Sleep expert Professor Russell Foster has revealed essential advice – making an “early to bed, early to rise” routine achievable.
A new study indicates that health-conscious Gen Z are prioritising sleep more than previous generations.
Data from Virgin Media O2 shows network traffic now decreases from 9.20pm and resumes at 6.20am. This translates to individuals putting down their phones 20 minutes earlier at night and picking them up 15 minutes earlier in the morning compared to four years prior.
Embracing an earlier bedtime and securing more sleep has numerous benefits, such as improved mood, immune function, lower inflammation levels, and a decreased risk of heart failure.
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Research from Harvard Medical School also discovered that getting fewer than five hours sleep each night increases the likelihood of developing dementia, and negatively impacting mortality, compared to those sleeping six to eight hours a night, reports Surrey Live.
Despite the advantages, waking up earlier can be intimidating, but Professor Russell Foster, the head of the Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute at the University of Oxford, shares practical tips to make rising earlier more manageable and enjoyable. Professor Foster shared with The Times a few insightful tips for a brighter start to your mornings.
He recommends taking what he dubs a “photon shower” by simply flinging back the curtains as you rise and venturing outdoors as soon as you can. Prof Foster explained: “Morning light advances our body clock. The sooner you emerge from the cave, so to speak, the more awake you will feel and the easier you will find it to sleep that evening.”
Research highlighted by The Times indicates that spending 30 minutes in 10,000-lux light, matching a bright and cloudless morning sky, can influence the brain (while typical home lighting hovers around just 100 lux).
To ensure an adequate photon shower during winter’s dark months, experts are advising investing in a light box, the type often used for combatting seasonal affective disorder.
Adding to his advice, Professor Foster suggests saving your coffee fix for an hour and a half post-wakening, partaking in some outdoor exercise early on, and steering clear of the temptation to snooze, to truly master the art of breezy early mornings.