Long vacations are really fun. You can sleep late at night and wake up late the next day. However, when the holidays are over, the habit of getting up this afternoon will be very difficult to break. This is because your body clock is still getting used to its rhythm during the holidays. However, there is no need to worry. Your body clock can be gradually restored so you no longer have trouble getting up early before going to school.
Step
Method 1 of 5: Fixing Your Sleep Schedule Before School Starts
Step 1. Determine the length of your sleep time
When the holidays are long, most of you must be used to staying up late. In preparation for the start of school, your body clock needs to be reset so you don't have a hard time getting up before going to school.
As a general rule, children aged 5-9 need 10-11 hours of sleep each night, while children aged 10-18 need 8.5-9.5 hours of sleep each night
Step 2. Determine your bedtime
Calculate what time you should go to bed at night. For example, if school starts at 8 am and you have to leave the house at 7:30 am, then it will take about 1 hour to shower, get dressed and have breakfast. Since you need 9 hours of sleep, you have to wake up at 6 am and go to bed at 9:30 pm.
If you are the type of person who has trouble falling asleep, then go to bed earlier than expected. For example, if it takes you half an hour to fall asleep and your estimated bedtime is 9:30 p.m., then go to bed at 9 p.m
Step 3. Reset your body clock
Back off your bedtime by 15 minutes per day for 3-4 days. Continue to do this method, including on weekends until you can sleep at the appointed time. For example in the example above, you have to sleep at 9:30 pm.
- Depending on how long you are accustomed to staying up late, this method will take weeks to reset your body clock. So, make plans ahead of time.
- If the time to enter school is already near, then speed up the process. Advance your sleep time by 1-2 hours every 1-2 days and wake up 1-2 hours earlier as well. It's really hard at first, but it's better than being late on your first day of school.
- Continue to do this method including at the end of the week. If you stay up late again at the end of the week, the rhythm of your body clock will get messed up again and getting up in the morning will be even more difficult.
Method 2 of 5: Resetting the Morning Routine
Step 1. Have an early breakfast
Not only is your sleep schedule messed up during the holidays, your morning routine is also messed up because you're used to getting up late. After waking up in the morning, eat breakfast as if that day you were going to school.
- Research has shown that breakfast can help you wake up and give you a boost of energy. Eating in the morning provides glucose which is a source of energy for the whole body. It is not uncommon for people to feel sluggish when they wake up. This is because during sleep there is no energy intake into the body. Therefore, breakfast will help you feel refreshed because the body has been replenished with energy.
- Research results also state that consuming carbohydrates will improve your mood. This will help you get ready to go to school.
Step 2. Prepare as if you were going to school
After waking up, continue your activities as if that day you were going to school. Breakfast first or take a shower first, just according to your daily life. The goal is to reaccustom yourself to morning activities so that when school starts again, you're not surprised and waking up in the morning isn't too irritating.
- Make sure no activities are missed. For example, if you usually straighten your hair and apply make-up before going to school, do both during this adjustment period.
- The length of preparation time before going to school during the adjustment period must be the same as the length of preparation time when the school period begins. For example, if the length of time you need to get ready for school is one hour, then complete your preparation during this adjustment period in one hour. If during the adjustment period, you are used to completing all preparations on time, then when school starts you are no longer in a hurry.
Step 3. Leave the house
If possible, leave the house at the same time you leave for school. This will mean that you really stick to your regular school schedule. That way, you'll slowly get used to getting out of the house at the same time. Here are some suggestions we can give:
- Go to the library. Take this opportunity to work on your unfinished homework. Otherwise, just read a book or novel that you've been meaning to read for a long time.
- Go to a friend's house who is also in adjustment period. After that, you can go anywhere you like, like a cafe or a mall.
- Take classes in the morning course. Vacations are also a good opportunity to increase your knowledge and skills. Look for an interesting morning course in your neighborhood.
Method 3 of 5: Reordering Activities at Night
Step 1. Have dinner on time
When the holidays are long, chances are your dinner schedule will also fall apart. So, let's get back to your dinner schedule before school starts again.
- Stop the habit of eating fast food. Return to a healthy and nutritious diet. Nutritious food is more beneficial for the body and can increase brain intelligence.
- To determine your dinner time, you need to consider several things that affect your schedule at night, namely: a) after-school activities b) the amount of homework that needs to be done c) the length of time to prepare before bed d) the desired amount of free time e) what time do you go to bed f) schedule of other household members.
Step 2. Read at night
Reading a book at night (or anytime, if you haven't read in a long time) will relax your brain that's been too stiff from the long vacation. This will make studying easy and you'll get used to it when you have to go back to doing homework at night.
You can also try Sudoku, crossword puzzles, or any activity that stimulates the brain and can familiarize yourself with homework and school lessons
Step 3. Preparation before bed
Maybe before the holidays, you usually take a shower and brush your teeth before going to bed. Now, it's time to bring back those old habits. Complete all of your preparations in the same amount of time as your school preparation time. For example, if during school it took you an hour to get ready before bed, then complete your preparation during adjustment period in one hour.
Now is the perfect time to get used to preparing clothes for the next day. That way, you won't be in a rush in choosing your clothes in the morning
Step 4. Sleep on time
Go to bed at a predetermined time. Don't ruin your schedule, even on the weekends. Ignore all the temptations to stay up late that will inevitably arise. Be patient, later when school starts again you will really feel the benefits.
