Ditch the alarm! Wake up naturally with sunshine and scents
Learn science-backed ways to wake up feeling energised and ready to seize the day!
What’s the best way to wake up or wake someone else up? Well, before we get to the gentle nudges and sunrise simulations, here’s what not to do. First, forget the blanket-ripping technique. You'll be interrupting deep sleep, guaranteeing a grumpy morning. Avoid clanging pots and pans in the kitchen too when someone’s asleep, as Abu Dhabi expat Mila Santamaria Olivera, a Spanish marketing professional, can advise from her own unpleasant experiences.
Trust us, there are better ways to start the day. And, it doesn’t involve alarms.
A pocketful of sunshine
Sure, sunshine gives your plants a healthy glow, but for you, it does something even more important – it regulates your sleep cycle.
You need that exposure to sunlight in the morning, explains Julie Mallon, a Dubai-based sleep specialist. Sunshine isn’t just a source of Vitamin D; it regulates the natural body clock, which is known as the Circadian rhythm. This cycle regulates when we feel sleepy or alert. So, steady exposure to sunlight can help our systems to identify when it’s time to wake up. A sunny day gives us that energy boost, which is essential for maintaining the body's biological clock.
So, start your day with exposure to natural light for at least three minutes before using your phone. "Morning light exposure improves mood, energy levels and sleep quality by strengthening the circadian rhythm," says Mallon. When you wake up and feel the sunlight, your body realises it’s time to be awake. This helps suppress the production of melatonin, the hormone for regulating sleep, and boosts your energy levels naturally.
Exposure to natural light is essential for regulating our circadian rhythm. So, start your day with exposure to sunlight for at least three minutes before using your phone. Morning light exposure improves mood, energy levels and strengthens the circadian rhythm...
According to the 2019 study, Effects of light on human circadian rhythms, sleep and mood, published in the US-based National Library of Medicine, natural light also increases your serotonin levels, which help you feel alert and awake. Higher serotonin levels are also linked to improved mood, reduced anxiety and feelings of well-being.
So, in moderation, a little sunshine peeking through the windows is a good way to wake up. Try using translucent curtains or crack the blinds a little, so that the first rays of light can enter the room, she suggests. You can also buy smart light bulbs that will slowly get brighter, according to the time you set. As the bedroom gradually grows brighter, the lights slowly bring a person out of sleep. It’s far less disconcerting than suddenly switching on the lights and filling the room with bright light.
Wafting fragrances… coffee anyone?
Freshly brewed coffee. The scents of peppermint oils and citrus. These slowly coax you awake and provide you with a sense of relaxation and comfort. Deepthi Menon, a Dubai-based homemaker soaks a cotton ball in essential oils, and then places it near a window. “As the air circulates, it carries a very uplifting scent throughout the room. I always feel better after waking up to this fragrance; it puts me in a good mood,” she says.
There are scientific reasons behind this. “When you inhale a pleasant scent, the odour molecules travel through your nasal cavity and bind to receptors in your olfactory system,” explains Diya Aggarawal, a Dubai-based sleep specialist. “This sends signals to your brain, particularly the limbic system, which is involved in emotions, memory, and arousal. Certain scents such as lavender and citrus increase alertness and focus, which makes it easier to shake off drowsiness too,” she adds.
Moreover, some fragrances are imbued with nostalgia. So, pleasant smells would remind you of better experiences and memories, triggering the release of dopamine, which fuels feelings of motivation and alertness, she adds. Such scents contribute a refreshing and soothing atmosphere. So, you feel relaxed and ready to start the day.
However, a 2004 study by US-based researchers published in the journal Sleep concluded that smell may not be an effective way of waking up as our perception of smell during sleep is minimal.
Pleasant sounds
How about some soft, melodic tunes, gentle, upbeat pop, or natural sounds with chirping birds?
According to a 2020 study by University of Melbourne researchers published in PLOS One, a journal by the US-based Public Library of Science, melodic sounds were linked with a significant reduction in sleep inertia. This also includes songs such ‘Good Vibrations’ by the Beach Boys or The Cures ‘Close to me’. The researchers observed that music helped reduce the sensation of sleep inertia, which is a state of low mood, low energy, and poor thinking skills right after awakening.
As Aggarwal says, the right song or style of music can be particularly helpful to wake up someone, who is often groggy or annoyed by the beeping sound of their alarm clock.
Why alarm clocks are not the solution
That relentless, jarring noise, can be enough to put you in a bad mood for the rest of the day.
As the psychologists explain, loud alarms do not wake us up in a natural way. You wake up suddenly, with a high sound, and this results in an increase in the secretion of adrenaline, explains Lavina Ahuja, clinical psychologist at Dubai's German Neuroscience Center. This is our ‘fight or flight’ response that accelerates our heart rate, and increases blood pressure – and when our slowed sleeping heart surges into action suddenly, it puts pressure on our cardiovascular system.
You find yourself being woken up abruptly out of deep stages of sleep, which leads to increased sleep inertia, resulting in impaired cognitive function that lasts after we transition from sleep to being awake, as Syed Arshad Husain, consultant pulmonologist at Dubai-based King’s College Hospital’s sleep medicine clinic had earlier told Gulf News. “That might lead to not being refreshed and not performing well or feeling lethargic and tired. Their concentration span might not be good, and they might feel quite jittery and unhappy in the mornings. That is why I think it’s important that they wake up in a way that they don’t feel these in the morning – it affects good health, and well-being, especially how you behave, how you interact, how you concentrate on doing things.”
Ahuja elaborates, "It is harmful, if the alarm clock has woken you up in deep sleep state, as you wake up feeling groggy and disoriented, which can impact your memory and cognitive abilities. Hitting the snooze button repeatedly makes all of this much worse- so try and minimise the amount of alarms you set or the number of times you hit snooze," she says. Ahuja also suggests, "Change your alarm tone to gentle sounds or songs or sounds inspired by nature, as it can help you get up in a more relaxed manner."
Ideally, we should wake up without alarms. Although it may sound unrealistic, in an ideal scenario, we should wake up naturally after having slept enough.
It is harmful, if the alarm clock wakes you up from a deep sleep state, as you wake up feeling groggy and disoriented. This can impact your memory and cognitive abilities. Hitting the snooze button repeatedly makes all of this much worse- so try and minimise the amount of alarms you set or the number of times you hit snooze...
Hady Jerdak, CEO and internal medicine, pulmonary diseases and sleep disorders specialist at Abu Dhabi-based Harley Street Medical Centre, had earlier told Gulf News, “Someone who sleeps well does not need any alarms. You need to make sure that you sleep for enough time, and if you do, you do not need any alarms. Your biological clock will wake you up – if you sleep at 10 pm, you will wake up at around 6 am. ”
For this, sleep hygiene and enough shut-eye is important. Aggarwal explains the best way to sleep in a regular, effective manner. Make sure the room is completely dark and put away your phones and other screens. Mallon explains why this is necessary: The artificial light from your phones or screens suppresses melatonin, and keeps you awake and alert, leading to fractured sleep patterns. And so, sleeping in a dark room, and waking up to natural light is what your body needs.
With inputs from Sahar Ejaz, Special to Gulf News