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5 Ways to rise and shine

7am  –  It’s time to wake up, smell the coffee and jump right into the day!… or not. If you’re a ‘five more minutes’ kind of girl, these tips from Dr. Irshaad Ebrahim, a sleep therapist at the Constantia Sleep Centre will help you rise and shine, every time!

 

1 Change your alarm tone

Are you waking up to a fog horn or constant beeping? “Shocking your body to consciousness will only stress you out,” says Dr. Ebrahim. Try a tune that puts a smile on your face instead.

2 Avoid snoozing

Slipping between consciousness and brief sleep only confuses your body and will leave you feeling more tired once it’s really time to get up, as it messes with your sleep cycles.

3 Get moving

The longer you stay in bed, the more fatigued your body will become. “Think of your body as a machine. It switches on in the morning, but if the machinery is not put to work soon, it will go back to sleep mode. Do a couple of jumping jacks or pace around,” explains Dr. Ebrahim. This will let your body know that it’s time to wake up, sending a burst of energy through your veins.

4 Establish a routine

Need to shower, eat breakfast and pack your lunch? Do them all in the same order every day and you’ll find it easier to get up in the mornings, completing them on auto-pilot and thus burning less mental and physical energy. It will also leave you less stressed for the day as you don’t have to focus on the many things that need to be done.

5 Get. More. Sleep.

You’ve heard it before and we’ll keep saying it: Get. More. Sleep. Think of those frustrating moments when your computer spits out ‘not responding messages,’ and how you react by restarting it. Humans are the same. “Our bodies (and minds!) need to sleep in order to refresh,” says Dr. Ebrahim. Aim for at least eight hours a night, every night.

 

Worried you’re still not getting enough beauty sleep?  Follow these steps

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