Method 4 of 5: Sleep well
Step 1. Rest before going to bed
Stopping all activities at night is a signal to the body that bedtime is near. There is no way you will immediately fall asleep as soon as your body is lying on the bed. Give yourself about 30-45 minutes to slowly rest your brain and body.
- Try to take a hot shower. After bathing, your body temperature will drop, which is a signal for the brain to produce the hormone melatonin, aka the sleep hormone.
- Another way is to turn off all your electronic devices and give your brain a break by reading, listening to relaxing music, or doing some light stretching.
Step 2. Don't drink caffeine
Caffeine is a stimulant found not only in coffee, but also in tea, chocolate, soda, and painkillers. Experts recommend avoiding caffeine for 6 hours before bedtime.
6 hours is the time it takes caffeine to leave the body's circulatory system
Step 3. Avoid strenuous exercise before bed
After strenuous exercise, your body temperature will rise and it may take several hours for your body temperature to return to normal. It takes a low body temperature to sleep well. So, don't exercise for 3-4 hours before going to bed.
However, regular exercise will improve the quality of your sleep. The relationship between exercise and sleep is still not exactly known, but various research results show regular exercise can indeed make you sleep soundly
Step 4. Stay away from distractions from electronic devices
Turn off all TVs, phones, laptops, and tablets while you are in bed. All that stuff will continue to occupy your brain and cause you to have trouble sleeping.
- Electronic devices emit a type of blue light that resembles natural light, so the brain will think it's daytime and suppress the production of the hormone melatonin, which makes it hard to fall asleep.
- Cell phones, laptops and tablets make it easier to fall asleep because the light emitted is closer to your face.
Step 5. Darken your room
Turn off all the lights in your room. Your body clock is greatly affected by exposure to light and darkness. Melatonin production is more active in the dark and suppressed when it is light. The darker your room, the better.
- Dim the room light for 30-45 before bed, as a signal to the brain that soon you will sleep.
- If you sleep with a roommate who doesn't like sleeping in the dark, wear an eye patch to block out the light.
Step 6. Go to bed at the same time every night
Make sure you follow your sleep schedule every night, including on weekends. There's a lot of temptation to stay up late on the weekends, but if you do, your body clock will be messed up again and waking up the next day will be very annoying.
Method 5 of 5: Get Up Early Before Going to School
Step 1. Finish dinner 2-3 hours before going to bed
Waking up in the morning will be much easier if you sleep well at night. Late dinner will make it difficult for you to sleep because your body is still in the process of digesting food. Avoid eating spicy and sour foods because they will make you heartburn if eaten before bed.
However, your sleep will also be disturbed if you are hungry. If you feel hungry before going to bed, eat light foods such as oatmeal, cereal, bananas, yogurt, vegetables or popcorn
Step 2. Prepare for the next day
Of course, you definitely don't like it when you have to go to school in a hurry. To avoid this, do all the preparations for going to school before you go to bed. Get your school clothes ready, put your books and homework in your bag, and make sure you don't forget anything before you go to bed.
- Prepare clothes, shoes and accessories that will be worn tomorrow. Place it somewhere easy to find in your room.
- Have your bag and all the things you will take to school with you on the table or near the bedroom door.
Step 3. Eat a nutritious breakfast
Continue your adjustment schedule and eat a healthy breakfast. The glucose from breakfast will give you energy and improve your mood.
Step 4. Don't snooze your Alarm
When the alarm has sounded, don't press the “snooze” button, then go back to sleep. Waking up in the morning will be more difficult and you will have less time to get ready. Keep the alarm out of your reach.
So that you wake up quickly, put the alarm across the room, so to turn it off you have to get out of bed
Step 5. Use more than one alarm
Put several alarms in various corners of the room. Arrange for these alarms to sound at the same time, or space them out 2-3 minutes apart. This will prevent you from going back to sleep after turning off the alarm.
- Use alarms with different types, so that the sound and volume also vary.
- Please use your cell phone alarm as long as the sound is loud enough. Use an alarm sound that is so annoying that you are "forced" to wake up.
Step 6. Use light to wake yourself up
Since your body clock responds to light as a wake-up call, it can be used to help you wake up even if the sun has not yet risen. Here are some interesting tools that can be used.
- For example, there are alarm clocks that can wake you up by turning on the light slowly, much like the rising sun. This light will make your body think it's time to wake up. There are research results that prove this clock is able to help you wake up and go to sleep faster.
- There are also lights that can be set to turn on slowly, much like a sunrise. Some lights also have a sunset-like function, so you can fall asleep more easily.
- However, natural light is still the best. Natural light has been used by humans even before the light was invented. Letting sunlight into the room is the best stimulation for your body clock. However, if you need to wake up earlier than the sun, there's nothing wrong with using artificial light either.
Tips
- Have a glass of water ready to drink as soon as you wake up. This will wake up your metabolism and keep you awake.
- Ask friends or family to wake you up in the morning. Maybe your friends will call, or your Mom will tickle your feet.
- Don't forget to set an alarm!
- Try bathing with a soap containing lime or peppermint to refresh you.
- Think back to why you wanted to get up early. So as not to rush? Don't like being late? Want to decorate? Or do you want to do well in school?
- If any part of your routine isn't going well or wants to be added, set up a new routine and get on with it!
- Reward yourself for getting up in the morning successfully. This can give you more motivation.
