Your Morning Routine for Better Sleep
Discover how your morning habits impact your sleep. This intermediate guide explains how sunlight, exercise, and timing affect your circadian rhythm and nightly rest.
Many people focus on their nighttime habits to improve sleep, but the most important steps for a restful night are actually taken right after you wake up. Your morning routine has a profound effect on your circadian rhythm, the body's master internal clock that regulates your sleep-wake cycle. By understanding this connection, you can leverage your mornings to improve your sleep.
The Two Most Important Circadian Cues
Your circadian rhythm is influenced by many factors, but two are most critical: light exposure and physical activity. Getting these two elements right in the morning sets you up for success at night.
The first thing you should do after waking up is expose yourself to natural light. When morning light hits your eyes, it signals to your brain's suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) to stop producing melatonin and start producing cortisol, the "alertness hormone." This powerful signal reinforces your circadian rhythm, making you feel awake and ready for the day.
Actionable Tip:
Open your curtains as soon as you wake up. Go outside for a walk or have your coffee near a window for 10-20 minutes.
Why it works:
This morning light exposure helps ensure that your body will produce melatonin at the right time—when it gets dark at night.
Exercising in the morning is a fantastic way to boost your energy levels and solidify your sleep-wake cycle. A morning workout helps to raise your core body temperature, which then naturally drops later in the day, a key signal for your body that it's time to sleep.
Actionable Tip:
Start with a gentle walk, a quick home workout, or a stretching session. The goal is to get your body moving and your heart rate up.
Why it works:
Morning exercise provides a strong anchor for your body clock and can lead to more deep sleep at night.
Be mindful of the timing of other daily habits, particularly caffeine and meals.
Caffeine:
Wait at least 90 minutes after waking up to have your first cup of coffee. Your body naturally has a cortisol spike in the morning, and delaying caffeine can help you avoid a mid-afternoon crash and prevent disruption to your natural energy cycle.
Meals:
Eating a nutritious breakfast helps kickstart your metabolism and provides another key signal to your body clock that the day has begun.
By optimizing your mornings, you are not just setting yourself up for a great day, you are building the foundation for a restful night.