Now that the YMCA is closed I use our treadmill, walk out side using social distancing. I also have some light exercise items such as stretch bands, exercise ball. I do push ups for strength, I study Bible lessons, read and pray. I do drink about 16 oz of water every morning and continue to drink water all day. I eat fruits and vegetables and avoid red meats and processed foods as much as is possible. Mentally, spiritually and physically is my approach healthy living.

  8. I need a morning shower to get going. I am very stiff in the morning and the shower loosens everything up. Also then I feel awake and ready to go .

  9. I exercise heavily and sweat a lot during the day. I need a shower in the evening. Besides, I take cool showers, especially in the summer. Hot showers are not good for the skin.

  10. I prefer showering before bed myself. It helps relax me and I fall asleep faster. I start my day with a meditation and drink a glass of water.

  11. To those of you preferring night showers, did you read the reason they listed for not recommending it? It has to do with temperature. If you were to cool off during or after the bathing then you’d be able to do what you want and still achieve good sleep…at least based on the opinions in the article.

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About the Author

Jennifer Benson
Jennifer Benson

Jennifer Benson, health enews contributor, is coordinator of public affairs for Advocate Health Care and Aurora Health Care. She has 10+ years of community development and communication experience for non-profits and has a BA in Architecture from Judson University in Elgin, IL. Outside of work, you can find her planning the next adventure near water or rocks, re-organizing spaces, working on her Master’s in Public Health, caring for her senior citizen cat, keeping to healthy moving and eating disciplines and growing green things wherever she can find room.