You should ALWAYS aim to get the recommended 7–8 hours of sleep. ALWAYS.

But some days, it’s just not possible.

An early flight in the morning, a deadline to hit, a disturbance in the night, stress. There are all kinds of things that can stop you hitting those 7–8 hours.

Most people will be fine getting by on 5–6 hours of sleep — but when it’s 4 hours (or less), the struggle is real.

Here’s a quick guide on how I survive these types of days.

[1] Leave your alarm further than arms reach

There have been occasions where I have snoozed passed my alarm, and can’t even remember it going off. Most are when I have to be up around 2–3am to get to the airport for an early flight.

Leaving your alarm outs arms reach forces you to get up, and out of bed. Getting out of the bed is the single hardest part of my morning — especially when the room is cold.

Once you’re out of bed, you’re in control of the next steps in your routine.

[2] Have a cold shower

A cold shower will wake you up. Trust me.

This bit sucks. It reaaalllyyy sucks.

Get straight in the shower, and stand under cold water. Do this for as long as you can.

I’ll admit, I often turn the heat straight back up. Even a few seconds under cold water can really help.

Standing under cold water shocks your nervous system. The shock from the cold water will induce a stress response (in a good way) and make you more alert. Your breathing and heart rate will increase, with blood flowing throughout your body. This will give you an insane amount of energy.

Your grogginess will be replaced with alertness.

Note: there are many benefits to having a cold shower every morning (even ones of 7–8 hours sleep).

[3] Drink lemon salted water

I have this every morning — and it can be step 2 on occasions.

My recipe for this is:

500ml of water 1/2 squeezed lemon Tiny bit of himalayan pink salt Ice cubes

I put this into a stainless steel water bottle, which will keep it cold until the morning.

It’s a great way to get instantly hydrated in the morning.

You’ll notice there’s no caffeine at this stage. I try to not have coffee in these types of mornings. Instead relying on water and hydration.

Drinking lemon water every morning has a ton of benefits.

[4] Nap

Once you’re through the barrier, you need to find a at least a 10–20 minute slot in your day. Try to get it early afternoon — around 2pm.

Even if it is in the most unconventional place. Napping slightly upright may even be better too, as it prevents you from entering deep sleep. Which is important to avoid during a short nap, if don’t want to wake up with that groggy feeling.

[5] Avoid a really early night

It’s easy to think ‘Hey, I’ll just go to sleep around 5pm and catch up on my sleep’. This isn’t a great idea.

Why?

Because you will mess up your natural body clock. If you go to sleep at 5pm, and get 8 hours sleep, you will wake up at 1am. Not good.

This will then disrupt the rest of your week, and will be difficult to balance back.

Get an earlier night (maybe 1–2 hours more than usual), but avoid a really early night.