Welcome to the Benefits of Waking up Early!
Good morning! It’s 10 am in the morning, and the sunlight is covering every inch of your room. However, you are still under the blankets, with your head over the pillow. You think, “How can it be 10 am? I’m so tired!” Well, the alarm that’s blinking 10:00 every other second is not telling the incorrect time.
You shut your eyes, not only because you are still tired, but because you are disappointed. The night before, you had planned on going on a run early morning. However, your feet are surrounded by blankets and covers, not by socks and shoes. Shaking your head, you grab your phone to check any notifications. While you only wanted to check any messages or emails, you still hang on to your phone, making sure the screen doesn’t go blank. Before you know it, it’s 11 am and the screen is still bright.
Because of the first two actions, you become lazy and pessimistic throughout the rest of the day. Instead of getting work done, you binge-watch shows and stay on the couch. Soon enough, it’s dusk and the sky is slowly turning darker and darker.
If you didn’t already realize, let me go ahead and say it. It’s been a waste of a perfectly good day. You could have gotten some exercise, but decided to go back to bed. You could have gotten ready, but decided to stay on your phone. And, you could have finished some work, but you decided to watch TV. Imagine doing this every day. Imagine this becoming a habit, a lifestyle. Of course, I would never let that happen. Let me tell you why before it becomes a daily routine.
Almost all successful people wake up before the sun rises. I have mentioned them in two of my previous blogs, Daily Routines of Successful People, and How To Fix Your Sleep Schedule. Some of them include Bill Gates, Michelle Obama, Tim Cook, Tim Armstrong, and more. But, why do they wake up so early, and what do they do at such an early time?
In order to be able to wake up early, you must sleep early. However, many teenagers in the 21st century sleep at a very late time, from midnight to 2 am. So, check out the blog linked above on how to fix your sleep schedule! On the other hand, if you need motivation and inspiration to start the habit of sleeping and waking up on time, read this blog first and then the other one. This blog will talk about the benefits of waking up early, and things to do early morning. Read on!
1. More productivity
It may seem like waking up early has nothing to do with productivity, but it actually does. For one, waking up early makes you feel like a winner. By being able to defeat the snooze button, you deserve the right to be able to call yourself a winner! “And when you win the morning, says Tim Ferriss, author of The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich, you win the day.” (themuse.com)
Moreover, you get to set your own priorities. There won’t be any urgent calls, texts, or messages early in the morning, so why rush? Do whatever you want to do! Figure out a plan, a schedule, or a to-do list to use to help you complete your work. And lastly, you’re building discipline. By waking up sharp when your alarm rings, you are following the right thing to do. Instead of letting your sleepy brain think, “I’m tired. I’ll wake up later,” you don’t listen to that voice and you decide to wake up and face the day! Check out this article on why self-discipline is the foundation of a productive day!
Here are some bullet points from sleepadvisor.org:
- Having more time to focus on important tasks while the rest of the world is asleep. This also translates to fewer interruptions.
- Brains tend to be most alert in the morning. If you’re able to focus without interruptions early in the day, you’ll get more done.
- You tend to make better decisions and think more clearly in the morning than in the afternoon and evening. Setting your goals first thing will help you achieve them.
- If you can manage to get out of bed early, you’ll find that you have more energy throughout the day. It seems counterintuitive, but there are countless testimonials.
2. Better sleep quality
How does getting less sleep improve your sleep quality?
