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Alarm clock picture via Shutterstock

7 tricks to waking up earlier

Rise and shine sleepyheads, it’s a new day.

NOT ONLY DOES the early bird get the worm, he’s generally happier and has a higher overall satisfaction with his life.

“We don’t know why this is, but there are a few potential explanations. Evening people may be more prone to social jet lag; this means that their biological clock is out of sync with the social clock,” Renee Biss, a researcher wrote in a study conducted by the University of Toronto.

“Society’s expectations are far more organized around a morning-type person’s schedule.”

Robert Oexman, director of the Sleep to Live Institute, told us that “lack of sleep can manifest itself in erratic behavior, short tempers, and bad decision-making.”

Sleep-deprived people also have difficulty remembering details, and don’t deal as well in high-pressured situations such as meetings or new business pitches.

And it’s getting worse nowadays because of technology usage. Young adults in their 20s are experiencing earlier signs of aging attributed to sleep loss.

So if you’re not a born early riser how do you acquire good sleep habits? We compiled some tips to help you get an early start on the day

1. Skip the caffeine
According to a study published in the journal SLEEP, caffeine intake six hours before bedtime is just as disruptive as caffeine three hours before. We know it’s delicious but it’s for your own good.

2. Limit technology usage before bedtime
“Your bedroom should be reserved for sleep, sex, and nothing else,” Oexman told us. “There’s no excuse – if your cell phone is your alarm clock, then buy a $5 alarm clock and solve the problem.”

3. Mentally prepare yourself before you go to sleep

Jeff Goins wrote in his blog that you need to make decisions before you go to sleep, because you can’t trust your brain in the morning.
“When I realized waking up early is a battle fought on two fronts, everything changed. We must prepare our bodies, but we must also trick our sleepy minds,” he said. This could help you avoid a potentially disastrous outfit choice on casual Friday.

4. Wake up to light

Meredith Jaeger advised in her blog that you should sleep with the curtains open so that sunlight can come through your window in the morning. If you’re unable to experience sunlight from your bedroom window, get a timer that increases light intensity, which resembles the sun. Some of these models also have built in alarm clocks.

5. Don’t hit the snooze button


It might be tempting to hit your snooze button to sleep for a few more minutes and we’re all guilty of it, but this doesn’t actually help you, Jaeger wrote. This is because the 15 to 20 extra minutes of sleep won’t give you any restful REM sleep and you might even feel more groggy when the alarm goes off again.

Hitting the snooze button is also habit-forming and the more you do it, the more you’ll likely do it in the future.

“Alarms should be there to remind you to wake up, not wake you up after six snooze hits,” Oexman said.

It might also help to keep your alarm clock far away from your bed so that you’re forced to get up in order to turn it off.

6. Find an alarm that doesn’t make you angry

Seth Simonds at Lifehack advised that you should “experiment a bit and see what works best for you. Light, sound, smells, temperature, or even some contraption that dumps water on you might be more pleasant than your old alarm clock.” High pitched, irritating ring tones will haunt your dreams and ruin your life.

7. Have a morning routine

You need to get your blood flowing when you wake up whether this is stretching, crunches, jump roping or going for a walk to the nearby coffee shop, you need to “chase the sleep from your head,” Simonds wrote.

Whatever you decide to do, remember that what you do during the daytime will affect your sleep at night, so quit beating yourself up with a bad diet and poor sleeping habits.

- Vivian Giang

- Additional reporting by Michelle Hennessy.

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    Mute Fiona deFreyne
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    Dec 30th 2017, 10:28 AM

    Hopefully, we can all survive this one.

    Irish weather now presents so many warnings that it must have become very dangerous.

    Ohh for the old days, when it was just blustery, cold and rainy. Now it’s colour coded alerts and huge precautions.

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    Mute David O'Connor
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    Dec 30th 2017, 10:31 AM

    @Fiona deFreyne: Do you ever think you need a break from commenting on the journal???

    651
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    Mute Stephen Foster
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    Dec 30th 2017, 10:59 AM

    @David O’Connor: spot on. Sarcastic doom and gloom merchant.

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    Mute Fiona deFreyne
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    Dec 30th 2017, 11:02 AM

    @David O’Connor: for 3 days at Christmas. Thank you for your interest.

    I can at least comment on the subject of the article, a capacity which is clearly beyond you.

    Thank you for all of your comments in 2017 on my inclination to comment.

