Tips for your morning

Setting multiple alarms in a row just like that snooze-Function is part of a normal morning for many of us. But why bother waking up every time when getting up could be a lot easier with a few simple tips and tricks? Here you can find out how you can start your day faster and, above all, more comfortably.

a notice: Our tips should primarily serve as inspiration. Everyone is different, so it may well be that not all tips are right for you. Nevertheless, it is worth trying out the various points at least once.

  • Alarm clock

    The night before, you can take a first step to make getting up in the morning easier. It's all about the right alarm/alarm clock sound. Above all, this one should not be associated with terror, since it is the first thing we encounter during the day. First choose a sound that you are comfortable with and then focus on the volume. A little extra tip: You might want to set your alarm clock a little further away so that you have to get up straight away to switch it off in the morning.

  • Fresh air

    In the cold season in particular, many of us sleep with the windows closed. At night, the CO2 concentration increases and the air quality in the room deteriorates, causing a feeling of drowsiness and tiredness. In order to counteract this, it is worth opening the windows first thing in the morning to get fresh wind and fresh oxygen into the bedroom.

  • Natural light

    However, the open window in the morning not only brings fresh oxygen into the bedroom, but also natural light. This can make our getting up process a lot easier. Of course, the sun doesn't shine every morning, but it doesn't have to. Even small amounts of daylight cause our brain (more specifically our pineal gland) to inhibit the production of melatonin.

  • Additional information: Melatonin

    Melatonin is a hormone and is one of the most important clocks for the sleep-wake cycle.

  • Make your bed

    After we get out of bed and our windows are wide open, a next possible step would be to make the bed. Aside from perhaps preventing us from falling back into bed immediately or during the day, it's the first visible sense of accomplishment of the day. It may not be helpful for some, but it's worth trying this habit for yourself for a few days.

  • Dream journal

    In order not to ponder the dreams experienced at night all day long, it helps to write down your own thoughts, to organize them and thus to process them. Keeping a diary allows you to start the day fresh and unencumbered.

  • Meditation

    An alternative to journaling is meditation. Mindfulness, the distance from everyday life, the peace and serenity within a meditation in the morning make it possible for your body to start the day positively and relaxed. The aim is not to swim in negative or stressed thoughts, such as upcoming tasks, immediately after getting up.

  • Drinking water

    About two thirds of our body consists of water. So it's easy to understand that a large glass of water in the morning will bring you back to your normal, productive and alert state. We have no way of drinking water overnight - on the contrary: we tend to lose fluids during sleep, for example through sweating or breathing. So if you reach for a glass of water first thing in the morning, you'll get your body going and you'll also be able to meet the first sips of your daily requirement.

  • Exercise

    Another tip to wake up faster is some exercise. Don't worry - we don't ask you for a three-hour workout, just something to get your circulation going. Once we are out of bed, the danger of falling back is not so great. For example, a short walk, a light stretch, or a 10-minute yoga workout might wake you up. A positive side effect of the whole thing is that the movement in the morning has an additional positive effect on falling asleep in the evening

  • Breakfast

    A healthy and delicious breakfast is a great way to have plenty of energy for the day ahead. This should ideally be high in carbohydrates, protein and fiber and contain at least one portion of fruit or vegetables.

  • Freshness kick in the bathroom

    If you take a shower in the morning (after the exercise session) anyway, you could try a contrast shower next time.

  • How does a contrast shower work?

    To keep the intensity under control, it is best to take the shower head out of the holder, set the water temperature to cold and shower your legs (starting with your heels) little by little. Then switch back to a warm temperature and repeat the same process with warm water. Feel free to do 2-3 rounds of this and finish your shower with cold water. If your body tolerates this special shower in the morning well, you can of course also carry out the same process on your arms. It is important that you quickly warm up your body again at the end of your shower.

What's next?

Plan your day

To increase your motivation to get up, it can be helpful to plan an activity you look forward to first thing in the morning. For example, this could be eating a healthy breakfast, picking out your clothes, or listening to your favorite podcast or playlist. How about the TUM4Health, for example Podcast "How to healthy...?" - Listen to it!

Schedule enough sleep

If, despite the various tips, you still find it very difficult to get out of bed, you may want to screw in other places. The following reflection questions can help to identify one of these possible levers:


  • When do you go to bed at night and how do you spend the last hour before going to sleep?
  • How many hours of sleep do you get on average?
  • Are there any disruptive factors that often wake you up at night or in the early hours of the morning?


Try to choose the time when you fall asleep so that you reach the recommended sleep duration (7-9 hours) before the alarm goes off. If this is not the case, your body has not yet been able to recover sufficiently and is therefore fighting against getting up with all its might. Identify and eliminate possible disruptive factors (e.g. noise, light) that interrupt your sleep or cause you to wake up prematurely.

  • Sources

      Baldinger, S. et al. Healthy indoor air. In: International Congress – Messezentrum Wien Neu. Vienna. IBO Verlag 2004Popp, R. (2005). Countermeasures for drowsiness. Regensburg (p.74ff.)Health center. The pineal gland miracle. https://www.zentrum-der-gesundheit.de/bibliothek/koerper/koerperfunktionen/zirbeldruese (accessed on February 2nd, 2022) The technicians. learn to meditate. https://www.tk.de/techniker/magazin/life-balance/aktiv-entspannen/meditieren-lernen-2007098 (accessed on February 2nd, 2022) Better healthy living. Why you should drink water after getting up. Regensburg 2005 (p.77f.)Ganz, C. The Kneipp health theory. In: Swiss Journal of Health Medicine. Fribourg, Karger 2016