Some people have a lot of stress in the morning, others start the day relaxed. But if your energy levels are already at zero before lunch, you should rethink your morning routine.
Regardless of whether you’re a morning grouch or an early riser – everyone has their own morning routine during the week.
Anyone who has found their ideal morning routine and enjoys lots of energy and vigor all day long can be satisfied.
However, if you’re feeling sluggish, tired or stressed, it’s time to check your routines and perhaps make a few changes. Because some morning routines that seem healthy are actually counterproductive.
The alarm goes off and you immediately jump out of bed – at first glance, this seems like a good way to start the day.
Dr. Catherine Jackson, a qualified psychologist and certified neurotherapist, tells Bustle that this stress can put unnecessary strain on the body and even cause anxiety.
So if you tend to start your day really quickly, take a moment. Stay lying down for a moment, slowly wake up or meditate and prepare yourself for the day ahead.
On the other hand, it is equally unhealthy to press the snooze button repeatedly and fall back into sleep several times. This little nap affects the brain.
“This is because a sleep cycle lasts around 75 to 90 minutes,” says psychotherapist Dr. Lin Anderson. “On average, you go through three to five sleep cycles in a night.”
She explains: “If you now select the ‘snooze’ option, the brain is put into a sleep cycle, which is suddenly interrupted nine minutes later by the alarm.” This can lead to what is known as sleep inertia: you feel sluggish for the rest of the day.
The first thing you do when you wake up is scroll through the apps on your smartphone? Not a good idea.
“Oftentimes, looking at missed notifications, emails, and updates can trigger stress and anxiety, shifting your mindset from calm to disorganized,” explains Dr. Kristamarie Collman.
“Instead, when you wake up, take a few minutes to enjoy your morning by choosing a different activity that is more tailored to your needs,” she explains.
Small rituals like meditating, listening to music or having a cup of tea can make the morning much more pleasant.
Juice can be part of a healthy breakfast. However, if you often feel tired in the late morning, you may want to consider eating something else.
“The problem with juicing is that when you juice, pretty much all of the fiber is lost from the fruit,” explains certified health coach Marissa Szabo.
“However, fiber helps slow the absorption of sugars from fruits so they don’t dramatically affect blood sugar.”
So whole fruits are fine. But without the fiber on the fibers, the sugar increases blood sugar levels very quickly. This crashes again shortly afterwards and you get tired.
“Hot showers are relaxing and can help increase alertness. But they also damage the skin,” says Dr. Thanu Jey, clinical director of the Yorkville Sports Medicine Clinic. “This is especially true for dry skin, as the hot water will only make the condition worse.”
But that’s not the only reason to take cooler showers. Even with injuries, showers that are too hot can increase the inflammatory reaction and slow healing.
It is important to listen to your body. If that means eating breakfast later or just eating a snack, that’s perfectly fine.
However, skipping breakfast simply to lose weight or because it is supposed to be healthy is not a good idea. When you sleep, the body fasts. After that, it is important that you provide it with nutrients.
At breakfast you shouldn’t overindulge in foods like cereal, toast or bagels. The body does need carbohydrates. However, if you eat too much of these early on, this can lead to a crash in your blood sugar.
Instead, try eating a protein-based breakfast like eggs or a smoothie with nuts and seeds.
If you do want to eat carbohydrates, choose complex carbohydrates like oatmeal. These also contain proteins and fiber. This combination slows down digestion and makes you feel full and satisfied for longer.
Of course, it’s important to think about what’s going on during the day. However, that doesn’t mean that you necessarily have to do things early in the morning – especially if they cause stress.
A calm morning routine, on the other hand, can reduce stress and let you start the day with peace.
“It’s okay to consume caffeine every now and then,” explains doctor Dr. Rob Danoff.”But relying on coffee to give you energy instead of getting better sleep can lead to a vicious cycle of fatigue.”
If you need plenty of caffeine to keep you going during the day, it could be a sign that you’re sleep-deprived.
Many morning habits cause more harm than good. It may therefore be worthwhile to rethink your routines and change them if necessary.
A little exercise in the fresh air, stretching all your limbs or simply a moment of rest and relaxation can have a big impact on how well you get through the day afterwards.
The original for this post “Nine morning habits are unhealthier than you think” comes from FitForFun.