How to Keep Yourself Awake in the Mornings

Morning fatigue is a common occurrence caused by a variety of factors, including inadequate amounts of sleep, disrupted sleep, high sugar intake at breakfast, shift work, stress and depression. Decreased alertness in the morning can affect your ability to perform job duties, decrease attentiveness in school, limit your memory, and increase risk of injury while driving or operating machinery. There are several things you can do to help keep yourself awake in the mornings.

Things You'll Need

• Caffeine or caffeinated beverage (optional)

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Instructions

• 1

  Reduce morning fatigue by sleeping 6 to 9 hours each night. Inadequate amounts of sleep deprive the body of energy, and alertness continues to decrease as "sleep debt" increases. If you are getting adequate sleep, you should wake up naturally, feeling refreshed, without the need for an alarm clock. Maintain a consistent bedtime and wake-time schedule, even on the weekends.

• 2

  Take a break from work or school activity when you begin to feel drowsy. Get up from your desk and stretch -- reach up toward the ceiling and hold for five seconds. With your arms overhead, lean to the right and hold for five seconds. Repeat to the left. Bend forward at your hips, and reach your hands toward the floor, holding for five seconds. Stretching will increase blood flow and decrease fatigue of your postural muscles.

• 3

  Stimulate other senses to increase alertness in the morning. Burn a scented candle, turn on the radio, or have a conversation with another person. Get a drink of water, or eat a small snack consisting of carbohydrates and protein to maintain blood sugar levels. Avoid candy and high-starch foods like chips, which provide a brief boost in energy, but are followed by a significant drop in blood sugar levels as insulin is released into the blood stream. Choose foods like peanut butter, yogurt, or fruit with a small piece of cheese.

• 4

  Consume a therapeutic amount of caffeine -- 400 to 600 mg, or 18 to 32 oz. of brewed coffee -- to temporarily boost alertness in the mornings. Caffeine is not a long-term solution to counteract fatigue. With time, you develop tolerance to caffeine, and you need higher quantities to have the same effect on alertness.