The slower you build up energy in the morning, the more painful waking up will be. What’s better, spending thirty minutes wrestling with the snooze button followed by an hour ramp up to normal mental functioning or quickly starting the day with energy?

In my recent article on morning rituals, I mentioned how I wake up at 5:30 each morning. A few readers asked how I deal with the initial grogginess that comes with waking up so early. As someone who isn’t a natural early-riser (I could easily sleep in until noon) getting over the early-morning sleepiness wasn’t easy. However, by using some of the tips I’ll describe, you can be more alert in your morning hours without having to inject yourself with a pot of coffee.

Why Go Without Caffeine?

I never drink coffee and I only occasionally drink caffeinated teas. While caffeine can be a temporary chemical solution to your drowsiness, I don’t believe it is the best strategy overall. I’ve found caffeine offers more energy, but it comes with side-effects. A few I’ve noticed:

* Post-caffeine crashes.
* Disrupting normal sleep.
* Withdrawal symptoms and addiction.
* Difficulty focusing. (Although some research suggests otherwise)

Whether caffeine is a miracle drug or junk is hard to say. However, given the side-effects, if you can boost morning alertness without the artificial stimulants, why bother drinking the stuff?

How to Build Energy Into Your Mornings

Here are a few things I’ve found helpful to reduce the transition period from being asleep to becoming fully alert. Not only does speeding up this wake-up process save time, it makes waking up less of a struggle. A few tips:

1. Light.Your body’s natural clock is tuned to the amount of light. Turn on all the lights in your room right after waking up. Getting bright lights can help trick your body into thinking it is time to get out of bed.

2. Exercise.Put something physical right at the start of your morning. In the summer, I did a quick morning run and found it helpful in shaking off any sleepiness. Considering the outside temperature hovers around -30 C, I’ve stuck to doing a few pushups in my room. The exercise gets your heart pumping and snaps you out of a groggy state.

3. The 10-Minute Rule.If you want to stick with a consistent wake-up time, practice the ten-minute rule. This means you commit to staying awake for at least the next ten minutes. Once you get over that initial period, the temptation to go back to bed is usually gone.

4. Active Work.Start your day with work that actively uses your mind. Creative activities like writing, drawing, programming or designing work better than passive activities like reading. By focusing your mind early you can stay focused and brush off any unwanted drowsiness.

5. Don’t Skip Breakfast.Wake up early enough to get something to eat. Skipping meals throw your metabolism out of balance, causing you to gain fat and lose energy. Skipping breakfast also means your blood sugar will be low in the morning and energy levels down.

6. Commit to a Sleep Schedule.The obvious solution to combat sleepiness is to get more rest at night. Carrying a sleep debt throughout the week with the hopes of paying it off on the weekend is a bad strategy. Instead, compress your work into the morning hours so you can get the 6-8 hours you need each night.

7. Turn Up the Volume.I’ve found listening to music or audio books helpful in keeping myself awake during the morning. Best of all, if you put on an audio book from your favorite speaker, you can get some encouragement to start your day.

早晨起床越慢，越會覺得這是一件痛苦的事。 躺著掙紮三十分鍾
，然後花上一個小時才能清醒過來
，還是神清氣爽的迅速開始新的一天


，你會選哪個呢？

在我最近的一篇文章“早晨的習慣”中，我提到我每天都是5:30起床。一些讀者吃驚的問我起那麼早，是怎麼對付早上困的東倒西歪的狀況的。作為一個沒有早起習慣的人（我可是很容易就能一覺睡到大中午），daqingzaocongchuangshangpaqilaibingqiexunsubaituokunjuankebushiyijianrongyideshi。xiamianshiwodeyixiemijue，tamennenggenghaodebangnizaiqingzaobaochiqingxing，erbushiquyikaoyidahukafei。

為什麼遠離咖啡因？

我wo從cong不bu喝he咖ka啡fei並bing且qie隻zhi是shi偶ou爾er喝he一yi點dian茶cha。這zhe些xie東dong西xi裏li麵mian的de咖ka啡fei因yin雖sui然ran能neng暫zan時shi解jie決jue你ni的de困kun倦juan
，但dan是shi我wo從cong來lai不bu認ren為wei這zhe是shi健jian康kang的de解jie決jue方fang法fa。我wo知zhi道dao咖ka啡fei因yin讓rang你ni更geng有you精jing神shen，但dan是shi它ta的de副fu作zuo用yong也ye不bu可ke忽hu視shi，比bi如ru：

