(Image source from: dreamlandsdesign.com)

We have seen morning routines in movies, TV shows, videos and we ourselves have our own morning routines which we follow on a daily basis. But some of the things we do in the morning which we think “refreshes” us actually does not. Some of our morning activities are actually bad for us and have a negative impact on us for the future. To know what you’re doing right and what you’re doing wrong, we have made a list for you to help determine the bad activities and the good activities that you can and cannot do in the morning. Here is a list of 11 common yet surprising things which we should not do in the morning as soon as we wake up and some alternate solutions to these problems/ activities:

1. You snooze, you lose

Hitting the snooze button on the alarm is annoying yet satisfying considering the fact that we can sleep for a little while longer. However, not waking up when you set an alarm and snoozing can actually make you more sleepy. Here’s why:

You set an alarm to wake up at a particular time, breaking your sleep. When you snooze and sleep again, you are re-setting your sleeping time. At that moment if your body does not sleep for the minimum hours which is 6,7 or even 8, it will become more weak, get headaches and feel lazy, and you will end up feeling groggy for the rest of the day. This is why you should not snooze your alarm in the morning even if sleeping for a little while is tempting.

How to get over this? : Try sleeping in early and make sure you get your minimum hours of sleep to feel refreshed the next day.

2. No making decisions in the morning

Decision making or any stress or thinking involved in the morning is not a good idea. Morning is a time where you set a tone for the rest of the day. If your morning is good you whole day will be good and vice versa. Certain decisions such as what should I eat for breakfast, what should I wear tomorrow, How will I got to office/ school/ university etc, should be decided the night before. Make sure your mornings are casual, breezy and listen to music to uplift yourself for the rest of the day.

3. Undress the stress

Feeling stressful in the morning can make you feel anxious throughout the day. If you have a big day ahead of you, do not panic. Try not to immediately rush into tension leading decisions even if you have something stressful coming up. Be grateful for the opportunity you have ahead of you and move on.

How to get over this? : Listen to music that is comfort for you, talk to yourself and take a nice refreshing shower.

4. A cup of coffee in the morning- do not think so

Having a cup of coffee in the morning as soon as you wake up sounds refreshing. But in actuality, this is very dangerous for you. Drinking coffee as soon as you wake up to refresh and energize you is a myth. When you wake up in the morning, your body naturally activates the cortisol levels. Drinking a cup of coffee can aggravate this feeling g and confuse your body’s natural cortisol. This will actually make you feel more sleepy during the afternoon than refresh you the whole day.

How to get over this? : Do not drink coffee as soon as you wake up. If you are a coffee drinker and you really need some caffeine, carry coffee in a flask and sip on it during your work time, school or university- wherever it is your day will proceed at.

5. Do not check social media as soon as you wake up

This statement is pretty self explanatory. But why should we not check our messages as soon as we wake up? Checking social media in the morning is actually quite stressful and can lead to you being stressed out the whole day. This also includes checking emails for the day. It is also not good for your eyes to look at screens which radiate as soon as you look at a screen.

How to get over this? : Ignore the messages on your phone until you get ready and step outside your door. Also, try to not look at your phone before sleeping for more than half an hour.

6. No TV in the morning

It is common to watch TV as soon as you wake up in the morning. There are a lot of cases of people watching the morning news or television shows as soon as they wake up. Try to not watch TV as soon as you wake up. Wait till you are completely dressed and ready to watch TV. It is advised to not look at any screens as soon as you wake up.

7. Breakfast for champions

As they say, Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. If you skip eating breakfast, your blood sugar levels will drop causing you to feel dizzy and wanting to faint.

How to get over this? : Do not say you do not have time for breakfast. Try waking up early to enjoy a nice meal. It is also advisable that you include good source of protein in your food for long lasting energy and eating breakfast in the morning can also help you focus and be more productive through out the day.

8. The sun can be fun

Keeping your blinds or curtains closed through out the day sounds highly satisfying. But it is not correct.It is important that your body soak in the sun during the early hours of the morning which is, from 7 AM to 9 AM. Early morning sunlight can help activate the natural cortisol in the body and put our body’s in a refreshing mood. Soaking in the sunlight helps with decision making, positive thinking and helps with concentration. Sunlight provides natural vitamin D and iron which without, there are chances that you might faint if you have deficiencies in these two supplements.

9. The morning stretch

It is okay to stretch in the morning. It helps relax the muscles and make you feel rejuvenated. But here is the twist (no pun intended). Do not stretch your body too much. Light head tilting and hand and leg stretching is advisable but beyond that, stretching the body too much can limit your vertebrae movement and stiffen your spine. It is potentially dangerous to over stretch in the morning. Move and stretch gently when you wake up in the morning to avoid any injuries.

10. Tasks for the day

As soon as we wake up, some of us like to go through what are tasks for the day are. But this is not healthy. Filling your mind with too much stress- leading information can cause anxiety and make you feel stressed out through out the day.

How to get over this? : As soon as you wake up, get fresh, eat breakfast and once you are ready to proceed for the day, then go to checking you tasks. Try thinking of happy thoughts and thoughts that make you feel good and positive.

11. Making your bed the right way

Last but definitely not the least, make your bed after you get ready. It is a good practice to make your bed and tidy up before you leave the house but refrain from doing so as soon as you wake up. As soon as you wake up, believe it or not leaving your bed unmade can help kill dust mites and they like thriving in moist environments. Leaving your bed unmade for a while can help the moisture dry out, destroying any dust mites that might be on your bed.

By Meena Atmakuri