We listened to a recent leadership podcast from Craig Groeschel and found this topic interesting: How you wake up in the morning.
As you now know, we encourage our patients to be mindful of their HRV (heart rate variability) status. Achieving optimal HRV/vagus nerve function is vital to achieving optimal health.
When your vagus nerve is functioning well, your HRV is high, you handle stress well and your body recovers quicker, improving not only physical health, but mental health as well.
How you start your day can set the tone for how your body will function for the rest of the day!
So, we ask you…
“How do you get out of bed each morning?”
Do you wake up naturally without the alarm?
Do you wake up to the alarm, but get up right away?
Do you wake up to the alarm, but hit snooze, one, two, three, or more times before getting up?
According to a study published in SLEEP by University of Notre Dame, 57% of people fit into that third category! So if this is you, you are not alone!
Sleep is so important to achieving optimal health and healing. It is estimated that 33% of Americans do not get enough sleep. Thus, some say that “hitting snooze” helps them battle that terrible feeling of exhaustion. This study showed that “night owls” tended to hit snooze more often than “early birds.”
The cycle of hitting snooze can cause a chemical and psychological cascade of torment – your amygdala in the brain lights up and adrenaline races through your body every time your alarm sounds! This jarring experience every morning can have negative effects on your health and even lead to heart issues.
So, what to do?
- Try to go to bed at the same time every night.
- Plan to get 7 to 8 hours of sleep (so this means going to bed early enough).
- Start your day the night before (this means set your coffee maker, make your lunch, set out your clothes, put your briefcase in the car, set out exercise clothes for your planned morning exercise, etc.)
You will find that when you do these things, you can move from category three to the first one where you wake up without an alarm!
Some of us still want to set an alarm, “just in case.” But … change that alarm sound from a blaring ring, to a favorite soothing, peaceful song in your phone settings. Your HRV and vagus nerve will thank you.
Be intentional about optimizing your health. This takes planning. And discipline.
Take baby steps. You can do it. Start with getting good restful sleep! You have no idea how much better you will feel to face the day!
Blessings from the Dr. and Dietitian,
Dr. Hauser and Marion
