Picture your perfect morning (and yes, you must be awake for the purposes of this exercise -- sleeping in doesn't count). Are you reading? Writing? Simply eating breakfast at a table instead of on your way out the door? Figure out what things are appealing enough that you would consider trading sleep for them, and then make them happen. If there is nothing that would convince you to roll out of bed early, try transposing an hour of your night to the morning. So that TV show you watch religiously every Thursday night? Wait until Friday morning to find out what happens. The best part: You can eat breakfast while you watch. �Protein is helpful for awakening in the am as is caffeine,� says Winter. Scramble some eggs or nosh on a little Greek yogurt with berries to rev your metabolism and keep you full. Bacon and the latest episode of "True Blood"? Pretty much the breakfast of champions.

Investing in a box that gives off light may seem like an odd thing to do, but lightboxes can help you wake up without turning into Oscar the Grouch. Look for one that is very bright (around 10,000 lux), and that is either full-spectrum or blue light (because the blue light is the one that helps you wake up), says Winter. "Light tends to block melatonin secretion in the brain, and since melatonin promotes sleep, this would allow one to wake up, essentially," he explains. These can be especially helpful in the long winter months, when sunlight is scarce. The best part: You can eat breakfast while you watch.

"Carbs are all useful for going to sleep," says Winter. Munch on good carbs, like sweet potatoes and nuts, but be sure to watch your portions and avoid overindulging -- too many carbs before bed can cause you to gain weight. Winter says that you can also sip on chamomile tea to help get you sleepy enough to ditch your night-owl ways and hit the hay before your usual bedtime (if you're not already wiped out from waking up oh-so-early).

There's nothing worse than being in the middle of a deep sleep, only to be brutally awakened by your alarm yelling at you to wake up. The fix? First, figure out what time you want to wake up. Then count backwards in 90 minutes increments (the length of an average sleep cycle) to get the time you should be falling asleep so your alarm can be more in sync with your sleep patterns.

Speaking of alarms, I've got some good news: You can get back together with your snooze button -- but you have to lay down some ground rules. Your song may have been "Fancy" ever since you first heard it on the radio, but it's time to change it to something new. Hearing the same song (or beeping pattern) over and over again can make it easier to ignore your alarm in the morning. Swapping out your song/tone every few days can keep you from falling into a rut -- and also won't ruin any more of your favorite jams.

It's the weekend, you're out with your friends, and suddenly, you realize that you're out too late and waking up the next morning is going to be particularly awful. In the immortal words of Nike: "Just do it." Waking up at the same time is key to creating a routine that you'll be able to stick with. The silver lining? You can always take a nap later (ideally between the hours of noon and 4 P.M., when you reach the low point of your body's circadian rhythm, to reap the maximum nap-time benefits). Just make sure to keep it around 20 to 30 minutes. If it's any longer, you end up in deep sleep, meaning you may feel even worse after your nap.