I'm a cat when it comes to sleep. I could snooze ten or more hours a day if I didn't have kids and other life responsibilities. Most of us ride a wave of inconsistent sleep. Luckily, Self magazine offers a few tips to wake up feeling more alive than zombie-like.

• Open your shades when you first wake up or leave blinds/shades open at night to welcome in morning sunshine. Daylight triggers serotonin, an energizing hormone. Maybe those blackout shades we're considering are not a good idea, especially if my feline-sleeping self won't reach over to crack the shade at dawn.
• Keep TVs and computers out of the bedroom or at the very least, turn them off before bedtime. Blue light from their screens suppresses melatonin, a sleep-inducing hormone.
• Make sure your bed has a view of the window so the sunshine can say good morning to your brain. Lighter colored linens, walls and flooring help spread the hello, too.
• If you need a nightlight so the bedbugs don't bite, use a red or amber hue -- no blue light. Wonder if my daughter's pink princess nightlight is the right color. Luckily, my son's blue rocket special is in the trash -- it started leaking fluid a few weeks ago.

For all you night owls out there, beyond getting ten hours of sleep, any new tips on waking refreshed -- beyond, er, the obvious?