5 Ways To Stay Awake When You’re Exhausted

1. Go for a run or do a 20 minute workout. This may be impossible for a lot of people but the adrenalin after a workout is a great way to start your day off feeling energised. Sometimes the workout getting two children washed and dressed in the morning can also count, we have a wriggler!
2. Have a shower in the morning. This is a great way to wake you up if you’ve had a night of terrible sleep, child inflicted or not. Having the shower slightly cooler than normal helps you feel fresh and if this is done after a workout then you will be ready to take on the day, at work or at home. A morning shower also frees up your evening for other fun things such as cooking, loading the dishwasher, ironing, you know, all those things you put off doing because you’re ‘washing your hair’. You’re welcome.
3. Eat a small nutritious breakfast. Have you ever eaten a large meal and said ‘that’s made me so sleepy’? I do all the time and I used to always have a large breakfast to ‘fuel my day’ as that’s what I’ve always been told. Having a smaller meal will keep you going until the elevensie snack time or lunch and you won’t feel sluggish after a large meal. I tend to have a mixture of fruit and yoghurt smoothie with a slice of toast.
4. Drink 500ml of water. After a long night of sleep (or tossing and turning, getting up every hour to settle a baby) you will wake up dehydrated. You won’t necessarily know you’re dehydrated, so drinking 500ml of water every morning helps rehydrate you, wake you up and it also helps your smaller breakfast fill you up. Fill up a bottle or a glass and guzzle it in one.
5. Set your alarm for when you need to get up. Are you one of those people who set your alarm up to an hour before you actually emerge from the bed? Stop it. Mr Firstooth is guilty of this and I cannot describe how bloody annoying it is! It doesn’t help you wake up easier, you risk overlaying and you’re losing out on an hour of sleep. Setting an alarm and getting up with it is much more beneficial to your energy levels.