Guest Post | Rise and Shine: How to Become a Morning Person

Updated on May 13th, 2025

If you are a night owl and are struggling to become a morning person, then this guest post from Chloe over at Nyxie’s Nook is just for you! In this guest post, Chloe shares the benefits of being a morning person as well as ways to become one. Without further ado, here is her guest post!

Here’s the deal; I’m not, by any stretch of the imagination, a natural morning person. I’d much rather go to sleep at five AM than get up to start my day. My husband and I are both natural night owls who enjoy the silence of late nights when the rest of the world is asleep and no one can bother us. Everything feels calmer, and the prospect of getting a call from work or family is non-existent. 

But, as I’ve gotten older and my day job has placed me on morning shifts, I’ve learned to love the sunrise. And with it has come a whole host of other benefits that I never knew existed. 

Am I now a newly converted morning person? Not quite. But I can definitely appreciate the appeal and have found the same calm in the early morning as I previously found in late nights. 

What Makes a Morning Person? 

A morning person is someone who naturally wakes up early. They often feel most productive and energised during the early hours, and tend to naturally go to sleep earlier in the evening. 

Celebrities such as Jennifer Aniston and Oprah Winfrey both claim to rise before seven AM, allowing them to work out or call relatives in far-off lands. Another well-known routine is that of Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple. He rises around three AM to work on emails, before heading to the gym at five. While I admire Cook’s commitment and could do with the extra time, I don’t think I’ll be getting up at three AM anytime soon. 

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Why Would I Want to Become a Morning Person? 

For many of us waking up early and embracing the small hours of the morning can work wonders for our overall health and wellbeing. 

Makes Room for Better Sleep! 

If you’re getting up early, then obviously (hopefully) you’re heading to bed early too. We as a species are diurnal animals. That means we are meant to be asleep when the sun is down, and awake when it’s up. However, due to modern society, one which never seems to sleep, many of us struggle to find a routine that works around both our work and personal lives. 

If you’re fortunate enough to work a job that operates solely during daylight hours, then it should be easier to adapt your routine. Instead of staying up late into the night to catch those final few episodes, head to bed and get up early in the morning. Not only should you have a spare hour to spend on your basic needs, but you’re allowing your circadian rhythms to realign. And let’s not forget about the benefits a good night’s sleep can have on your mood, cognitive function, and physical health. 

Increases Our Productivity

This one goes without saying. If you’re up earlier, you’re able to get more done! More time before work means you’re able to read an extra chapter, hang out the washing, clear the dishwasher, or even beat that next level in Zelda. After all, productivity isn’t always about work, it can be whatever you want it to be. But the bottom line is that if you’re up earlier, you can get on with it! 

Improves Time Management

Being awake earlier means you have more time to plan your day and set your priorities. Or you can always plan the night before and have more time to focus on other early morning tasks. No matter how you go about planning things in life, being prepared allows you to stay organised, focused and leaves you feeling more achieved. 

More Time for Self-Care

Being awake earlier isn’t all about getting ahead. It’s also about leaving more time for the things that make you feel good. This could be heading to the gym for a workout, doing some yoga at home or even reading a few pages of your book. But you also need to keep in mind that being a morning person just means you have a little bit more time in your day to do things that just completely relax you too (which is also a form of self-care within itself). This means you’ll have more time for playing your favorite games like Solitaire, maybe responding to messages, watching a show, and maybe even a few YouTube videos. There are just more possibilities. 

Can Help Reduce Stress 

If you’ve more time to yourself, whether it’s for self-care or getting organised, there’s a better chance of reducing feelings of stress. When we’re left rushing from A to B it can be extremely overwhelming. But by giving ourselves some extra TLC and time, we’re better able to manage those feelings, and perhaps not feel them at all. 

Improves Eating Habits

Last but certainly not least, waking up earlier leaves more room for a healthy breakfast. In fact, so many of us feel so rushed in the morning that we don’t even take time for breakfast, me being one of them. And good news for those of us who don’t feel hungry in the morning. Getting up earlier regulates appetite, therefore making us feel hungry at the times we want to feel it, and reduces the likelihood of snacking late into the night. 

