Are Your Mornings Quietly Destroying Your Health?
Morning routine shapes your day ahead. But what if, instead, your routine is causing more harm than good? For most of us, the what-are-you-doing-all-of-it-is-wrong truth is that we are going about morning rituals that sap energy, disrupt metabolism, and even create chronic health woes. The worst part? You may believe these habits are innocuous — or even helpful.
Keep reading to find five common morning mistakes that need to end ASAP if you want to increase energy, sharpen focus, and improve overall health.
Hitting the Snooze Button
Does it not feel good to snatch a few more minutes of sleep? Wrong. When you hit the snooze button, you interrupt your body’s natural wake cycle, triggering something known as sleep inertia — that groggy, discombobulated feeling that lasts for hours.
The Science Behind It:
Snoozing simultaneously forces your brain to launch into a new sleep cycle but leave it uncompleted — which can lead to feeling more tired than if you had simply ignored the first alarm and got out of bed. Research from the National Sleep Foundation indicates that broken sleep can slow cognition and affect memory.
Fix It:
So set your alarm for when you really need to wake up, and put it across the room. This makes you get out of bed and get moving right away.
Looking at Your Phone as Soon as You Wake Up
Do you reach for your phone before you’ve even left the bed? You’re not the only one — but it’s damaging your mental health and productivity.
Why It’s Bad:
Diving into social media, emails or news first thing in the morning inundates your brain with information that triggers stress and raises levels of cortisol (the stress hormone), leaving you feeling overwhelmed before your feet hit the floor.
A Better Alternative:
Instead of doom-scrolling, try making your morning productive by taking a few deep breaths, doing light stretching or even journaling. This allows you to prepare and focus on the day ahead in a positive manner.
Not Eating Breakfast (or Eating the Wrong One)
You’re the one who thinks skipping breakfast will help you lose weight? Think again. Not eating breakfast slows your metabolic rate, leads to upticks in cravings and can cause people to overeat later in the day.
The Health Risks:
A study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology shows that the risk of heart disease is higher among individuals who do not have breakfast. And selecting sugary cereals or processed pastries sends blood sugar levels soaring, triggering energy crashes by mid-morning.
What You Should Do Instead:
Start your day with a protein-packed breakfast, healthy fats, and fiber. Think eggs with avocado, Greek yogurt with nuts, or a smoothie loaded with greens and protein.
Is Drinking Coffee on an Empty Stomach a Good Idea?
Love your morning coffee? No problem. But having it first on an empty stomach? That’s a recipe for disaster.
The Downside:
It is acidic, and drinking it on an empty stomach can irritate the stomach lining, increase acid production and cause digestive discomfort. It also spikes cortisol levels, which can lead to jitters and anxiety.
The Smarter Move:
Drink a glass of water first and eat a little something before your coffee. It will stabilize your blood sugar and prevent caffeine crashes.
Not Getting Any Sunlight
If you’re waking up, staying inside and preparing yourself under indoor lights, you’re missing out on one of the best natural energy-enhancers — morning sunlight.
The Science of Sunlight and Power:
Getting exposure to natural light in the morning helps with your circadian rhythm, increases serotonin (a.k.a the feel-good hormone) and helps you focus. Exposure to morning sunlight, according to a study from the Harvard Medical School, improves the quality of sleep as well as the mood.
What You Should Do:
Spend at least 10 minutes outside in the morning. Even gray days, they say, help set your internal clock and promote alertness through natural light.
Take charge of your mornings, (or final thoughts)
Simple tweaks to your morning routine can boost your health, energy, and productivity. By steering clear of these five mistakes and incorporating healthier habits, you’ll set yourself up for success day in and day out.
✅ CHALLENGE: For the next week, stop each habit identified above, and replace it with a healthier alternative. You will notice the change in your mood, energy and overall state.
Do you have a life-changing morning tip? Let us know in the comments below — we can’t wait to hear from you!
