How to be a “morning person”? Confessions of a reformed sleeper

For several years now I have proudly been a morning person, but it was not always that way. There was a time when mornings meant battling myself. An alarm before 9:00 put me in a bad mood, and earlier times were out of the question. All those popular stories about life starting at five in the morning felt like inflated claims to me, because how was anyone supposed to function without at least eight, nine, or in my view twelve hours of sleep? But waking up late also created stress. Rushing through obligations that many had already completed while I was only just beginning made mornings exhausting.

Throughout my entire education, morning classes caused genuine moments of drama, but while writing my master’s thesis something shifted within me. That was when I realized there is one truth about our human lives that is very hard to accept: freedom exists on the other side of discipline.

Photo: Karola G

I decided to try something I had never done before. Waking up at five in the morning, and for an even crazier reason, to go running. In order to boost my energy and start the day fully prepared, I realized I had to break the boundaries I had set for myself.

I knew my body would want to sleep for hours longer, but when I thought about what I was really gaining from that, I realized the answer was nothing. Early morning runs along the Sava river embankment, before there were any people at all, felt completely magical. Not only was I happy with the changes in my body, but I also gained a surge of confidence from the fact that I had managed to overcome myself. With that rush of energy, writing my thesis flowed much more easily. Still, I could not risk a lack of sleep. That is why I had to support my new decision with new morning routines. Those additional changes had to happen for me to remain a morning person.

The transformation from night owl to morning runner was not instantaneous. There were rituals, small victories, and several dramatic battles against my own impulses. These are some of the most important changes I have kept.

“Morning person” routine

1/ Going to bed earlier

Even though I no longer wake up at five in the morning (my alarm is set for 6:30, I know it is not a big difference), my body still needs at least eight hours of sleep. If the goal is to wake up earlier, going to bed earlier is the beginning of that routine. Very obvious, but not so easy to achieve. It requires starting calming routines earlier, reducing sources of blue light, and soothing the nervous system. There is also the decision about caffeine intake.

2/ Limiting myself to one coffee a day

Caffeine stays in the body for at least six hours after we drink our favorite cup of coffee, tea, or matcha. That fact is worth keeping in mind when reaching for drinks that give an energy boost. That is why I limited my caffeine intake to the morning only, and in the afternoon and evening I prefer mint tea, which calms me.

3/ Creating a morning ritual you look forward to

I thought it was hard to wake up at five in the morning until the first time I had to catch an early flight. Suddenly, I could hardly wait to get up and go. The trick may lie precisely in creating a morning routine that motivates you to get out of bed. Something you will look forward to and that will give you extra motivation to defeat Newton’s first law, which confirms that a body at rest wants to remain at rest.

4/ Making the decision to wake up early

In the end, we come to a question everyone must answer for themselves: do I control my body, or does my body control me? The decision to wake up early is not only physical. Above all, it is a mental decision. If you want to take control of your day, and with it your life, you have to decide that firmly for yourself. Unfortunately, the transformation is not instant even then. Everything begins with small, consistent steps, but those who remain persistent are richly rewarded by this change.

The early morning hours of silence and calm, before everyday life takes over my thoughts, are therapeutic and almost meditative for me. Lounging in bed is wonderful, but with this habit I noticed that I lose more than I gain. When my day starts the right way, calmly and slowly, because waking up early creates space for soothing rituals, I find it easier to balance all other stressors throughout the day.

Waking up early is not a limitation, but an opportunity to dedicate the first moments of the day to yourself, to refresh your body and mind, and to step into the day with a sense of control and confidence. For those who were once heavy sleepers, morning can become the most beautiful part of the day, if you decide it will be.