The winter months in cold places can be harsh and unforgiving—replete with illness, overtaken by smog-causing pollution and bogged down by the unproductivity of shorter daylight hours. Deep-set lethargy is another peculiar problem associated with winter. Most people living in cold climes are familiar with the heartfelt struggle of emerging from underneath a warm blanket every morning; the hard battle of fighting off the mid-afternoon stupor; or the constant tussle with the desire to curl up in bed with a hot beverage, forsaking all work and household chores. This acute winter stupor is a common bone of contention for many people.
However difficult it may seem to conquer this cold-weather laziness, it is not an impossible task. Here are a few tips to help you overcome this problem and be productive in every aspect of your life:
BE STRICT WITH YOUR ALARM
Setting an alarm and sticking to it may seem a rather obvious point, but most of us are guilty of disregarding this simple method. Working from home these last few months has only worsened the situation, as strict reporting timings at office no longer exist. Not snoozing an alarm seems a tough task, but you have to build it up to a habitual practice. Force yourself to get out of bed on the first few days, perhaps promising yourself a reward for doing so. A couple of weeks into this practice, you will be surprised to note that your body clock will wake you before the alarm goes off!
KEEP PHONE ON AIRPLANE MODE IN NIGHT
For most people, snoozing an alarm is par for the course. If you simply cannot overturn this habit, the only solution is to ensure that you get a good night’s sleep. There are many advantages to sleeping with the phone on airplane mode—it saves you from the harmful radiations that phones emit, and prevents your sleep being disturbed by the blue light of notifications popping up at night. Once the quality of your sleep improves, you will wake up refreshed in the early hours of the morning.
EAT DINNER EARLY
Another method to ensure better sleep is to eat your last meal well before bedtime. The human body is not meant to digest heavy foods at night. Target eating your last meal of the day 4-5 hours before going to bed, so the food is digested by the time you are ready to sleep. Intermittent fasting or not eating for 16 hours, also helps improve the quality of sleep, while making you feel healthier and more productive.
JOIN A GYM OR FITNESS CLASS IN THE MORNING
Sign up for virtual or real-time fitness classes or tie up with a buddy to work out together, first thing in the morning. Once the commitment has been made, you are more likely to act on it. Getting out of bed in the mornings becomes an easier task if that class or person is holding you accountable. Additionally, morning workouts set a positive mood for the rest of the day, and boost your metabolism so you burn calories at a faster rate, as the day goes on.
READ BOOKS BEFORE BED
Many of us are guilty of staying up late at night, binge-watching the latest TV show. This seemingly innocuous practice is quite harmful to the overall quality of your sleep. A simple solution is to restrict your TV viewing time to weekends only, opting on weekdays for the relaxing alternative of a good book. Reading calms your mind instead of over-stimulating it, which in turn makes you feel sleepy. Even if you have never been a reader, you could explore audio-books or podcasts as worthy substitutes to the screen. If the blue light of a screen is a must, look for short YouTube videos which will not suck you in for the rest of the night.
These simple tips will help you stave off the winter blues, sleep well, become healthy and ensure that your year gets off to a good start.
The writer is a lawyer who pens lifestyle articles for various publications and on her successful blog www.nooranandchawla.com. She can be found on Instagram @nooranandchawla.