Waking up early is good habit. We have been told this very often. Why? What doe it matter if we sleep till eight or nine in the morning instead of waking up at six or seven? To exactly answer that question to ourselves we must try it out. Arguments and counter-arguments do not go a long way. For me the answer is that I feel happier, I get more time to do things like reading, exercising, meditating, cooking and eating. If i do not wake up early I feel less enthusiastic at work. The morning rays of the sun are very good stimulator. They awake us gently and make us ready for the day ahead.
Does that mean that people who are forced to wake up early like our newspaper man or the milkman are happier? I doubt that supposition! Yes, the sun would not discriminate, we still get the benefits but not in its full measure. It is a joy to wake up naturally at daybreak. It is the same difference when we study because we are forced to sit with our book and when we study something out of our own interest. And where does that interest come from? It comes when we appreciate the purpose behind the act ourselves, without being prompted each time. It is a rare privilege to be in a position to wake up early out of our own interest.
There are a few simple things to make it happen. The single most important thing is to get a good sleep. Waking up early and refreshed is a direct consequence of it. How to make it happen? How to have a good night’s sleep? There are a number of factors and the correct answer will differ for each one of us. There is no one-fits-all solution. We need to observe our sleep pattern and what affects it for a few days to get the most appropriate solution. However we can make certain common observations. We will discuss some them here.
Preparing to go to sleep. It is best to be calm and do some light activity immediately before you go to sleep. The point is that you should not be agitated or your mind preoccupied when you lie down to sleep. It is certainly a helpful habit to do prayer. The more regular you are in your habits the more effective they become. One important remark that I have here is that music does not necessarily help us have a good sleep. We should be able to fall asleep naturally without the music still on.
The body has its own clock. The body clock tries to keep a routine for us. It becomes easier to wake up early each time you do it. Another very important scientific fact to understand is about the body temperature. When the sleep is complete and we are about to wake up the body temperature rises a little. It is difficult to wake up if you are cold. Sleeping without bright lights around us and a quite environment helps us have a good sleep. It might seem revolting to some who are habituated to sleeping on their belly but we can get a more relaxing sleep if we sleep on our back or side. When we sleep on our belly our natural breathing is obstructed.
When we wake up it is best to be exposed to the warmth and light of the sun. It is the best stimulant to feel awake and alert. Artificial light is not as effective. The point is that we cannot awake comfortable in a dark and cold room. The sunlight also sets our body clock and helps us follow a healthy routine.
Immediately after waking up it is most helpful if we do a little exercise which will help the body temperature rise. Light breathing exercises are very effective in doing so. If we sit down to read some book or browsing the internet or watching the TV we still remain sleepy. Simple breathing exercises are good to energise us. It is important to keep the back straight. We can immediately see the difference when we sit erect and we slump. When we sit erect we feel more confident and alert. The point here is that we should engage in some physically stimulating activity in the morning to keep us fit and active. Sitting down to some mental work immediately after waking up is not advisable. Taking a light shower is perhaps one of the simplest physical activity to do in the morning that will immediately remove the sleepiness.
Thank you for reading this, if you have a comment you are welcome to write it. Your views are most welcome.
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