The bleary eyed monster

Ever wake up in the morning really groggy and bleary eyed and it takes you some time to become alert? As it gets dark your brain releases melatonin, a hormone that helps regulate your sleep cycle, which also makes you tired in the evenings so that you can get to sleep more easily. It is also produced while you're sleeping, so when you wake up your body is still full of melatonin which makes you really sleepy and groggy when you wake up.

There's a simple solution. Within a few minutes of waking, all you have to do is expose your eyes to natural sunshine for a minute or two. The sunshine burns away the melatonin and makes you feel alert in a lot less time than it would take normally. Most people usually drag themselves to the kitchen to have their morning cereal and to drink coffee to make them alert, but they do this in the dull light, so the melatonin doesn't get burnt away quickly. Just look towards the morning sun with your eyes closed and let the sun take care of your morning need, then you won't need to pollute your body with caffeine that gives you a stronger downer than it does an upper!