Supercharge Your Morning Routine: Proven Steps for More Energy and Mental Clarity

Want to kickstart your day with boundless energy and laser focus? Crafting an effective morning routine is the answer.

The right actions, performed consistently, can shake off sleepiness and propel you into a productive and positive mindset. Consider these actionable steps to optimize your morning and conquer your day.

Get regular

Our bodies operate on a 24-hour internal clock known as our circadian rhythm. This biological clock regulates our sleep-wake cycles and thrives on consistency and regularity.

Having a regular routine where you go to bed and wake up at the same times every day stabilise and synchronise this pattern, leading to better sleep quality, increased energy levels, daytime alertness and improved mood.

In this regard, your ability to fall asleep quickly and wake up feeling refreshed and alert starts the day before.

Sleep research¹ shows that performing intense exercise during the day and going to sleep as long before midnight as possible to get 7-9 hours of quality sleep a night are vital steps to wake up feeling refreshed and ready to take on the world.

This is not a one-size-fits-all concept, though, so find what works best for your individual needs and preferences.

Wake up the right way

Consider how you wake yourself up each morning. Research² suggests that lower-frequency alarm sounds (500 Hz) might be more effective at waking us and curbing sleep inertia – the feeling of grogginess, disorientation, drowsiness, and cognitive impairment that immediately follows waking – than higher-frequency sounds.

Ideally, use a sound that is pleasing, familiar and melodic, and gradually builds to rouse you from your slumber.

And never hit the snooze button! This common practice can disrupt your sleep cycle by repeatedly pulling you back into a light sleep stage, which can leave you feeling groggy and less alert throughout the day. Snoozing can also impact your circadian rhythm.

The only time that snoozing is acceptable is when you are woken up during deep sleep, as this can prolong sleep inertia. Getting through another sleep cycle may help you feel less groggy.

Catch some rays

Whenever possible, get up when your alarm goes off and expose yourself to morning sunlight as quickly as possible.

Sunlight is a potent regulator of your circadian rhythm. It helps reset your body clock by communicating to your brain that it’s time to start the day.

Going outside barefoot to catch some morning rays while standing on grass can also help boost your energy levels because grounding – the electrically conductive contact of the human body with the surface of the earth (also known as earthing) – appears to improve sleep and normalise the day-night cortisol rhythm³, which is critical to feeling fully awake in the morning and tired at night.

Research³ also found that grounding can help to “reduce stress, shift the autonomic nervous system from sympathetic toward parasympathetic activation, and increase heart rate variability”. 

Get a morning boost

The kitchen is where you prioritise sustenance and fuel for your day. Boost hydration with a glass of water and added electrolytes from a product like Biogen Electrolyte+ effervescent tablets before eating or drinking anything else as you can often wake up slightly dehydrated.

One study⁴ found cognitive and mood improvements in young adults after they drank “a small amount of water (200ml)”. This was enough to alleviate feelings of thirst, improve hydration status, and attenuate anger, fatigue, and TMD (total mood disturbance)”, with larger amounts (500ml) “necessary to improve working memory”.   

Scientists at the University of California, Berkeley¹ found that one of the secrets to alertness, which forms part of a three-part prescription, was eating a breakfast high in complex carbohydrates, with limited sugar.

Add a regimen of energy- and brain-boosting supplements and you have the recipe for a productive day.

For instance, Biogen Mental Lift Nootropic contains a combination of vitamins, minerals and herbs that help fight fatigue and exhaustion, and enhance cognitive function and memory. Added adaptogens help increase energy and resistance to stress.

Extra B vitamins from products like Biogen Vitamin B Complex Boost and Biogen Vitamin B12 support energy-yielding metabolism and healthy nerve function to enhance your mental and physical performance.

Biogen Neuro Health is another comprehensive morning supplement, with Rhodiola extract, which may relieve stress-related fatigue and support mental focus and performance, along with Inositol, magnesium, vitamin B5 and zinc to support healthy energy metabolism and nervous system function.

Take a moment

Before you officially start your day and pick up your phone, consider dedicating a few minutes to meditation, deep breathing exercises or gratitude journalling to centre yourself and improve focus.

Prioritise key tasks

When you feel calm and centred, make a to-do list, prioritising your most important tasks and plan your day with a structured approach to your tasks.

Prioritising important tasks early on can establish momentum that carries through to the rest of the day.

Rise and shine

By revamping your morning routine with these steps, you can reduce stress and start every day with intention, focus and more energy, which can help you achieve more and make the most of every day. Carpe diem! 

References

1. Vallat, R., Berry, S.E., Tsereteli, N. et al.How people wake up is associated with previous night’s sleep together with physical activity and food intake. Nat Commun 13, 7116 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-34503-2.
2. McFarlane SJ, Garcia JE, Verhagen DS, Dyer AG. Alarm Tones, Voice Warnings, and Musical Treatments: A Systematic Review of Auditory Countermeasures for Sleep Inertia in Abrupt and Casual Awakenings. Clocks Sleep. 2020 Oct 20;2(4):416-433. doi: 10.3390/clockssleep2040031. PMID: 33118526; PMCID: PMC7711682.
3. Oschman JL, Chevalier G, Brown R. The effects of grounding (earthing) on inflammation, the immune response, wound healing, and prevention and treatment of chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. J Inflamm Res. 2015 Mar 24;8:83-96. doi: 10.2147/JIR.S69656. PMID: 25848315; PMCID: PMC4378297.
4. Zhang, J.; Zhang, N.; He, H.; Du, S.; Ma, G. Different Amounts of Water Supplementation Improved Cognitive Performance and Mood among Young Adults after 12 h Water Restriction in Baoding, China: A Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT).  J. Environ. Res. Public Health2020, 17, 7792. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17217792.