We’ve written a fair amount about how you can get out of bed in the morning when you don’t want to, how to kickstart your morning routine and even what song you should wake up to in the morning. However, sometimes you don’t want any of that and you just want a good lie in.
Well we totally understand that – who doesn’t want to stay in bed a bit longer? We love a lie in too, so we’ve done a bit of research and come up with what we think is the perfect lie in. Some of it’s based on science (apparently) and we have, of course, tried to make it as healthy as possible.
Don’t sleep for too long
If you’re short on sleep then catching up on a bit of shut-eye is worth doing. But, don’t presume that you should just try sleeping for as long as possible, no matter how inviting that may sound! In fact, it can actually be bad for you to sleep for too long.
There is a lot of research around this, suggesting that sleeping for too long can increase the risk of depression, diabetes, make it harder to get pregnant, lead to weight gain and even lead to a premature death.
Therefore, avoid sleeping too long by going to bed at a reasonable time, perhaps even a little earlier than usual. This will ensure that you don’t oversleep and completely miss out on your lie in.
Wake up naturally
The first thing you need to do in order to wake up naturally is to turn that alarm off. We’ve all planned on having a nice lie in and then forgotten to turn our alarm clocks off, and it’s not nice! Rather than having a shock to the system that is a loud alarm on a weekend, you’re going to want to wake up naturally.
Related: The Best Ways To Wake Up In The Morning
Many of your natural daily rhythms (circadian rhythms, to give them their proper name) are controlled by daylight. So, in order to wake up naturally, you could leave your curtains open slightly to allow morning sunlight into the room. Be aware that the sun rises pretty early during summer!
Another way of waking naturally is to use a sunrise light, wake-up light or whatever you want to call it. This is basically a lamp that mimics sunlight to help you wake up naturally, and can be set at whatever time you desire.
The perfect cup of tea
No lazy morning lie in is complete without a lovely cup of tea. And apparently there is a right and wrong way to make a cup of tea!
Researchers at the British Science Association advise that you should brew a cup of tea for two to five minutes, although only 16% of us actually do this. You should also use a teapot if you have one available to allow convection currents to bring the flavour out of the tea leaves.
If you’re making tea in a mug then you should put the milk in after the boiling water, but if you’ve already brewed the tea in a jug then add the milk to the cup first. They also say that the perfect temperature to drink tea is 65 degrees Celsius.
Other researchers (a lot of people seem to be spending a lot of time on this) have also come up with an actual mathematical formula for making the perfect cup of tea:
TB + (H2O at 100C) 2mins BT + C (10ml) + 6mins BT = PC
TB = tea bag; BT = brewing time; C = milk; PC = perfect cuppa
The perfect piece of toast
So we have our perfect cup of tea, and now we need the perfect breakfast. It needs to be something you can easily eat in bed, so we’re going to go with toast. And guess what? Yep, researchers have come up with what they think is the perfect way to make toast.
Related: 3 Healthy Breakfast Ideas to Kickstart Your Day
Apparently you should toast the bread for two minutes and eight seconds. You should then leave it to stand for 22 seconds before buttering to prevent it getting too soggy, and make sure you butter right to the edge of the toast. If you wanted to pop some bacon in between those slices of toast, well that would just make everything better, wouldn’t it?
Leave that phone alone
It’s become a habit of many to reach for their phone or tablet as soon as they wake up. However, we recommend that you leave that phone alone during your lie in and escape the grip of technology. If you do grab your phone then you’re going to be more likely to check emails, something you don’t need to concern yourself with whilst relaxing in bed.
Be close with a loved one
Being intimate with a loved one is a great way to start the day. You will increase your oxytocin levels, a feel-good hormone that is said to help you feel bonded with your partner throughout the day. You’ll also produce endorphins that will boost your mood.
Related: The Benefits of Sleeping Naked
Get up properly
Once your lie in has come to an end and you decide that you really need to get out of bed then make sure you do it properly. According to this article, the best way to get out of bed is to roll onto your right side, push yourself up into a sitting position and then stand up with a straight back. This apparently takes the pressure off your heart and back.
What’s your perfect lie in? Let us know in the comments.
