We’ve all had those mornings when the gravitational pull from your pillow seems to require superhuman strength to resist, and you can barely see your alarm clock through blurry and squinting eyes. You nearly nod off on the train ride to work, and stare at the computer as the words and numbers swirl around incomprehensibly in your tired mind. 

The best way to avoid feeling like this is the mornings is of course to get a good night’s sleep the night before, but sometimes life keeps us up late for whatever reason and we just don’t get the rest that we need. On these mornings we need to jump start our brains so that we can manage to function and make it through the day. 

Perhaps you are used to guzzling coffee or cramming sugary breakfast treats in your mouth on those zombie mornings, hoping that the caffeine and sugar will make you feel more human. Although you will get a short burst of energy for a while, you will ultimately find yourself crashing down from your sugar or caffeine high soon afterwards and feeling even worse than before. If you really want to wake your body up the natural and healthy way, here are some tips:

Drink a Huge Glass of Ice Cold Water

When you wake up in the morning, get yourself in the habit of downing a nice cold class of water. The icy temperature will send a shock to your system and immediately make you feel more alert. Keep a chilled bottle of water next to your desk all day and keep sipping from it. Being dehydrated actually makes you feel more fatigued, because it reduces your blood volume, so drinking water will help you take on the day. 

Get Up and Move

Doing quick five or ten minute bursts of physical activity will increase blood flow through your body, and this will increase your energy and banish your fatigue. When you first wake up, do jumping jacks, jog in place, or dance around to your favourite tune. Throughout the day when you feel yourself getting sleepy, get up and go for a walk around the office or do some stretches. 

Snack on Fruit

Rather than a sugary donut or pastry, try eating an apple, banana, nectarine or grapes for breakfast. The natural sugars will give you sustained energy, unlike the refined sugar in sweets that will just make you crash. 

Put on a Happy Tune

Listening to lively and upbeat music will keep your brain from getting bored and make it a lot harder to drift off while you are working. Put together a playlist of your favourite high-tempo songs and play them nice and loud in the mornings. Choose songs that inspire you, lift you up, and make you feel like doing something amazing with your day. 

These are just a few healthy and fun ways that you can wake yourself up and get going in the mornings!