We always favour the natural approach, so when it comes to waking up our bodies are best suited to respond to the light of the sun rising. The sunlight triggers our circadian rhythm and signals to our brains that it is time to be alert and active, which is how we all want to start every day, right?
During the Summer months it is relatively easy to use our bodies natural circadian response to sunlight in our favour. Simply leave the curtains cracked and you will gradually wake as the sunlight hits you from 5am through to 7am, perfect. However, as the days start to shorten, and the sunlight hours decrease going into the Winter months, we can find that our circadian rhythms become the enemy of our productivity and general well-being. Without the natural daylight triggers to get out of bed it can be a real struggle to get yourself started in the morning, a feeling that I am sure you are all too familiar with.
A great way to counteract this Winter morning sluggishness is to use a sunrise alarm clock. These can be set up to mimic the summertime sunrises, so you can gradually wake up with that rested and energised feeling. An added benefit of many sunrise clocks is that they include optional natural morning sound effects, such as the chirping of birds or the gentle rustling of the wind in trees. This is another subtle audio cue to your body that it is time to get up and active for the day.