Rise and shine? That can be hard to do when your alarm goes off and it’s still so dark out that you have to ask yourself: Is it even morning? With the sun rising later this time of year, the motivation to spring out of bed and start the day with gusto goes out the window, replaced by the urge to pull up the covers and go back to sleep.

You might also feel groggy and disoriented due to sleep inertia, which is often associated with people working night shifts (when they might otherwise be sleeping) but can also be caused by time changes. “When the clocks shift, particularly during daylight saving time, it disrupts your circadian rhythm, the body’s internal clock that regulates sleep-wake cycles,” says Shelby Harris, a licensed clinical psychologist and director of sleep health at Sleepopolis. “The sudden change throws off the alignment between your body’s natural rhythm and the external environment.” So it makes sense that fighting off the urge to stay in bed is more challenging than usual.

The good news is that daylight saving time is ending this weekend, and December’s winter solstice will eventually usher in brighter mornings. In the meantime, experts say having solid morning and nighttime routines can help make your wake-ups less gloomy. Here are 8 things you can do to manage the early morning drag on dark days.

Stop hitting the snooze button
It may seem obvious but the first rule of welcoming more ease to your wake-up time is actually waking up. The research on the effects of pounding that snooze button (once, twice, maybe a few times) is mixed; some studies suggest that drawing out your wake-up could help you be more alert, while others say it’s disruptive. Sleep expert Harris falls in the “avoid it” camp.

“Hitting the snooze button might feel like a quick fix for those groggy mornings, but it can really throw off your sleep cycle,” she says. “Each time you doze back off, you’re interrupting your body’s natural circadian rhythm, which can actually leave you feeling even more tired when you finally wake up. Think of it as taking tiny sips of sleep instead of enjoying a full night’s worth — you miss out on the deeper rest your body craves.”