Morning routines strongly impact how our days go

One in three Americans can have their mornings thrown off by missing simple steps in their routines.

In a new poll of 2,000 U.S. adults, it was revealed that mornings can be easily thrown off for people if they forget to make fresh coffee or tea (38%), don't brush their teeth (34%), skip drinking water (28%), don’t shower after getting out of bed (25%) or don’t exercise (22%).

Half can tell how their day is going to go based on how alert or tired they feel after waking up, and 49% said their morning plays a "major" role in dictating how the rest of their day goes — especially for millennials, 57% of whom said their mornings influence the quality of their day.

In fact, 37% of respondents reported they can tell if their day is going to be good or bad just within 10 minutes of waking up.

Commissioned by Naturepedic and conducted by Talker Research, the study found it takes the average person 25 minutes to feel fully awake after sleeping.

Generationally, baby boomers take the least amount of time to wake up (just 19 minutes), and millennials take the longest — a full 10 minutes more than their boomer peers.

Universally, morning routines take about a half hour, regardless of age or gender.

For respondents, typical morning routines usually consist of brushing their teeth (65%), drinking water (60%), making fresh coffee and tea (51%), clearing their eyes (48%), scrolling through missed notifications (40%) and stretching (38%).

Two-thirds (62%) believe they could likely identify if a bad day was caused by having a bad start to their morning. Gen Zers are especially in-tune with this identification, as 73% believe they can tell when they’re about to have a bad day.

And to improve their morning, all that would be needed is an early breakfast (49%), getting fresh air (46%) or drinking just as much water as coffee or tea (42%).

When looking at the data from a gender comparison, men were most likely to eat an early breakfast (53%) in order to improve their day. Women, meanwhile, were inclined to improve their day with fresh air in the morning (46%).

The study found having a good day is also cyclical: 68% credit having a good day to having a good night of sleep. And 70% said having a good night of sleep leads to a good day.

"It's clear that 'waking up on the right side of the bed' is more than just a turn of phrase," commented Arin Schultz, chief growth officer at Naturepedic. "How we spend those first few minutes of the morning is critical to make sure the rest of our day follows the right path."

According to the survey, the average person gets six hours of sleep per night, but the "perfect" night of sleep would allow them to have one extra hour. Nearly three in four (72%) believe their day would be better if they got the "perfect" amount of sleep. Gen Zers are the biggest believers of this idea, as four in five of them think having the “perfect” amount of sleep can lead to a better day.

The contributors believe what can help them get the "perfect" amount of sleep includes watching TV in bed (44%), reading (28%), drinking a glass of water (27%), putting fresh sheets on the bed (19%) and scrolling through social media (17%).

For 87%, sleep isn't always completely restful. They reported feeling occasional stiffness or pain after waking up. Forty-three percent said back pain was their biggest morning irritant, followed by joint pain (37%) and neck pain (30%). Back pain was highest amongst aging Gen Xers (50%), while stiffness was the biggest issue baby boomers face after waking up (53%).

Forty-six percent of them believe feeling stiffness or pain can have a negative impact on their day.

"Getting fresh air or drinking a glass of water in the morning can definitely help good mornings turn to good days, but sleep also plays a vital role," continued Arin. "Getting good quality sleep and following your natural circadian rhythm helps ensure your body is physically ready for the next day."

TOP SEVEN THINGS TO DO IN THE MORNING TO BOOST YOUR DAY

• Eat breakfast early in the day - 49%
• Get fresh air - 46%
• Drink just as much water as coffee/tea - 42%
• Stretch - 35%
• Take a lukewarm/cool shower - 27%
• Exercise before going to work - 24%
• Spend less than 10 minutes on your phone - 21%

Survey methodology:

Talker Research surveyed 2,000 general population Americans; the survey was commissioned by Naturepedic and administered and conducted online by Talker Research between May 16 and May 22, 2025.

We are sourcing from a non-probability frame and the two main sources we use are:

• Traditional online access panels — where respondents opt-in to take part in online market research for an incentive
• Programmatic — where respondents are online and are given the option to take part in a survey to receive a virtual incentive usually related to the online activity they are engaging in

Those who did not fit the specified sample were terminated from the survey. As the survey is fielded, dynamic online sampling is used, adjusting targeting to achieve the quotas specified as part of the sampling plan.

Regardless of which sources a respondent came from, they were directed to an Online Survey, where the survey was conducted in English; a link to the questionnaire can be shared upon request. Respondents were awarded points for completing the survey. These points have a small cash-equivalent monetary value.

Cells are only reported on for analysis if they have a minimum of 80 respondents, and statistical significance is calculated at the 95% level. Data is not weighted, but quotas and other parameters are put in place to reach the desired sample.

Interviews are excluded from the final analysis if they failed quality-checking measures. This includes:

• Speeders: Respondents who complete the survey in a time that is quicker than one-third of the median length of interview are disqualified as speeders
• Open ends: All verbatim responses (full open-ended questions as well as other please specify options) are checked for inappropriate or irrelevant text
• Bots: Captcha is enabled on surveys, which allows the research team to identify and disqualify bots
• Duplicates: Survey software has “deduping” based on digital fingerprinting, which ensures nobody is allowed to take the survey more than once

It is worth noting that this survey was only available to individuals with internet access, and the results may not be generalizable to those without internet access.