There are two trends doing the rounds on social media about morning routine at the moment:

Morning routines are important and you should get up at 5am and do some yoga, journalling, go for a run and do a workout before anyone else gets up - that's the only way to succeed
I'm a mum and this is my morning routine... cue image of them getting back into bed.

LOL.

Honestly though? Both things are true. It is a fact that morning routines can help set you up for a great day and - more crucially - a good night's sleep. AND it's a fact that as a mother you've probably be woken up more times in the night than the Gen Zs who are telling you to have a beautiful morning can even imagine is possible.

I think there's a middle ground. I think you can have a great start to the day AND get enough quality sleep beforehand so that you don't feel like hitting the snooze button and crawling back into bed.

What is a circadian rhythm?

First off, it's improtant to understand some basics about your circadian rhythm. This is an internal biological process that operates on a 24-hour cycle. It helps to regulate our metabolism, it releases hormones in our body at certain times, and it regulates sleep. It's controlled by a group of cells in the brain that happen to be exactly at the point where your optic nerves cross over.

That means they're perfectly placed to receive information about light that is taken in by your eyes, carry that information into your brain, which allows your brain to produce the message to deliver around your body that it's time to wake up. Amazing eh?

The best time to exercise for more energy and better sleep

The fact that your eyes deliver light to your brain which produces the hormones to kickstart your body gives you a clue as to why mornings are so important, and particularly getting exposure to morning light is particularly important.

When you draw the curtains, open the window, or even better step outside first thing in the morning, you are helping to get the message aroudn your body that it's wakeup time.

And this is really important because once the morning chemicals are produced, your body knows it needs to produce the NIGHT TIME chemicals - the hormones that tell you it's time to sleep – about 12 hours later.

Isn't that incredible?

As well as producing those hormones, getting light in your eyes first thing also increases your body temperature and produces the energy you need to function across the day.

Should you wake up at the same time every day?

So it's important to make sure you get light in the morning. But does it matter what time you actually wake up?

It turns out that yes it does. Your body loves routine. A lot. You know how you're trying to develop a great routine for your kids when it comes to bedtime and morning?

You need the same too! And this is true at the weekends as well.

We never stop needing a decent evening and morning routine. It's just as adults we get better at getting away with it because our overall sleep needs are less than our children. And we have stimulants like coffee and sugar to keep us going - and medications to take when we can't get to sleep.

But is it healthy to rely on external factors to keep us going in the day and knock us out at night? Of course not!

So getting into a regular, routine bedtime and wakeup time, even at the weekends is important.

And with some consistency you stop even needing an alarm clock in the first place. Your body has that clock for you - it wants to wake you up when it's time to wake up, it wants to help you fall asleep when it's time to fall asleep.

But it can't do all those things if you have erratic bedtimes and wakeup times!

The best breakfast to kickstart your metabolism

In addition to getting light in your eyes and having a consistent routine, your mornings are vital for getting your metabolism working properly.

Your circadian clock regulates your metabolism and energy by affecting enzymes in your body.

What this means is that if your circadian clock is disrupted chronically, you are more likely to experience with weight gain and struggle to lose fat.

And this can be compounded if you tend to skip breakfast, start your day with coffee or choose a breakfast that doesn't support your energy and leaves you craving cake and biscuits later on.

So starting your day with a protein-rich breakfast helps to kickstart your metabolism, keeps your blood sugars steady and supports a healthy circadian rhythm.

Exercise in the morning to wake you up

Choosing to do your exercise early in the morning can also help keep your circadian rhythm consistent. And combining it with getting outside helps to tick the 'get light on your eyes' box too. It doesn't need to be complicated, even a simple morning walk gets your started on the right food and helps you feel more awake and energised.

This is especially helpful if you find yourself waking up feeling unrefreshed. By getting out for an early walk around the block will help to wake you up and feel more refreshed. I know it's hard to even contemplate it if you feel rough in the morning, but it's worth pushing through because after a few days you will notice a difference in the quality of your sleep and how you feel first thing.

Practice self-compassion

Having said all of that, I know what it's like to be a busy, overwhelmed mum. I know you're resisting the idea of waking up at a set time and going to bed at a set time.

I know it's hard to try and think of a breakfast other than cereal or toast.

If you are in the thick of breastfeeding a newborn then now isn't the right time to establish a morning routine.

Remember, your baby is also just working out their circadian rhythm, so if you have a newborn, then sleep when you can and prioritise getting to sleep early, knowing you'll be woken a lot through the night.

But if your child is starting to sleep longer stretches, then it is definitely time to think about putting your own needs first when it comes to sleep and mornings.

Sleep governs so much for us as mothers - from how calm you are as a parent, how well you deal with stress and challenges, the food choices you make, having the energy to make healthy decisions, sticking to plans like planned exercise or time out for yourself.

It can be so easy to let your stress overcome you so that you can just can't make those choices that would benefit you. So even if your nights are currently very disrupted, having a predictable morning can make a huge difference to the quality of your sleep when you do get to sleep.

So self-compassion is very important here, and taking it slow the key. Implement the changes gradually and adapt and adjust your routine over time.

Remember, a good night's sleep starts in the morning. Do what you can first thing to get some light on your eyes, get your metabolism going and do some sort of movement to set yourself up, to let your body know that it's time to be wakeful and to be energetic for the rest of the day.

It will take some time to establish a routine, it will take a bit of trial and error to see what works for you, so don't beat yourself up if it if it doesn't work, but keep at it, keep working at it, try different things and see what sticks.

To learn more about setting yourself up for a great sleep and energised day, join my sleep workshop where I go into how and why we sleep, the factors that affect your sleep, what to eat for better sleep and the underlying biological reasons to be aware of if you struggle with sleep.

By the end of the workshop you'll know everything you can do to give you the best chance of a great sleep at night, even if your little ones are still waking multiple times a night.

You might not be able to control your child's sleep, so focus on what you can do for your own sleep.

To learn more and sign up, head to: tashadcruz.com/sleep

5 Reasons Mornings Are Important in Motherhood