Adjusting the biological clock, not forcing yourself
The most common mistake of people who want to wake up early is... forcing themselves to wake up early immediately. According to Dr. Matthew Walker, a neuroscience and sleep expert, Director of the Human Sleep Science Center, University of California, Berkeley (USA), the human body operates according to a very tight biological clock.
Waking up earlier is only effective when you go to bed earlier. Otherwise, it is just a form of controlled insomnia, and the consequences will appear after a few days," Mr. Walker emphasized.
The correct way is to adjust step by step. Wake up 10-15 minutes earlier each day, and go to bed early accordingly. After about two to three weeks, the biological clock will adapt itself. This is a particularly important principle for families with young children, when parents are the "chief" of common life.
Morning light also plays a key role. Opening curtains immediately after waking up, exposure to natural sunlight for 10-20 minutes helps the body stop secreting melatonin (a sleep hormone), thereby waking up faster. Conversely, it is necessary to limit blue light from phones and TVs at least an hour before bedtime.
Establishing a family routine to wake up early is no longer a battle
Waking up early will be very difficult if each member has a different rhythm of life. In many families, parents want their children to sleep early but themselves stay up late with their phones. This mismatch makes all efforts fail.
Dr. Christine Blume, a sleep researcher at the University of Basel (Switzerland), believes that the evening routine determines up to 70% of the chances of getting up early. “A quiet, routinely repeated evening every day will help the brain understand that it's time to rest,” Blume said.
Families should agree on a common cooling time, for example after 9 pm: turn off lights, stop stressful work, limit arguments, replace them with reading books, and chatting gently. For children, the ritual before bed is like taking a warm bath, listening to stories, and reviewing a day that has passed to help them fall asleep easily and sleep deeper.
Morning also needs motivation. A simple but cozy breakfast, a few minutes of stretching, or just a cup of warm tea in silence can make getting up early worthwhile. When the morning is comfortable enough, the body will no longer resist waking up.
