By Kathleen Hansen

Most people yawn or hit the snooze button when their alarm goes off in order to get a few more minutes of sleep. However, getting up early—and actually welcoming or waking up before the alarm—can have many benefits, including increased productivity and decreased stress. Pink and Black has compiled four ways to become an early riser.

Get Enough Sleep
This may seem like a no-brainer, but in order to feel good about waking up early, you need to get the correct amount of sleep your body needs. According to the National Sleep Foundation, adults should be getting between seven and nine hours of sleep per night. This may be hard to achieve if you have gotten in a different sleep cycle pattern. Cosmopolitan writer Zoe Ruderman recommends simply setting your alarm for ten minutes earlier every couple of days. There’s no need to force yourself to go to sleep earlier—your body will adjust.

Eat Well Before Bed
Joy Bauer of Today notes that caffeine, alcohol and large meals are bad to have before bed. Instead, she recommends yogurt with low-fat granola and three cups of popcorn (without butter or other high-fat additives).

Think About Only the Beginning of Your Day
When you wake up, the demands of the day—class, an exam, or a to do list ten pages long—may stress you out. Instead, focus on what you need to do to just start your day, like brushing your teeth and showering. Enjoy the beauties of getting up early, such as the sunset.

Use Your Time
The early morning can be a great time to get tasks accomplished, including homework, recreational reading and writing a letter to a friend. Use it to your advantage. You may even end up feeling more accomplished at 9 a.m. than you would if you only woke up then.

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