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    Mute Hall Monitor
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    Dec 30th 2017, 11:06 AM

    @Fiona deFreyne: The only comments directed at you Tony are ones taking the piss out of you.

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    Mute David O'Connor
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    Dec 30th 2017, 11:21 AM

    @Fiona deFreyne: You have the capacity to comment on weather warnings and the weather…… Pretty much the most popular topic of conversation for everyone in Ireland

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    Mute Geffrey Kane
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    Dec 30th 2017, 12:02 PM

    @Fiona deFreyne: I find these warnings to be quite important to me personally, since I live on a boat and all. It’s good to have advance warnings so we can prepare adequately. Even if the warnings are over stated once in a while.

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    Mute gregory
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    Dec 30th 2017, 12:09 PM

    @David O’Connor: Hmm….I’m inclined to think Fiona de F is actually a team ? No 1 man or woman could post so quickly on so many articles ?

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    Mute Tom Harpur
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    Dec 30th 2017, 12:15 PM

    @gregory: Gregory Fiona De F is probably a team of journal journalists whipping up a frenzy in the comments

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    Mute David O'Connor
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    Dec 30th 2017, 12:32 PM

    @gregory: Bang on…. How could someone know so much about every topic in the world, has to be a team of experts.

    49
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    Mute Tom Kelly
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    Dec 30th 2017, 12:47 PM

    @Fiona deFreyne: take the warnings or don’t take them! We all have a choice?

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    Mute Ollie Moore
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    Dec 30th 2017, 2:08 PM

    @David O’Connor: its an algorithm

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    Mute selfsustainable
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    Dec 30th 2017, 2:42 PM

    @David O’Connor: when you’ve nothing better to do than Google all day, take bits from articles and post as own comment, that’s how she/he does it…..expert mehole! Waffler more like!

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    Mute George Salter
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    Dec 30th 2017, 3:52 PM

    @David O’Connor: Ability to comment doesn’t imply expertise. In fact, ability to comment on everything might well suggest the opposite; polymaths are rare…

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    Mute Greased Up Deaf Guy
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    Dec 30th 2017, 4:35 PM

    @David O’Connor: Mossy’s female alter ego

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    Mute Turk Oneeighttwo
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    Dec 30th 2017, 6:00 PM

    @Fiona deFreyne: Good man Tony, must be nearly time for a further alter-ego, are you not getting tired of being know-all Fiona? You were better fun when you were good ‘ole know-all Tony…

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    Mute Deborah Behan
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    Dec 30th 2017, 6:19 PM

    @David O’Connor: ah here come the men to tell a woman to shut up. You know there is a mute button for you tender souls?

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    Mute Seamus Ryan
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    Dec 30th 2017, 7:03 PM

    @Greased Up Deaf Guy: hello Gucci

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    Mute Pádraig Ó Braonáin
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    Dec 30th 2017, 9:23 PM

    @David O’Connor: I actually like her comments, and don’t see anything wrong with them…..what is wrong with you guys?

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    Mute Greased Up Deaf Guy
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    Dec 30th 2017, 10:30 PM

    @Seamus Ryan: Good day sir, greetings to you and yours this festive season!

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    Mute Cathal O'hÁodhagáin
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    Dec 30th 2017, 10:41 AM

    So it’s stopping at the border?How convenient

    96
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    Mute Rich Walsh
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    Dec 30th 2017, 6:04 PM

    @Cathal O’hÁodhagáin: Part of the brexit negotiations deal

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    Mute Garreth Byrne
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    Dec 30th 2017, 10:41 AM

    All these near-colliding wavy lines and streaky rainbow colours tell me that our meteorologists have done art appreciation and art history courses. Their weather charts are a mixture of expressionist and kinetic modern art styles. IMMA curators should consider an exhibition funded by the Arts Council/Comhairle Ealaion.

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    Mute oliverjumelle
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    Dec 30th 2017, 11:25 AM

    He will be blowin in the wind

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    Mute Pilib O Muiregan
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    Dec 30th 2017, 11:33 AM

    @oliverjumelle: , No some one will give him shelter from the storm

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    Mute Mick Power
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    Dec 30th 2017, 12:14 PM

    @Pilib O Muiregan: a hard rain’s a gonna fall

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    Mute Patrick J. O'Rourke
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    Dec 30th 2017, 1:03 PM

    @oliverjumelle: Met.ie warnings come from all along the watchtower.

