What helps you to wake your brain up in the morning?

Every morning I seem to wage a war against my brain, which always seems to want that few extra hours in bed. Over the years I've picked up a few hints that really help me to wake myself up.

How do you wake your brain up?

• Coffee. The caffeine present in a mug of hot coffee always seems to focus my brain.
• Shower. Having a shower in the morning is a great way of waking your brain up. A hot shower definitely makes me feel more prepared for the day ahead.
• Exercise. Going for a run or visiting the gym is another great way of waking up, and definitely a method I need to try a bit more often!

If you want to guarantee waking up early every morning, I suggest you have a child.

Here are some reasons why:

• Babies are efficient at waking up early
  
• You can't ignore them - they just get louder and more distressed, and this makes it harder to settle them. I find that this is a great incentive for waking up.
• There's no snooze or "off" option. When relying on an alarm clock, you may be tempted to turn it off and grab an extra 10 minutes of shut-eye. Having a baby will make sure you stick to your waking-up regime.
• A playful and smiley baby will make all those early mornings worth it.