Brainy Dose Presents: 12 Things You SHOULD NOT DO In The Morning! For many of us, getting up in the morning
is a hassle. We often start our days on autopilot and go
through our daily routines, forgetting about our well-being. There are certain morning habits that can
ruin your mood, zap your energy, and set the stage for an unproductive rest of the day. We checked out what scientists and other experts
had to say about making the most (and the least) of the first 60 minutes after you wake
up. In this video, we've rounded up 12 common
wake-up mistakes that you'll want to avoid! Number 1 - Hitting The Snooze Button Sometimes, your alarm
goes off and you’re just not ready to face the day yet. Most sleep specialists believe that you should
resist the temptation to put off the inevitable by 5 or 10 minutes. The reason for this is quite simple. If you hit the snooze button, you might enter
into a sleep cycle you likely won't finish. As a result, you'll wake up groggy, rather
than refreshed. The second reason is more about motivation:
When you hit snooze, you’re telling your hopes and dreams that they can wait. Successful people don’t do this. The best thing for an alert day is to avoid
the temptation completely. Instead, opt for going to bed a little earlier
the night before, to get sufficient rest - you'll rise with ease and won’t need to hit snooze. Number 2 - Checking Your Phone Most of us sleep with our phones just within
reach - either under our pillows, or on the bedside table. But wellness and work-life balance experts
recommend that if you like to start your day right, you should try your best not to look
at your phone until after you’ve had some time to wake up and collect yourself. Whether it’s checking e-mails, text messages,
or even your social media accounts, you should make it a habit not to grasp your cellphone
right after you open your eyes - because doing so can send you into “panic mode,” before
your day has even begun. So do yourself a favor and stop checking. Your inbox and social media accounts can surely
wait a couple of hours. Number 3 - Remaining Curled Up During sleep, your spinal discs absorb fluid
as part of a natural rehydration process. This causes the discs to expand, which is
why you can actually be a few centimeters taller in the morning. However, this natural process also limits
movement of the vertebrae and causes the spine to stiffen. So instead of staying all curled up, GENTLY
stretch while you're still in bed. Stretching out not only gets the spine and
muscles limbered up, it is a way to build confidence as you begin your day. According to research, people who wake up
with their arms in a V-shape "are super happy, like annoyingly happy." On the other hand, there is evidence that
people who wake up in the fetal position "wake up much more stressed out." In fact, there is evidence that stretching
first thing, helps to increase flexibility, improve circulation and relieve tension. So remember to stretch! Number 4 - Forgetting To Hydrate Upon waking up, your body is in need of hydration. After all, assuming you had a good night of
sleep, you've gone for seven to eight hours without water. Drinking water not only helps you wake up,
it can also get your metabolism moving in the right direction. If you don't like plain water, you can add
some lemon or lime, which also helps to flush out the liver. Drinking water first thing in the morning
can also help with constipation, prevent UTIs, help with weight loss, boost your immune system,
battle bad breath and strengthen the brain, among other things. Experts suggest drinking water at room temperature
though, because cold water can shock your system and prevent the many health benefits
from taking effect. So start your day with a large glass of water. It's one of the best things you can do for
your body! Number 5 - Drinking Coffee First Thing If you think you can't function until you've
downed a cup of coffee, think again! Scientists have found that your body naturally
produces higher amounts of the energy regulating stress hormone cortisol, between 8 a.m. and
9 a.m. By drinking coffee before or during that time,
the caffeine will force your body to produce less cortisol in the early morning. So enjoy that warm lemon water instead, and
wait until after 9:30 to pour that perfect cup of coffee. Number 6 - Leaving Your Bed Unmade It seems that people fall into one of two
groups: the bed makers and the unkempt bed keepers. I mean, who's going to notice if you don't
make your bed, right? Besides, you're just going to get back in
your bed in a few hours and mess it up again. Regardless of whether folks pull up the covers
or leave them in a heap, they are convinced that THEIR WAY is the right way. Some people suggest that it might actually