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    Mute JimmyMc
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    Dec 30th 2017, 6:16 PM

    @oliverjumelle: here comes the story of the hurricane

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    Mute Patrick J. O'Rourke
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    Dec 30th 2017, 7:54 PM

    @Con O’Driscoll: Maybe the next storm will be Storm Jimi to validate that comment. As we know he was a massive Dylan fan.

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    Mute Sean Conway
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    Dec 30th 2017, 10:51 AM

    Send vatadkar out in his socks. he’ll protect us

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    Mute Brian Foley
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    Dec 30th 2017, 11:07 AM

    We might finally find out how many roads a man must walk down before you call him a man!

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    Mute Denis McClean
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    Dec 30th 2017, 12:38 PM

    On a more serious note … if you look at the European weather warnings on met.ie, you will see that Israel has very quietly joined Europe while Lebanon and Syria, which are closer, are barred. Can one of our underemployed MEP’s please nudge the Apartheid Theocracy back to the Middle East and oblige.

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    Mute Austin Rock
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    Dec 30th 2017, 2:08 PM

    @Denis McClean: It won’t be long before Israel is a full member of the EU, this will be facilitated by European guilt of countries like Germany, Austria etc and good friends like Israel. In fact I am surprised they have not actually joined NATO.

    19
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    Mute Aidan Conway
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    Dec 30th 2017, 11:40 PM

    @Con O’Driscoll: lol christ was a Palestinian! Not an Israeli

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    Mute Eric
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    Dec 30th 2017, 10:39 AM

    Great.let s go surfing

    20
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    Mute Fiona Fitzgerald
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    Dec 30th 2017, 1:02 PM

    Time to take in the garden chairs so.

    19
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    Mute Damian O'Brien
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    Dec 30th 2017, 6:08 PM

    With the impending arrival of Storm Dylan, “A Hard Days Rain’s a-Gonna Fall” while we are all “Blowin’ in the Wind.” So listen to Met Eireann’s (National Weather Service) advice; Take “Shelter from the storm” in case it turns into a “Hurricane”. Say a prayer that “Maggie’s Farm” survives and when “Highway 61 is Revisited,” hope it isn’t closed due to flooding.

    I’ll get me coat.

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    Mute James O'Brien
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    Dec 30th 2017, 10:46 AM

    No it won’t. Just like the rest of the warnings a proportion of the country will.

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    Mute the phantom
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    Dec 30th 2017, 11:40 AM

    They should only issue weather warnings on weekdays

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    Mute David Dineen
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    Dec 30th 2017, 10:42 AM

    Damm fine geal and their weather policy, what we need is garlic man to fix this mess, repeal the 13th etcetera

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    Mute Seeking Truth
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    Dec 30th 2017, 9:11 PM

    Feeling sick to my stomach thinking about power outages after 6 days with no power after Ophelia. Hope everyone fares ok through the wind and storm!!!

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    Mute Aidan Conway
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    Dec 30th 2017, 11:44 PM

    @Seeking Truth: its not a Storm it’s a gale
    Fresh Gale to Strong Gale 65-85kph winds as forecast above

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    Mute ed w
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    Dec 30th 2017, 10:48 AM

    Just get through and get lost. things to do tommorrow

    5
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    Mute Shane Zerbe
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    Dec 30th 2017, 7:58 PM

    Another weather warning? Dreading possibly having to pick up the bins!

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    Mute Aidan Conway
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    Dec 30th 2017, 11:23 PM

    Another storm? We have them all the time! We live a on the edge of the Atlantic!
    Another poor excuse for ESB networks to issue warnings of power cuts….. Can they not secure our network from common weather occur ancestors like wind? And storms?
    Wait and see more trees will be chopped down as a result.. Totally un-necessary… With health safety excuse. We need the shelter and Carbon storage they provide.

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    Mute Aidan Conway
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    Dec 30th 2017, 11:31 PM

    Storm!??
    The forecast above is for 65-85koh winds…. This is beaufort scale force 8 to 9. Which is Fresh Gale to Strong Gale…. Not a Storm!
    Let’s not lose the plot!
    Why can’t the Esb secure supply in a gale? On the West Coast gales are very common.

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    Mute Patrick J. O'Rourke
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    Dec 31st 2017, 1:45 AM

    Gusts of 130kph are forecast and judging by the sound of them on my roof I’m going downstairs.

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    Mute Sandra Clifford
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    Dec 31st 2017, 2:16 AM

    Bit of wind and rain as usual typical wintry day in ireland no need to panic

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    Mute John Culhane
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    Dec 31st 2017, 5:01 PM

    What storm

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