According to counselling psychologist Niamh Delmar, the best thing you can do when the alarm goes off in the morning is get up.
It sounds harsh, and Philip Boucher Hayes wonders if there's any support for hitting the snooze button, but Niamh is adamant – you're better off getting up.
Unless, that is, you want to take some time to do some breathing or meditation in bed before you get up. But really, Niamh's message is that, once you’re awake, the secret of a good start to the day is to get up and get on with it.
Researchers for University College London have found, after analysing data from more than 49,000 people, that mornings are when people feel their best.
This prompted Philip to ask Niamh why a morning routine is so important. And Niamh believes that your morning informs a lot of your day:
"Repeated tasks are habit-forming, and neuroscientists recommend morning rituals for brain health. It helps your focus and your productivity."
This starts with, as mentioned above, getting up once you wake up. And doing that consistently because your morning routine will not only inform your day, but also the following night’s sleep:
"The circadian rhythm needs consistency – the same time getting up every day, and that makes sure that you sleep better that night and that will make sure that your energy levels are good the next morning. People sometimes focus on sleep at nighttime, but it starts in the morning."
If you’re not the type of person to leap out of bed with a smile on your face every morning, Niamh has options for you before you throw the legs over the side of the bed:
"Breath work and a little bit of meditation can change the activity of your pre-frontal cortex, which is associated with attention and emotional regulation. Just literally breathing really slowly, just even to do that."
Once you are out of bed, the recommendation is to seek sunlight – or, as we live in Ireland, let’s say natural light, as opposed to sunlight – as it’s good for the brain. But try to hold off on that first coffee of the day:
"Your body loses water during sleep, so you need water, you need to hydrate yourself. So, a glass of water when you wake up – it can really make a difference. And hold off [on the coffee] as long as you can."
Another thing Niamh thinks we should consider adding to our morning routine is making the bed because every task done in the morning has a knock-on effect:
"Making the bed sends a little signal to yourself that you’ve done something, that you’ve accomplished something. Sometimes I’ve people that might be in grieving or depressed and the urge is to stay in bed – which is totally understandable – but that’ll upset their sleep cycle, and they’ll lie there, they might ruminate, but being able to do four or five steps can make such a huge difference for people. So, even something simple like making the bed."
A nutritious breakfast is good for getting a boost and then it’s time to take a shower and it’s here that Philip and Niamh have a major parting of the ways.
Niamh suggests hitting the cold tap before you get out of the shower to give yourself a little shock to the system and release endorphins, but Philip is not on board. Try it, says Niamh. Start small and build from there:
"People build it up. Literally, they might start from one second of a little bit of a cold blast, then they can build it up. But that’s why people swim in the sea as well, because they get that lovely feeling from it. But that can become a habit as well, if people can do it. Just literally a few seconds at the end."
Philip remains unconvinced.
You can hear the full set of Niamh’s morning routine recommendations by clicking the link above.
