With three young children, there’s rarely any need for an alarm clock in our house. When the mornings are still dark, I use a Lumie sunrise alarm. The gradual light exposure helps support the body’s circadian rhythm — including that of our gut microbes— making waking feel more natural and less abrupt, while helping regulate the morning cortisol response.
I start my day with a large glass of warm water. Warm fluids have been shown to activate the digestive system more effectively than cold. I love the ritual of fresh coffee, but I delay it by at least 60 minutes after waking to maximise caffeine’s focus benefits. My husband makes it using his rather fancy coffee machine, which I’ve strategically never learned how to use. It’s my small daily luxury.
