The only thing worse than a Monday is Monday morning, or any other morning in which you have to wake up to an alarm clock. Being a morning person is so taboo that we have coffee cups, tee shirts, and even bumper stickers that express our distaste for waking up early.

For most, a quick cup of coffee aids in making being awake and functioning tolerable. Sadly, caffeine isn't very good for you, and there are lots of health consequences to throwing back espresso shots every morning. Insomnia, just one of the many side effects of caffeine, leaves you sleep deprived and in need of more coffee. What can you do to become one of those annoying people that wake up happy and ready to tackle the day? Here are eight tips on how to become a morning person.

1. Go to bed earlier, and at the same time every night.

One of the best ways to improve your mornings is by waking up refreshed. Your body restores itself through sleeping. The CDC reports that most of us (almost 70 percent) are not getting enough sleep in the first place. Teenagers (and people up to age 25) need eight to nine hours of sleep every night, but many of us are sleeping for six or less hours every day. Sleep deprivation has awful consequences when we're awake, but it also makes it difficult to wake up in the first place. Going to bed an hour or two earlier will make your life exponentially better.

In addition to being better rested, you'll also find yourself more productive if you're very strict with your new bed time. Keep in mind that you need about 30 minutes between the time you get under your covers to the time that you're actually asleep, so cushion your time in bed accordingly. Knowing that you have to go to bed at 11 p.m. makes you more aware at 10 p.m. that you only have an hour before you need to go to sleep. Think of going to sleep as an important appointment you have with your health, and you'll start to plan your time more accordingly.

2. Change how you wake up.

If you're used to snoozing your alarm clock many times when you first wake up, you're waking up incorrectly and making your morning worse. It's best to wake up at the same time each day so that your circadian rhythms adjust accordingly. What is the best way to wake yourself up without hating your alarm?

You should be well rested when you wake, but coming out of a deep sleep is difficult. There are new alarm clocks for smart phones that detect your movement and actually gauge which level of sleep you are in. You can set a wake up phase for 30 minutes and the alarm will wake you when you are in your lightest sleep.

Exposing yourself to sunlight when you wake is also beneficial to your circadian rhythms and helps you feel instantly awake and positive. I recommend changing your curtains. I have blinds and curtains on my window. I use sheer curtains so that, when it's time to go to sleep, I feel like my bedroom is private and dark, but I open my blinds behind the curtain so that, when the sun comes out, my room is illuminated. This method helps me wake up before my alarm even sounds, and I'm never irritated by it.

3. Find a morning routine.

The first thing you should do when you get out of bed is rehydrate yourself. You've just spent eight hours without food or water! As soon as you wake up, drink at least one tall glass of cold water to rehydrate and wake you.

After drinking water, brushing your teeth and washing your face or showering are also essential to feeling awake and refreshed (and to being hygienic). Scrubbing your tongue also helps get all of the gunk and bad breath germs out of your mouth and helps you taste your breakfast better.

Always eat breakfast. Eating breakfast is what gets your metabolism started every day. It breaks the fasting cycle that you've been in since dinner the day before, potentially around 14 hours! Eating breakfast gives your body energy to power through the morning, and benefits your digestive health.

4. Power down your electronics before bed.

Your brain craves new information, and scrolling through your Facebook and Twitter feeds may not be providing you with quality information, but it does keep you alert. In addition, your screen is bright and in your face, which damages your eyes and keeps you awake longer. Experts say you should power down your electronics 30 minutes before bed. If you shower or bathe at night, you could turn off your electronics when you go to bathe and keep them off until the morning. This process works well for me and maintains the relaxed state I'm in after I've cleaned up for the day. Powering down will help you fall asleep faster and make your sleep better, making you better rested for when you wake up.

5. Exercise.

Exercising is very rewarding, and adds to your overall health. It is important to helping you feel tired when it's time for bed, but also gives you much more energy throughout the day. On top of all of that, exercising releases endorphins that make you happy! Win, win, win.

6. Wake up earlier.

Most people think the best way to get enough sleep is to sleep in as a late as possible, but that's not true. Waking up with too little time to get ready for the day will leave you rushed and stressed, making your morning worse. When you wake up, you should have enough time to eat breakfast, get ready, make your bed, commute, and still be a few minutes early for work or class. Waking up with more than enough time to do all of these things will make you feel much more at ease and will render your morning powerless over ruining your day.

7. Listen to awesome music.

If you're an undercover rap mogul, an Indie hippy, or an alternative hipster, now is the time to break out the music and enjoy yourself. Nothing is better to me than listening to upbeat Indie music to start my day, it puts me in a positive mood, and wakes me up. Figure out what you love to listen to and experiment!

If you're not keen on listening to music in the morning, download a great audiobook and listen to it while you're making breakfast and getting ready!

8. Wake up in a better mood.

This one is tricky, but important. It seems kind of obvious, if you want to be in a good mood, be in one. Too good to be true? Not really. If you wake up with a positive mindset and tell yourself that you will have a good day, it's likely that you will. Likewise, if you tell yourself that you don't want to do things today, or your day is going to be hard, it probably will be. Decide you're going to have a good day and try to make it happen!

Being a morning person doesn't only have the benefit of making you happier, but you'll be much more productive. With half of the semester in the bag, it's important to buckle down and keep your grades high. Work on these tips over break so that when you go back to school, you'll be a morning person! As simple as these tips sound, they actually are very effective, and will completely change your life. Take it from a new morning person.