* 效力過後更加困倦
* 影響正常睡眠
* 習慣以後上癮
* 無法集中注意力（盡管有些研究說沒有這個效應）

咖(ka)啡(fei)因(yin)到(dao)底(di)是(shi)提(ti)神(shen)的(de)特(te)效(xiao)藥(yao)還(hai)是(shi)有(you)很(hen)多(duo)副(fu)作(zuo)用(yong)的(de)垃(la)圾(ji)還(hai)很(hen)難(nan)說(shuo)。但(dan)是(shi)，考(kao)慮(lv)到(dao)這(zhe)些(xie)副(fu)作(zuo)用(yong)，如(ru)果(guo)你(ni)能(neng)不(bu)通(tong)過(guo)它(ta)的(de)刺(ci)激(ji)就(jiu)能(neng)保(bao)持(chi)清(qing)爽(shuang)
，為(wei)啥(sha)還(hai)要(yao)去(qu)喝(he)它(ta)呢(ne)。

清晨怎麼做才能提神
？

這zhe裏li是shi一yi些xie能neng有you效xiao地di幫bang你ni從cong半ban睡shui半ban醒xing到dao神shen清qing氣qi爽shuang的de小xiao竅qiao門men，我wo相xiang信xin它ta們men會hui對dui你ni很hen有you幫bang助zhu。很hen快kuai清qing醒xing不bu僅jin能neng幫bang你ni節jie省sheng時shi間jian，也ye能neng讓rang你ni少shao掙zheng紮zha一yi會hui。下xia麵mian竅qiao門men來lai了le：

1.明亮的燈光：你ni身shen體ti的de生sheng物wu鍾zhong是shi由you光guang線xian影ying響xiang的de。所suo以yi最zui好hao以yi起qi床chuang就jiu打da開kai你ni房fang間jian裏li所suo有you的de燈deng。充chong足zu的de光guang線xian能neng喚huan醒xing你ni的de身shen體ti，讓rang它ta覺jiao得de是shi時shi候hou起qi床chuang清qing醒xing了le。

2.運動熱身：早上一起床就做一些運動。夏天的時候我通常會在清晨小跑一會，這可以很有效的幫你甩掉困倦。現在溫度已經降到了零下30度
，我轉而在房間裏做些俯臥撐。運動能讓你心跳加速，幫助身體走出倦怠。

3.10分鍾原則：如果你想養成同一個時間起床的習慣，可以試試10分鍾原則。這個原則是指你起床時向自己保證在接下來的十分鍾裏保持清醒。一旦你度過這10分鍾
，想再躺回床上的欲望一般也就隨之而去了。

4.主動的工作：yitiangangkaishideshihou
，anpaiyixiezhudongdeshiyongnidedanaodegongzuo。biruyixiechuangzuoxingdegongzuoxiangxiezuo，huahua
，bianxiechengxu，huozheyixieshejixingdegongzuo。biqibeidongxingdehuodongrudushu，zhexiezhudonggongzuokeyigengyouxiaodebangnijizhongjingshen
，baituokunjuan。

5.吃好早餐：zaodianqichuang，ranhounongdiandongxichi。buchizaocanhuirangnidexinchendaixieshiqupingheng，zaochengnichangpanghuozhewujingdacai。buchizaocanyehuizaochengnizaizaochenxuetangpiandi，zhehuirangnigandaokunjuan。

6.按時睡覺：要(yao)避(bi)免(mian)早(zao)晨(chen)無(wu)精(jing)打(da)采(cai)，晚(wan)上(shang)保(bao)證(zheng)睡(shui)眠(mian)顯(xian)然(ran)是(shi)必(bi)須(xu)的(de)。工(gong)作(zuo)日(ri)欠(qian)大(da)量(liang)的(de)睡(shui)眠(mian)債(zhai)，而(er)企(qi)圖(tu)在(zai)周(zhou)末(mo)一(yi)次(ci)補(bu)齊(qi)絕(jue)對(dui)是(shi)個(ge)壞(huai)主(zhu)意(yi)，不(bu)管(guan)對(dui)精(jing)神(shen)還(hai)是(shi)身(shen)體(ti)。為(wei)了(le)避(bi)免(mian)這(zhe)樣(yang)的(de)情(qing)況(kuang)
，把(ba)工(gong)作(zuo)壓(ya)縮(suo)到(dao)你(ni)精(jing)力(li)充(chong)足(zu)的(de)早(zao)上(shang)，從(cong)而(er)保(bao)證(zheng)每(mei)天(tian)晚(wan)上(shang)最(zui)少(shao)6-8小時的睡眠。

7.把音樂打開：wofaxianzaochentingxieyinlehuozheyoushengtushunenghenyouxiaodebangnibaochiqingxing。tebieshiruguobanizuixihuandelangsongzhedeyoushengtushubofangshang，zongnenggulinigengyoujingshen。