Mornings are tough, so it’s no surprise that a considerable number of people can’t start their day without a cup of coffee. After a long night of sleep, pulling yourself out of a cozy bed is difficult. Your stomach is empty, you’re groggy, and there’s a stimulant waiting for you in the kitchen. Being dependent on coffee can be unhealthy and expensive, which is why people are starting to look at other ways to wake up in the morning.
There are a number of reasons why people give up coffee or at least try to cut their use. Coffee is fine in moderate doses, but it can also be addictive and sometimes full of sugar. Good thing there are a ton of natural ways to stimulate your brain in the morning!
Whether you’re on a diet or trying to improve your health, giving up caffeine can be difficult, but you can do it with these natural ways to wake up without coffee.
Move Your Alarm
Don’t hit that snooze button because by delaying your wake-up time, you are only making yourself more tired. Those extra minutes of fragmented sleep will diminish your ability to wake up naturally in the morning. When you snooze, you are causing yourself to be sleepier and more reliant on a stimulant. Force yourself out of bed in the morning to turn off the alarm by leaving it far from your bed and out of reach. If you must get up to turn off your alarm, you’ve already fought half the battle of waking up.
There are no excuses to crawl back into bed if your alarm is on the dresser on the other side of the room.
Turn on The Light
You’re out of bed and walking around, now turn on those lights! Open the blinds to start soaking in the sun and revitalize your body with vitamin D. Sitting in a dark home will only make you ready for a nap.
Being faced with light is an easy way to wake yourself up in the morning. We all know the feeling of that first blinding light, but it does help you wake up! Don’t shy away from the lights in the morning; instead, light up the house and fill your morning with sun if possible.
Drink Water
Instead of brewing coffee, pour yourself a cold glass of water. When you wake up, your body is naturally dehydrated from sleeping all night. Staying hydrated is so important to proper body function. Drinking water is a great way to refuel your body and get the blood flowing to your brain.
Drinking water in the morning is beneficial for your body inside and out! Not only are you helping your heart and metabolism, but your skin will also be more hydrated and smooth. Staying hydrated will keep your energy level high and keep you alert throughout the day.
Stretch
Stretching in the morning will wake you up and prepare you for your day. Pull out the aches and bumps from your night’s sleep and get your blood flowing. Starting your morning with a good stretching routine will get your joints and limbs ready to tackle the day.
Start with stretches you know, focusing on the entirety of your body. Try different yoga poses made for the morning. Yoga is practiced around the world as a way of keeping your body and mind healthy. There are tons of resources for videos and guides to help you find the right routine.
Stretch out all the bumps from sleep and start your day with good blood flow.
Exercise
Get your blood pumping to wake up and get rid of fatigue. You don’t need coffee; you just need to raise your heart rate! Increasing your blood flow makes you more alert; you are stimulating your body and brain. This stimulation raises the serotonin levels in your brain, which is known to improve mood and energy levels. You will feel yourself waking up as you work out your body.
Adding exercise to your morning routine will help you wake up naturally and improve your overall health.
Go Outside
Get a breath of fresh air to wake yourself up. If you are going to exercise, consider doing it outside so you can soak up the sun as you sweat. You can also just take a few steps outside and take a nice big breath. Being out in nature, if even for ten minutes outside your door, will brighten your morning.
We all know the sun gives us the vitamin D we need, but there are other reasons to venture outside in the morning. A burst of cool air, the smell of dew, the sounds of birds chirping— it is natural for humans to feel joy from nature. Even on a gloomy day, sticking your head outside will get you ready for the day better than a cup of coffee!
Take a Cold Shower
Wake up your body with a refreshing cold shower. Especially after a nice stretch and workout, you can rinse off the sweat and dirt and be refreshed for the day. The shock of the cold water is sure to wake you up. Not only that, but cold showers have a whole host of other benefits, including soothing itchy skin, increasing circulation, relieving sore muscles after an intense workout, and even giving a healthy looking glow to your skin and hair.
Even if you haven’t stretched or don’t want to exercise, a fresh cold shower will clean away the muck of sleep and get you ready to start the day. If you don’t have time to shower, splash your face with cool water in the sink and wipe away your fatigue.
Eat a Healthy Breakfast
Refuel your body for the day by eating healthy foods designed to fill your energy needs. Always have a protein in your breakfast, as a rule. This is a great natural energy booster. Avoid extremely fatty protein and try things like eggs or yogurt. Focus on whole grains instead of breads; you want a breakfast with high fiber and low sugar to keep your energy level stable for the day and avoid the crash later.
Try to have fruit to treat yourself to natural sugar. Breakfast should be enjoyable, but not fatty. Focus on having a high protein dressed with fiber and sweet fruit. You won’t need coffee to wake up after you eat breakfast!
You can make it easier on yourself if you prepare your breakfast the night before.
Have a Bedtime Routine
The best way to make your morning easier and to wake up without coffee is to prepare the night before. Give yourself a set time that you will go to sleep and regulate your morning by organizing your bedtime. Have a set time you plan to go to bed and stick to it, and your body will develop a sleep routine giving you a better night’s rest. When you go to bed, remember to turn off your electronics and keep your alarm far from you.
You won’t need coffee when you wake up well-rested. It will take time for your body to adjust, but as long as you work on making it a habit, your bedtime routine will become easier and more natural. You will start to wake up without even needing an alarm clock!
As a part of your bedtime routine, you can include setting up for your morning. Prepare your breakfast beforehand, set out the clothes you will change into, and have your bathroom ready. Preparing the night before for the morning will make it even easier to wake up without caffeine.
Don’t Go Cold Turkey
If you’re an avid coffee drinker, you will have withdrawals from not having caffeine. You will likely get headaches and even dizziness. Instead of sticking with coffee in smaller amounts, you can limit the caffeine you have by trying alternatives like tea! Green tea has a significantly lower amount of caffeine in that coffee and will still curb your headache and desire for caffeine.
Don’t give up caffeine completely but try to kick the coffee. Replace the caffeine you would get from coffee with healthier alternatives like MUD, the ultimate morning beverage.
Give It A Try!
You don’t need coffee to start your day; you only need new ways to wake up! Lessen your caffeine intake by trying these ways to wake up without coffee. Create a new routine for yourself. Instead of coffee, drink water, and when you would normally sit still, stretch your body! There are so many natural ways to wake yourself up; you just need to find the right one for you.
If you’re serious about waking up without coffee, MUD\WTR has just what you need. Mud leans on ayurvedic herbs, adaptogens, and cacao to give you natural energy, focus, and immune support without having to worry about jitters or sleeping at night. Take a tablespoon and drop it into hot water. Add whatever you’d like and stir it up. This incredible concoction will induce alertness, improve mental capacity, and improve overall health! What are you waiting for? Grab your starter kit or 90 day supply today!
Sources
- https://www.healthline.com/health/morning-fatigue-remedies#1.-Dont-hit-snooze-at-all
- https://thriveglobal.com/stories/5-amazing-health-benefits-of-drinking-water-in-the-morning/
- https://extension.sdstate.edu/benefits-stretching
- https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/4-ways-to-boost-your-energy-naturally-with-breakfast
- https://www.sleep.org/design-perfect-bedtime-routine/
- https://adf.org.au/drug-facts/caffeine
- https://www.healthline.com/health/cold-shower-vs-hot-shower