Wake up refreshed!

PERHAPS your morning ritual involves hitting the snooze button again and again. You eventually pry yourself out of bed, only to feel rushed and frantic because you're late. Or maybe you stumble out of bed but feel groggy for hours. You may have chalked it up to the fact that you're just not a morning person. But you can be. If you have to force yourself out of bed every day, it's a sure sign of imbalance in your life, says David Simon, M.D., medical director of The Chopra Center for Well Being in La Jolla, Calif. For example, you may be working too hard and not getting the rest you need, he says. Sticking faithfully to our three-part plan can restore your balance and make waking up easier. You'll need to adopt as many of the following habits as you can, including those related to light, like "Simmer Down" on page 58 and "Create a Sunrise" on page 59, which researchers say can help you wake up earlier and faster in only three days. PART 1 BEFORE BED Set the Stage for Deeper Sleep Rethink Sleep. Many of us stay up late to cram more into our day. "We tend to view sleep as wasted time and a luxury," says Scott Campbell, Ph.D., director of the Chronobiology Laboratory at Cornell Medical School in White Plains, N.Y. If sleep is low on your list of priorities, give it the promotion it deserves. Aim for seven to nine hours a night, or whatever amount leaves you feeling fresh and alert the next day.