FEELING GREAT: Wake up to the suggestion of spending less time in bed

"When your alarm clock goes off, you’ve got to get up within minutes."

Could you do 6.15 am? It was a question I asked a potential client of mine who called up and asked for an emergency physio appointment with me because he was suffering with severe back pain.

Believe it or not, the guy in this story said no to the appointment I offered.

Why? Because he wouldn’t be out of bed at that time of the day!

Now, think about that for a moment: he’s in so much pain that he was unlikely to be able to sleep, yet couldn’t bring himself to get up and out of bed at a slightly earlier time than normal despite the relief from back pain it would have given him for doing so.

It's so illogical, that the only way I could think of rationalising it was that most people don’t know real way to get the best from their sleeping habits. And to do so often means doing less of it than you think.

I find lots of people confused by the issue of tiredness and the role their bed has to play in decreasing it, or, as they think, even solving it. No, rarely is more sleep the answer to increasing energy levels or feeling less lethargic.

So, with that in mind, here are three tips to try that will help you get up and out earlier on a morning, leaving you feeling fresher and more alert for the whole day.

If you’re going to bed anywhere around 10-ish, aim not to eat after 7pm. This will help you sleep easily, as your digestive system will be able to switch off too.

When your alarm clock goes off, you’ve got to get up within minutes. Resist the temptation to hit the snooze button by leaving your alarm clock just out of reach.

Have a plan waiting for you so that you know what you’re going to be doing as soon as you get up.

Something like the first 20 minutes to get active, perhaps on a small trampoline or static exercise bike, 20 minutes to read a great book, and then perhaps the next 20 minutes to write and plan your day ahead.

I agree, getting up early is going to be tough at first. And expect it to take about 60 days for any change in habit or routine to feel normal, even for the early morning grogginess to go.

But the prize waiting for you for creating this good habit is the equivalent of discovering an entire week’s worth of spare time in your life, every month.