Sometimes, it can feel like your alarm goes off just minutes after you fall asleep. It’s easy to think that just ‘five more minutes’ could make all the difference, but unfortunately that can lead to hitting the snooze button again, and again. Before you know it, you’re running late, and that actually affects more than just your schedule, it can affect your overall health. Not giving yourself enough time in the morning to fully wake up can lead to tiredness later on in the day, and even a danger in driving to your morning destination. Ditch the snooze button and stop hating the sound of your alarm clock. Try these five tips to wake up happy, and energised.

1. Make Your Alarm Inconvenient

Most of us sleep with our alarm clock right next to our bed. If you use your phone, you may even sleep with it under your pillow, which makes it incredibly easy to hit ‘snooze’ without having to move. After setting your alarm at night, put it somewhere out of reach, so you’ll actually have to get out of bed to shut the alarm off. Once you’re fully up, it won’t be as easy to just fall back in bed and go to sleep again.

2. Reward Yourself In The Morning

As humans, our brains are trained to enjoy rewards of all kinds, so set a small ‘reward’ for yourself in the morning that you’ll look forward to as a mental activity, like reading a good book, checking your email, etc. If you turn on the lights right after your alarm goes off, and give yourself ten minutes or so of that rewarding activity, you’re surely not going to fall asleep again.

3. The Best Part Of Waking Up…

You may need a cup of coffee to feel energised in the morning, but did you know that the smell alone can actually trigger activity in your brain? If you have a coffee maker that can be set on a timer, have it start brewing about ten minutes before your alarm goes off. You’ll wake up to the soothing scent of coffee in the air, and it can actually stimulate you to wake up even more.

4. Go To Bed Earlier

This may seem like an obvious solution, but most people who have trouble getting up in the morning don’t get enough sleep. Life can be hectic at times, but if you can get to sleep just 30 minutes to an hour earlier each night, you may not have such a hard time waking up on time in the morning, and that snooze button won’t get any use.

5. Brighten Up Your Room

Studies show that vibrant, bright colours can actually stimulate the mind and allow you to feel ‘refreshed’ and energized when you wake up.’ Try redecorating your room with brighter colours and tones, moving things around, and making it a more inviting space to wake up to in the morning.

With these simple tips, you can stop hitting the snooze button, and start your days with more energy, and more time to take care of yourself!

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