be cleaner to keep the bed messy because an unmade bed is less hospitable to dust mites. But most experts disagree, since dust mites
are everywhere, so an unmade bed isn’t going to do much to fend them off. Instead, they suggest washing the sheets every
other week and vacuuming the mattress regularly. In addition, forming good habits - including
making your bed in the morning, is associated with increased productivity throughout the
rest of the day. In fact, making your bed is a keystone habit
that can spark chain reactions that help other good habits take hold. So, if you haven’t already make it a priority,
making your bed in the morning is a really good habit to start. Number 7 - Getting Ready In The Dark This has nothing to do with making bad fashion
choices… Our bodies' internal clocks are so sensitive
to light, that getting ready in the dark can send a signal to your body that it's still
nighttime. This will keep you feeling groggy and out
of it, rather than alert, energized, and in a really good mood. Continually getting ready in the dark may
even make you feel depressed. So if you're up before the sun, make sure
you turn those lights on! Number 8 - Skipping Exercise We all know how important exercise is for
our health and well-being, but many experts say making exercise a part of your morning
routine is particularly beneficial. There are added benefits to working out in
the morning rather than later in the day. In addition, morning exercisers tend to stick
with their exercise habit. By working out in the morning, you get your
exercise in before other distractions can intrude – and that’s something we can
all relate to, because once the day gets going, it's hard to get off the treadmill called
life. Number 9 - Brushing After Breakfast Common sense would dictate that brushing your
teeth after eating breakfast is the right thing to do, because you generally clean off
all the stuff and gunk from your meal. But this is actually counter-intuitive: brushing
your teeth right after eating can actually do a lot more harm than good - especially
if you’ve downed acidic stuff like fruit or coffee. Likewise, the bacteria in your mouth produce
acid when you eat, and this weakens the enamel of your teeth. If you brush your teeth while they’re in
this ‘weakened state’, you can actually brush away enamel from the surface of your
teeth. So brush your teeth after you rise, but before
you eat. Then afterwards, you can floss your teeth
and rinse with water to make your mouth feel cleaner, and wash away any food particles. And if you really can’t stand to skip brushing
after breakfast, hold off for half an hour after you eat. Number 10 - Steaming Up Your Shower The pulse of hot water feels great on your
body, but it might be lulling you back into la-la land. Heat tells your nervous system that it’s
time for your muscles to relax, and for your heart rate to slow down. As a result, you start to feel calm - and
sleepy! If you want to feel more awake, take a quick
cold shower. It sucks a little bit, yes. But it will signal the release of the energizing
hormone adrenaline. It will also boost your mood. Research shows that cold showers can flood
the body with feel-good endorphins. Number 11 - Calling Anyone Newsflash: nobody wants to talk to other people
first thing in the morning! Almost everybody needs a few hours to get
their head around the day, and phone calls before 9:30AM just aren't appropriate. If you need to talk to somebody, just send
them a text first, detailing the context. Ask them to call you when they're ready - it's
just the polite thing to do. Number 12 - Watching TV If your instinct is to reach right for that
remote, you might want to think again, especially if you like to tune in to the news in the
morning. It’s just noise and negativity - not a healthy
way to start the day after a restful night’s sleep. Instead, aim to have quiet time in the morning
and maintain a sense of peace and calm for as long as possible before the day begins. If you ever feel like you don’t get enough
done throughout the day, perhaps you’re doing some things you should not be doing
in the morning. Sometimes, these habits are inevitable, and
some of these suggestions may seem really challenging. But, if you can keep your mornings more calm
and restful, experts say you'll feel better throughout the day. Of course, not every morning is going to be
perfect, but if you make some effort to avoid these morning mistakes, you might find that
the remainder of the day turns out a lot better than you expected. How do you start your day? Are you guilty of any of the things mentioned
on this list? Let us know in the comments below. If you enjoyed this video, give it a thumbs
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