9 ways to effectively wake up your brain.

"I know waking up in the morning can be challenging sometimes, especially when your brain wants to chill in that sleepy state of mind. Thank God there are various effective ways to set your brain in a good and successful mood for the day. "

Today I will share 9 effective ways to wake up your brain to reduce stress and anxiety , brain fog, lack of focus and more . I added some extra free downloadable material which you can use to easily implement each point into your morning routine.​

1.Use a sleep cycle alarm app so you wake up during the right time in your cycle.

A sleep cycle alarm clock tracks your sleep patterns and wakes you up during

the light sleep cycle. You will feel like your waking up naturally rested. The best sleeping apps at the moment are sleepscore and sleepcycle.

2. If snoozing is your thing use the ‘intelligent snooze tactique’.

Most sleeping researchers don’t promote using the snooze button. But if it’s something you prefer, I would recommend using the ‘ intelligent snooze tactique’. Intelligent snooze lets you snooze through your wake up phase. The duration of each snooze becomes shorter, gently bringing you from asleep to completely awake at your desire alarm time.

( This tactique is only possible if you use a sleep cycle alarm app )

3. Wake up at least one hour before you have to use your brain intensely.

Don’t wake up late all the time. Because you have to do a lot in less time.This causes your brain to release high levels of stress hormones. These high levels of cortisol and adrenaline will disrupt your synapse regulation. Your brain will not be able to function properly which leads to more stress, because work, school etc. will demand this from your brain. This leads to even higher levels of stress hormones released by your brain. If you keep this habit in your regular routine it can eventually also kill brain cells, which leads to reduction in the prefrontal cortex, in particularly the area of the brain responsible for memory and learning. Next to that, it can increase the size of your amygdala, which can make the brain more sensitive to stress. Your brain will then become predisposed to be in a constant state of fight or flight.

4. Yawn a few times after you wake up.

Yawning is an activity that has several benefits on your brain, according to Mr Waldman and Dr Manning It clears away brain fog, increases blood flow, promotes mental efficiency and boosts your cognitive skills. Because when you yawn, several brain regions ( like the limbic system, brainstem) will get activated. And these activated regions will activate other regions. So when you wake up make it a habit to yawn a few times.

5. Get yourself the right morning wake up playlist.

Make a playlist with different types of songs. Start with some slow- paced songs;

slow jams, classic music, natural music and end with some fast- paced songs; rap, hiphop, r&b. It will help your brain to gradually wake up.

6. Feed your brain a healthy breakfast.

The brain needs water and food to function well, because It helps transport oxygen, nutrients and produces energy. Next to that our brain tissue and cells need it too, to stay in the best shape possible and to grow as well. So just drink some water or tea to stay hydrated and eat at least something small to start your day well.

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7. Do some stretching or light exercises. Stretching or light exercises really help to get your general circulation going better. This has a positive effect on the oxygen and nutrients the brain receives. So if you have some extra time in the morning, spoil your brain with a few body movements.

8. Splash cold water on your face.

When you splash cold water on your face, it will immediately shock your nervous system. It will cause your hormones to release adrenaline and increase the blood flow to your brain. You will definitely feel more awake in an instance, according to clinical psychologist Michael Breus, PhD. It also has some great benefits for your skin, because it gets rid of the harmful effects of sun’s rays.

9. Implement the double doodle game. (You need a paper or sticky note and two pens for both hands.)

Take a pen in each hand and draw some objects like a house, fish, heart and a sun. Do this for 5 minutes. You will stimulate both sides of your brain which will effectively wake it up. It will also eliminate trivial thoughts.