Though individuals vary, humans need about seven to eight hours of sleep each night to feel well rested. Even if we manage to get that much each night, many of us have problems waking up in the morning. As a whole society, we don’t sleep very well. According to WebMd, “every day, 2.2 million Americans complain of being tired … often the true culprits are our everyday habits: what we eat, how we sleep, and how we cope emotionally.”

If you feel tired every morning and want to wake up feeling more refreshed, try slipping a few routine measures into the start of your day. Here are five healthy things to do every morning.

1. Wake up right away

Setting multiple alarms and snoozing for ten minutes, then five, then ten again isn’t a good way to wake up. Try to get up when your first alarm goes off instead of hitting the snooze button multiple times. Lately, I’ve been waking up at the end of my sleep cycle, so my alarm doesn’t go off right in the middle of deep sleep. Try timing your sleep cycle with a handy sleep timer calculator. Wake up after 7.5 or 9 hours, but not in-between, or else you could feel groggy.

2. Drink water

There are so many benefits to drinking water early in the morning, such as kick starting your metabolism and helping you feel alert and refreshed. Try downing an entire glass of water in the morning. Since the average person needs eight to nine glasses of water each day, you can cross one off your list if you gulp it down as you’re tiredly shuffling around the kitchen.

3. Wash your face

Even if you don’t go full-out with a face wash and moisturizer treatment right when you wake up, at least splash some water on your face. According to findings in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 55 percent of participants in one study reported using water on their face as a type of water therapy, which successfully increased their level of energy. Be sure to use a natural skin care product to avoid toxins and animal ingredients that are present in some face products.

4. Eat breakfast

Many studies have shown that people who eat breakfast feel physically and mentally better than those who do not eat it. Even if you don’t feel hungry in the morning, eat something to kick your metabolism and your brain into gear. Try eating a fiber-rich breakfast, which will help keep you full and energized until lunch time or a mid-morning snack. If you feel up for the task, whip up one of these delicious vegan breakfast meals.

5. Exercise

Exercising in the morning is a fantastic way to ensure that you get in your daily workout. How many times have you planned an afternoon exercise session, then ended up skipping it because other life events got in the way? By developing a morning exercise routine, you’ll start your day energized and maybe even more confident, since it can set a positive outlook for the rest of your day.

Image Source: Anemon Jones/Flickr