Morning Survival Guide for College Students

May 17, 2021 Nadya Corscadden

College mornings are BRUTAL. You have to wake up early for a class that you don't really want to be in, and then you have to drag yourself through the next few hours of paying attention before finally getting back home. The struggle is real, but it doesn't have to be that way!

With these tips on how to survive morning college classes, you'll spend less time being miserable and more time enjoying your day.

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Step 1: The first step to a refreshed morning starts…

~SURPRISE!!!!!

….The Night Before

Here are some nighttime tips that will help prepare you to rock the morning:

-Get plenty of sleep

It should be no surprise that sleep is a crucial step towards waking up refreshed the next day. Not everyone has identical sleep requirements, but aiming for 8 hours is a pretty basic place to start. You might need to go to bed a little earlier than you'd think. Your room should also help you get into sleep mode. Make the room is as dark and quiet as possible. Use earplugs or noise-cancelling headphones if necessary. If you can, dim the lights (or even turn them off) an hour before you go to bed. This will help your brain produce melatonin which makes for better quality sleep.

-Prepare your morning beverage

Even though I'm a morning person, and I can't even tell you how much this one simple thing has helped me survive my mornings. It's so nice to crawl into bed at night and know the first part of tomorrow is already done! You'd THINK that making hot caffeine should be achievable by now, but in the morning, it's not always a guaranteed success...

-Pack your bags/food

Your morning foggy brain is the worst at remembering to pack what you need for that day. The morning is also when you tend to "not have time" to pack a lunch, too, and you'll end up having lunch at <insert popular fast-food chain restaurant here> AGAIN. If you get things ready the night before, you can actually enjoy your morning because there's no pressure. Everything hard has already been done!

Step 2 - The alarming best practices

Yes, alarming is SO important that it’s getting a whole SECTION!

-Start gently

For the best morning experience, set an alarm that will gradually increase in volume. This method is called a "gentle wake-up." It's less jarring than alarms with sudden loud noises and will prevent you from feeling too groggy when you first get out of bed. You may need to experiment with different sound options, but try to find one that isn't irritating or annoying!

-Change things up

Don't forget to change up the ringtone sometimes. Once the sound gets stale, your morning alarm will make you MORE tired. When you hear it, you'll automatically associate it with "ew - it's morning." Find new tunes whenever your morning sound is making you hate the world

-Never fully trust a silent alarm

If you have a FitBit or another wrist-bound silent wake-up system, set it for 5 minutes before your actual alarm. This will give you the chance to wake up peacefully if you're up for it, but you'll still have the full-throttle alarm as a backup plan just in case you need it!

-Get UP when your alarm goes up

Yes, this is easier said then done. If you're more in the "I really NEED to make sure my alarm actually gets me out of bed" club, you might need a different strategy. If you're prone to rolling over and falling back asleep once it shuts up, put your alarm somewhere on the far side of the room. Make it nice and loud so that it's SUPER annoying. (You can still do the gentle wake-up thing if you want to, too, as long as it ends up being loud enough to wake you up eventually).

-You snooze, you lose

If you're a snooze-button addict, set multiple alarms instead. Sometimes instead of hitting snooze, you'll turn off the alarm, and then there won't even be an alarm TO wake you up. Setting multiple alarms can give you confidence that your sleepy morning brain won't screw over your chances of getting up when you need to.

-Give yourself a time buffer

I know you’ve calculated EXACTLY how long it takes to do your morning routine…but give yourself a teensy bit of extra time so you can go on a last minute hunt for your keys or have your roommate lock you out of the bathroom for too long. Life happens, so prepare for it!

-Consistency is key

Though it's not always possible as a student, keep a consistent wake-up time. Yes, this means even on the weekends! Sleep isn't as simple as "sleeping" or "not sleeping." Your body goes in and out of multiple sleep stages over the night. All of these are imperative aspects of your sleep cycle. If you keep a consistent wake-up time, your body knows how to time these so that you're in the right state to wake up at the time you usually wake up. If you're constantly sleeping for irregular intervals, it has NO CLUE what to do, and your sleep won't be nearly as restful. Also, if your alarm happens to wake you up while you were in a deep sleep, it's pretty much guaranteed to screw you over for the rest of the day. Your body is naturally good at making sure it won't do this to you, but only if it can accurately predict how long it has to sleep.

Step 3 - Good morning, sunshine!

Ok - you made it out of bed - NOW WHAT???

-Start your day with a cup of water

Your body wakes up dehydrated in the morning, so it's always best to start the day with a bit of hydration in its purest form. Water is pretty much the undisputed best way to re-hydrate, so you can't fail if you start there. Once you've had some water, then yes, you can have a cup of coffee or tea...if you need to.

