To feel more energized in the morning:
Go to bed wearing earplugs! A joint study between British and Swedish researchers found people who feel foggy and slowed up in the morning probably aren’t producing enough cortisol, a natural brain-energizer that wakes us up, and heightens our alertness. But wearing earplugs to bed blocks low levels of overnight noise – like nearby traffic, or barking dogs. And research shows that when the quality of our sleep improves, our brain churns out more cortisol in the morning – giving us more focus and energy.