Note that I didn’t write to change your body clock. No, all you need to do is tweak it. Slowly but surely. The most common issue I see is people making drastic changes to their sleeping patterns. But an all or nothing approach doesn’t work for the body. The body only likes what is sustainable, so if you go from dropping off to sleep at 1 am to 10 pm overnight, your body will freak out! Drastic changes set off a chain reaction of mismatched chemical releases so the body is unsure if it is meant to be doing it’s evening detox cycle, letting you sleep, or if there is something to panic about and therefore you need to be alert. Sleep affects your gut microbiome which is a bigger deal than you may think.

If you are not yet a morning person, your wake up routine might currently be as simple as having breakfast, chucking on some clothes and walking out the door. But to become a true morning person, I suggest making your morning less about functionality and more about inner harmony. If you can create a routine you actually look forward to doing then you will find getting up in the morning fulfilling, which will hold you in good stead throughout the day. With such busy lives, and so much of our spare time attached to devices that alter our chemicals and state of mind, starting your day by honouring what you are (read: human) might just be the thing that moves the needle for you.

For loads of people, water doesn’t even factor into their morning routine and this usually means that caffeine, sugar and stimulants end up ruling their day. We all know that what goes up must come down and a caffeine and sugar low is a nasty one to face. Overnight your body is busily detoxing your systems to ensure toxins are ready to expel first thing in the morning. This means that the body is often dehydrated when you wake up and needs to be replenished in order to complete the cycle and set you up for a healthy and productive day.