WEBVTT - Aim to wake before your alarm

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning.

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<v Speaker 1>This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>tip is to aim to wake up before your alarm.

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<v Speaker 1>When you consistently wake up a little bit before your

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<v Speaker 1>alarm goes off, that's a good sign that you are

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<v Speaker 1>well rested. And well rested is what we should all

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<v Speaker 1>aim to be. Since I write and talk about time management,

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<v Speaker 1>I track my time. I have been tracking my time

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<v Speaker 1>on weekly spreadsheets for over eight years now. One thing

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<v Speaker 1>I discovered early on is that over the long haul,

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<v Speaker 1>my body aims for seven point four hours of sleep

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<v Speaker 1>per day. Now, I don't sleep that amount every night,

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<v Speaker 1>and I don't even hit fifty one point eight hours

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<v Speaker 1>every week, but over a period of six to eight

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<v Speaker 1>weeks or so, that tends to be my average. So

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<v Speaker 1>I consider seven point four hours to be my sleep

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<v Speaker 1>set point. This has turned out to be pretty useful

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<v Speaker 1>to know. Now that my youngest child is three and

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<v Speaker 1>a half years old, I am generally not being woken

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<v Speaker 1>up by kids in the middle of the night anymore.

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<v Speaker 1>I can be fairly sure that I will not be

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<v Speaker 1>interrupted until my alarm goes off, usually at six thirty am.

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<v Speaker 1>On weekdays. That means that if I am in my

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<v Speaker 1>bed with the lights out at eleven pm or so,

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<v Speaker 1>I will be well rested when I wake up with

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<v Speaker 1>my six thirty alarm. And if I have done this

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<v Speaker 1>consistently for many days in a row, and if I

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<v Speaker 1>have generally fallen asleep quickly, I am likely to wake

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<v Speaker 1>up at six twenty four am. Yep, that is seven

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<v Speaker 1>point four hours. I always enjoy when that happens because

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<v Speaker 1>it's like a little gold star that I am giving

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<v Speaker 1>my body the amount of sleep it needs. When I

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<v Speaker 1>structure my life so that I start waking up before

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<v Speaker 1>my alarm, I feel better. I have more energy. Plus

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<v Speaker 1>it's kind of fun to just lie there enjoying the

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<v Speaker 1>covers in that slightly groggy feeling for a few minutes.

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<v Speaker 1>You likely have a difference set point than seven point

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<v Speaker 1>four hours, but whatever it is, I think it's good

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<v Speaker 1>to figure this out. Then figure out what time you

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<v Speaker 1>usually need to wake up at the morning. Count back

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<v Speaker 1>by your sleep number. So if you need eight hours

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<v Speaker 1>of sleep and you need to wake up at six,

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<v Speaker 1>then you should be in your bed by ten pm. Indeed,

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<v Speaker 1>you should probably be winding down by nine forty five

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<v Speaker 1>or so. But if you do that day after day,

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<v Speaker 1>you'll likely start waking up on your own somewhere in

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<v Speaker 1>the five fifties, as your body has gotten the sleep

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<v Speaker 1>it needs and is ready to face the morning. This

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<v Speaker 1>is a good sign. It is evidence that you are

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<v Speaker 1>being disciplined about sleep. You are taking care of your

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<v Speaker 1>future self by getting into bed on time the night before.

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<v Speaker 1>Good for you. Now, I'm not saying that this is

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<v Speaker 1>a fool proof method, and you will always wake up

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<v Speaker 1>before your alarm. If you are getting enough sleep, you

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<v Speaker 1>might still want to set an alarm even if you

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<v Speaker 1>do wake up a few minutes before. Sometimes we are

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<v Speaker 1>more tired than we are on other nights, if the

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<v Speaker 1>day has been more active, or if you're getting sick

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<v Speaker 1>or maybe recovering from something, or if a recent night

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<v Speaker 1>has been more interrupted. I find that even if I

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<v Speaker 1>am pretty well rested, I tend to sleep a little

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<v Speaker 1>longer on rainy mornings. It's like my body goes into

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<v Speaker 1>hibernation mode or something. But the goal should be to

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<v Speaker 1>wake up on your own a little bit before your

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<v Speaker 1>alarm as many days as possible. It is not impossible.

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<v Speaker 1>With some consistency about bedtime, It should be doable, and

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<v Speaker 1>if you do it, you will find yourself feeling more

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<v Speaker 1>energetic than you might have thought you could be. In

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<v Speaker 1>the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's

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<v Speaker 1>to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd

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<v Speaker 1>love to hear from you. You can send me your tips,

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<v Speaker 1>your questions, or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter,

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<v Speaker 1>Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod. That's b the

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<v Speaker 1>number four then breakfast pod. You can also shoot me

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<v Speaker 1>an email at Before Breakfast Podcasts at iHeartMedia dot com.

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<v Speaker 1>That before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters.

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks so much. Should I look forward to staying in touch.

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<v Speaker 1>Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts

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