The Benefits of Not Being Scared Awake

The tedious routines of sleeping and waking are something everyone faces. We've all been there, forcing ourselves to scrape out of bed with the feeling of never having enough sleep, even when we went to bed early the night before. Even with 7-8 hours of sleep, so many of us still feel tired as the morning progresses. What is it that makes the mornings so hard, that makes us reach for extra caffeine or some other substance that will, in fact, abuse our mind into waking up? It's the alarm clock.

Go with me here. The feeling of being jolted or scared awake is not good for your mind. When this happens, your mind gets the sensation that it's being slapped and reacts by jolting you out of bed. At that moment, you may feel ready to tackle the day and its events. But sleep is more important for your mind than your body. During the course of the night, neurons shut down and repair themselves. When your brain gets enough rest, you'll notice a quicker mind, improved memory and inevitably better physical performance. Everything is connected to your mind, so while being scared awake may seem like a good idea as you are rushing to make it out the door, it will, in fact, catch up with you in the next few hours.

The solution: Buy a better alarm clock. The logic seems almost juvenile, but many people do not understand the importance of gradually waking up. When your mind is in a deep sleep cycle, gradually coming out of it allows your mind to experience the environment as you wake, instead of jumping out of the sleep. It's almost like stretching before exercise, but for your mind. You wouldn't run a marathon before warming up, and the same goes for waking up.

Gradually coming out of sleep, or letting your mind stretch before your body wakes up, can give you a newfound sense of energy that you've never experienced before. Those hours in the late morning, where you begin to crash will no longer be a problem, and you might even feel energized enough to go to the gym after work. A small thing like changing your alarm clock can have a monumental affect on your day-to-day routine.

When looking for a new alarm clock, consider a few things. First, understand the setting of your room. Consider things like how dark of a setting you like to sleep in and where you place your alarm clock in your room. As you do this, think of what clock would fit your environment. Lucky for you, there are many, many options to choose from.

Alarm clocks these days offer a variety of wake-up functions. The most effective ones are gradual light alarm clocks. These simulate the sunrise, activating sensors in your mind that tell your body it will be time to wake soon. For some, this simple act of increasing the ambient light is enough to wake them up, but if you are a deeper sleeper, search for an alarm that comes with calming sounds. These alarms offer sounds of nature or other serene sounds that can gradually come on up to half an hour before the set alarm time. As the time moves on, the sound will gradually increase and will be at full volume once the clock reaches the alarm time.

These few gradual wakeup options can be all it takes to start feeling more energized and being more productive during the day. Sleep is the most important thing you can do for yourself, so make sure and give your mind, and body, the wake-up call it deserves.

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