...if it brings you joy, you really DO need to.

-Keep coffee/tea black or with only a hint of milk and sugar

You'll be less tempted to have more than one cup if you're not adding cream, sugar or syrup. You totally might need two cups of coffee to survive the first period, but try to keep your addiction limited to caffeine. Don't get too attached to the coffee WITH the sugar rush AND the calories. The habit itself won't be as disastrous for your body as long as you keep these tips in mind!

-Make your bed

There's nothing that screams "the day has begun," quite like having a made bed. It's also a useful little productivity hack that puts you in a positive mindset when the day has barely started. You make your bed and: Congratulations - you've already completed a task!

-Move a little to get things going

When you get up, give yourself a few minutes to stretch or walk around for a bit. This wakes up all the parts of your body that were asleep all night. You'll be more alert and have greater endurance (exercise increases oxygen flow throughout your body). It also gets your digestive tract ready to go before eating breakfast.

-Eat something before heading to class

It is SO common to be starving by the time we get to morning classes. Eating breakfast on the way or in a hurry doesn't always work well, but skipping breakfast altogether is a worse alternative. Overnight, your brain is starved of most nutrients, and you'll need something to kick your brain and body into daytime mode. So eat SOMETHING whether you have time to or not! There's nothing worse than being hangry all day.

-Avoid too much morning sugar and carbs

You may want to go ahead and have a piece of toast before you head out for class, but try not to top it off with jelly or syrup (which are both full of sugars). And if your breakfast is cereal, don't pick one that's just half sugar. Otherwise, you're going to be hungry again soon! Eating something sugary will spike your blood sugar levels so high they'll crash down shortly after. It's better just to skip the sweet stuff altogether until lunchtime rolls around - then you can indulge a little when you eat some fruit as part of a balanced meal.

-Pack snacks

Speaking of hangry, make sure you avoid this disaster by packing some healthy things to nibble on when your brain wants to kick into sleep mode. Things like protein and veggies will help keep you full until dinner while also giving your brain enough fuel to stay focused all day long! As with your lunch, pack these the night before. Don't rely on your foggy morning brain too heavily. Sometimes classes run late, too, so even if you usually have time to pick up something along the way, don't depend on it!

-Wear comfortable clothes

There's a fine line between sweatpants and chic, but I challenge you to find it. Being comfortable should always be your number one goal when you have a bunch of early morning classes...BUT if you wear genuine sleepwear during the day, you're actively telling your body it's sleepy time. Keep your wardrobe comfortable but still dressed enough that your brain doesn't just assume you'll be heading back to bed in 5.

-Leave a little early

Remember that time buffer? If you’re ready to go, then go. You never know what kind of obstacles will happen between now and class, and believe me, they WILL happen if you leave with barely enough time to get there.

-Fit in a teensy walk

If you take the bus, get on or off one stop before you need to. If you're driving, park on the far end of the parking lot (if you'd rather be closer to the building for nighttime, you can always re-park in the afternoon). It might not be a WALK walk, but a little fresh air and movement can go a long way in the morning!

Step 4 - Getting through the day

Congrats - you made it TO class on time…now you just have to keep going and not screw up tomorrow!

-Drink water after each class

This is my favourite piece of advice for surviving college mornings: drink WATER before and after EVERYTHING. Why? It keeps you hydrated. Staying well-hydrated keeps you feeling energized, happy, and upbeat all day. It also gives you an excuse to walk somewhere to pee. Sometimes it’s just nice to have something controllable to DO that's good for you and easy/cheap to keep doing.

-Juice is not THAT “healthy” of an alternative beverage

Alcohol, caffeine, sugar: these are all things that will make your brain and energy levels spike but then crash really quickly. Drinking some water instead of juice won't totally give you the same energy peak, but it will 100% bypass the energy crash, which is the thing you want to avoid most.

-Avoid caffeine in the afternoon/evening

I'm sure by now you've heard that drinking caffeine isn't the BEST thing in the world for your brain and energy levels. Drinking it later in the day can be more disruptive, though. So if you're going to have a few cups of coffee, you're much better off doing it earlier than later in the day.

I hope you now have some new ideas about surviving college mornings - check out some other college survival tips below!

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Who is Nadya Corscadden?

Nadya holds an MA in Musical Theatre and is no stranger to the home learning scene. Having spent a good chunk of her younger years in distance education (and opting for some correspondence electives at university), she has accumulated many tricks to help maintain focus and inspiration. She has a passion for independent learning and wants to help anyone and everyone find their stride in this atmosphere whether it’s homeschooling or simply studying for that next big test!

She is also a triple threat singer, dancer and actress….and can’t wait until stages are alive again!