A mathematical formula for how to ‘wake up on the right side of the bed’ has been revealed, in a new scientific study that pinpoints the optimum factors that contribute to a good start in the morning.
The study follows new research which found that the average UK adult admits to waking up in a bad mood twice a week, equal to a total of 8,881 moody mornings over a lifetime.
The research, commissioned to mark the launch of Special K Crunchy Oat Granola, reveals over a quarter of Brits (29%) regularly ‘wake up on the wrong side of bed’ and 39% don’t know how to turn their day around if it starts badly. A further quarter (25%) of us also claim that it’s not until at least 11am before the tired and grumpy feeling even starts to lift.
Half of the 2,000 British adults studied blamed broken sleep (49%) and not having a good enough breakfast (28%) as the main culprits for a bad start, whilst over a third said they are simply just stuck in a rut (36%) when it comes to their morning routine.
Arithmetician Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon MBE, who led the research team and has featured on TV show Countdown, studied the factors that affect how we wake up and start our mornings and used the results to develop a scientific formula for how to ‘wake up on the right side of the bed’ every day.
Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon’s formula for ‘waking up on the right side of the bed’:
Using the following variables:
s is minutes spent showering
e is minutes spent exercising
b is minutes spent eating breakfast
h is hours spent sleeping
w is difference (in hours) between when you get out of bed and 7.12am
c is minutes spent on any other unique ‘getting ready’ activities, divided by 2 (e.g. word puzzles, reading the news, meditating)
g = 37 (based on the ideal number of minutes to get ready on average, identified by the study)
Dr Imafidon explains a combination of showering, exercising and having a good breakfast feature as the core elements for Brits to have a good start to the day.
Breakfast is doubled in the formula to give it more weighting, as this was voted as the top priority for Brits to get off to a good start in the morning (38%).
The study found that 6.44am is the optimum time to wake up time and 7.12am the time to get out of bed for Brits, followed by spending 10 minutes in the shower, 21 minutes exercising and 18 minutes eating breakfast.
The data shows sleep is also an important factor for having a good morning. The formula applies the theory that the less sleep you’ve had (using 8 hours as the ideal amount) and the further from 7.12am you get out of bed, the less effective any time spent showering, exercising or eating breakfast is on helping Brits start the day in a positive mood.
When it comes to other unique elements we individually add to our morning routines, the average adult likes to ideally stimulate their brain for an average of 18 minutes, for example by doing a word or number puzzle or reading the news, as well as meditating for 17 minutes – plus a ban on digital devices until you have been awake for at least 21 minutes.
Dr Imafidon explains “It’s interesting to see how different factors in our morning routine can set us up for the rest of the day. Having this formula is a great tool to help start the day right. Not everyone has the same routine but a combination of the different elements should be key to ‘getting out of bed on the right side’ – especially after so many of us admit to regularly getting up in a bad mood!”
One in three (33%) of the nation explain that they set aside plenty of time to enjoy their first meal to banish the morning blues and more than three in five (63%) rely on a good breakfast to really set them up for the day ahead.
The nation voted for 7.25am as the optimum time to eat breakfast – waiting 28 minutes after getting up to tuck in and feel good about it.
Over half of us (57%) admit to making bad food choices in the morning, with one in four (26%) saying this is due to being in a rush, while 35% blame it on not knowing enough about the nutritional value of certain foods.
Emily Dutton, Special K Senior Brand Manager added: “We will all have a different routine in the morning to get off to a good start and it’s so interesting to see Dr Imafidon apply this in the formula ‘to wake up on the right side of the bed’. It’s also great that so many Brits value a good breakfast and make time for this each day!”
Available in supermarkets now, Special K Crunchy Oat Granola is high in oat grain fibre, contains 30% less sugar1 and comes in two tempting flavours – fruity Mixed Berries and delicious Dark Chocolate Curls.