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Can You Become a Morning Person?

Of course, we all don’t need to be morning people. Some of us are more creative at night and perhaps our jobs allow us to lean into that. But for many, we need to be awake and alert during daylight hours. Here are just a few ways you can realign yourself to wake up earlier, leaving more time for you to complete your lengthy to-do list! 

Fix Your Sleep!

Before we can begin to wake up earlier, we need to first get to sleep on time. This means setting a regular bedtime. Yes, even on the weekends. And while it’s okay to indulge from time to time, it’s important we stick to our set time for the most part. 

For me to be able to wake up for a six AM start, I realistically need to be in bed and asleep by ten PM at the very latest. As a night owl who often only comes alive at that time, it’s been a difficult adjustment, to say the least. 

But I Can’t Get to Sleep

It’s important to develop a nighttime routine that works for you. Find relaxing activities to help signal your body that it’s almost time for bed. This could be reading a book, taking a relaxing bath, meditating, or even partaking in deep breathing exercises. 

Also, take the time to create a sleep-promoting environment. Invest in earplugs if you have trouble with external noise. I personally use Loop Earplugs and have done for three years now. Prior to using them, I suffered from extremely bad sleep due to my husband’s snoring, and the small sounds that all normal households have. They’ve been a real game changer for me, and that has never been more apparent than when I forgot to take them on a recent vacation. 

Another very important factor to consider is that of digital devices, be it a television or your mobile phone. The blue light emitted from such devices severely interferes with the quality of sleep, therefore it’s important that you limit these before going to bed. 

Finally, and possibly the most important point of all, is your mattress. When was the last time you considered the quality of your mattress when it came to your sleep? A bad mattress can make all the difference, so it’s important to consider changing it if you have the option and finances to do so. 

Adjust Your Waking Time 

Like many things, it’s important that you work to adjust your waking time gradually. You can do this by setting your alarm clock to go off a little earlier each morning and working your way up to your desired time. This means your body is able to adjust naturally, rather than being thrown in at the deep end. 

However, there will always be times when this adjustment period is feasible. In that case, it’s important that once you have a set waking time, you stick to it. As mentioned previously, this does also mean continuing it on your days off. 

And if you mess up, no problem. Pick yourself up and try again! 

Stretch and Move Your Body First Thing in the Morning 

Get the blood flowing in order to wake your whole body. Exercise, no matter how light, allows energy to flow and helps keep you alert throughout the day. 

Even if all you do is stretch to unlock your joints and bones, it’s enough to make you feel more alive! 

Eat Breakfast!

Remember the old saying ‘eat breakfast like a king’? Breakfast helps set us up for the day ahead, and prevents snacking on unhealthy alternatives. However, many of us don’t feel overly hungry first thing in the morning, and that’s fine. A lighter breakfast of porridge or overnight oats is often enough to meet our nutritional needs. That and they can be easily prepared the night before, so you’re not left rushing! 

Take Note of the Benefits

As time goes by, and you stick to your plans, you’ll soon begin to reap the benefits. Take note of them and use them as a reminder for you to keep going. Do you have more time to relax in the morning? Are you getting more stuff done around the house or in your office? What about the silence of the early morning when no one’s around to send you annoying emails?

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About the Blogger

Chloe is a mental health, wellness, and lifestyle blogger over on Nyxie’s Nook. Along with writing, she is also passionate about illustrating and video games.

Thank you Chloe for sharing your fantastic post on becoming a morning person! Also, you can check out her blog and social media channels at the links below.

• Blog: Nyxie’s Nook
• Twitter: @nyxiesnook
• Instagram: @nyxtrix
• Pinterest: @nyxiesnook
• Facebook: @nyxiesnook

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Have You Any Other Ideas That Have Worked for You? 

Like many things, becoming a morning person takes time, effort, and patience. You can’t expect it all to align at once, can you? If you have any other ideas or techniques that have worked for you, we’d love to hear them in the comments!