Night Owl Problems

I have never been an early bird. I tried to keep my college classes toward the afternoon and for several years I worked overnight shifts, rarely in bed before 5am. Because of my late night nature, I can be quite the beast when my alarm goes off.

Over 43 schools in the United States have moved their starting times back due to research that shows the majority of teens are sleep deprived. However, the secondary school I work for at this time is not one of them and therefore I must also live by the lovely Benjamin Franklin's “Early to bed and early to rise...” mentality.

This is my list of how to beat my morning blues and try to turn this night owl into an early bird.

Night Before

Pack your lunch

Night before packing gives you more time to put together a healthy and well balanced lunch and not just throwing stuff together.

Set out the outfit you will wear tomorrow

Along with shoes, jewelry and even clean undergarments. Your bag should also be packed with what you will need for the day. This just helps me not spend all morning starring into my closet, blurry eyed.

Warm bath or shower

Maybe you are someone who uses a shower to wake their body up, but I know I could sleep in the shower if I had the chance. Use it to relax your body and wash away a busy day.

This is also a good opportunity to start getting your hair styled. I pin-curl or braid my hair and let it dry while I sleep or blow dry and straighten my bangs before bed.

Go to bed early

I would like to be asleep by 11 so I try to be in bed at 10:30. Giving your body time to settle in. My big issue is keeping electronics off and away from my bed.

I also sometimes use melatonin, sleepy time tea, relaxing ocean sounds or even sleep hypnosis videos if I am still having trouble sleeping.

Morning

Keep your alarm away

It is so easy for me to hit the snooze button on my alarm. Just one little push and it is back to my dreams. Moving the alarm far enough from my bed that I actually have to get up to turn it off takes away that easiness and gets me moving. Make sure it is loud enough though.

Put on music that moves you

I play the same Pandora stations in the morning that I use to workout. Hard to be cranky with Shaggy's “Mr. Boombastic” playing in the background.

Make your bed

I hate making my bed but when I started forcing myself to do it I was a lot less likely to get back in it. A made bed also makes your whole room and your life in general look a lot more put together.

Hair/Makeup

This is probably something most females do daily anyway but it is new to me. I try to keep the same basic easy makeup each day. It just makes you look more awake. Hair on the other hand is different. I know most teachers keep a basic, easy hair style but I try to work as many creative, pin worthy styles as I can into my hair. It takes more time than my simple brush and spray process but I think it

Morning Yoga

Stretching is a great way to fully wake up your body and relieve stress. Also, yoga makes you feel trendy and cool.

Bunnyyoga.com

Breakfast

A healthy, energy packed breakfast is very important for a long day of work. Try to find something easy and that you like the taste of. You don't want to be choking down steal cut oatmeal just for the benefits. It also helps to sit down at the table to eat so you don't feel rushed. If you are rushed however, make sure to have something to take with you that you can easily eat in the car or when you have a break and try to give yourself more time the next day.

I purposely left out coffee because I am not a fan of the taste and caffeine is not my friend. I do understand that coffee is the fuel that keeps most teachers going so continue to enjoy. I will stick with my tea.