Waking at the same time every day will actually help you to sleep better at night. A fixed wake time helps to build a strong desire for sleep throughout wakefulness. This sleep drive gradually builds, and shortening it by sleeping in will make it harder to fall asleep the next night. If you sleep in 2 hours on a Sunday morning, it is just like trying to go to bed 2 hours early that night. This may cause Sunday night insomnia. A fixed wake time is especially important for people who have difficulty falling or staying asleep, characteristic of insomnia.
verywellhealth.com
3. Improves mental health
“Improved brain function, a lack of physical strain and stress, and restorative sleep are all components of an equation that results in your ability to release anxiety and approach your day as it comes. Not surprisingly, mental health experts tie good time management and organization combined with a good night’s rest to a healthier mind. Too much sleep and non-productive sleep leads to a higher incidence of depression and psychological illness.” (thesleepjudge.com)
Also, when you wake up early, you know that you have more time to complete all your tasks and work. Stress often forms because of work and school life. There is no denying that you get a lot of work from both work and school, but it is important to maintain a healthy work/life balance to reduce depression and other mental health issues. Waking up early is one of the solutions, as you have more time to finish your work and you don’t have to rush!
4. More energy
“More rest equals more energy, plain and simple. If you get into the routine of rising early and retiring to bed early you are more likely to have a better sleeping pattern which leads to being more energetic throughout the day, helping you accomplish your goals and tasks in a faster and more productive manner.” (neurotrackerx.com)
5. Healthier body
By waking up early, you automatically do things differently than you would if you woke up late. (In a good way, of course.) And because of those actions that you take early morning, you are improving your physical health.
One example is your skin. “After a night of restful sleep, our skin is at its best first thing in the morning. And if you’re an early riser, you can take advantage of the morning hours to give your skin some extra TLC.Similar to the breakfast example above, people who get up later in the day tend to focus less on healthy morning habits like hydrating and exercise, which oxygenates your blood and promotes healthy skin. Early morning risers can also use the extra time to exfoliate, moisturize and cleanse.”(sleepadvisor.org)
Another example is more time to exercise. Exercising is obviously very beneficial to one’s body so I don’t even need to list the reasons why. People who wake up late claim they have less time to do the things they need to do, leaving out the things that are good for them. People who are busy would not have time to exercise, but if you wake up early, you have the time to do so. Lastly, you eat healthier. This will be discussed in the 7th benefit!
6. More organization
We’ve all been there: we go to sleep with an idea of what we want to be accomplished the next day, but once we rise- life happens. Simple things like a forgotten lunch, or a slow commute can seen to through off the entire day, and before you know it you are ready to throw in the towel before lunch. Rising earlier and laying out your day in advance creates a series of approachable goals that you can dive right into. Worrying about traffic and your first grader’s untied shoelaces are much more easy to deal with when you aren’t trying to remember a half dozen things while you run out the door.
thesleepjudge.com
7. Healthier eating
As said above, another benefit of rising early is eating healthier. Eating healthier also leads to a healthier body. Think about it like this:
Let’s say you have to leave the house and head for work at 7 a.m. You set an alarm for 6 am but instead wake up at 6:30. This leaves you with only 30 minutes to get ready, get everything prepared for work, spend time for yourself, and eat breakfast. You manage to prepare for work, get ready yourself, and chat with your family, but what about breakfast? You quickly scan the fridge and find a quick snack. Eating only one bite, you leave it on the counter to leave the house.
However, if you wake up earlier and leave yourself time to complete all those things without rushing, you would also be able to decide what to eat and have time the time to eat a proper, healthy breakfast. “Skipping breakfast, or worse- grabbing high fat, high carb, high sugar choices while on the run- results in less energy for both your body and brain. Getting up with time to spare lets you enjoy a more leisurely pace each morning that can include a healthier meal choice and time to enjoy a better cup of (hot) coffee without the interruptions that are sure to occur after getting to work.” (thesleepjudge.com)
8. More positivity
Generally, if you are a night owl those morning people generally annoy you to no end. Their perky, chattering, occasionally singing selves need to understand that morning should be a time of quiet- in order for you to fully wake yourself up. But since people who rise earlier often get to bed earlier, they are more likely to have received the seven to nine hours of sleep suggested for an adult’s night’s sleep. Since sleeping the full amount of what is needed to a healthier body and mind, it makes sense that their morning positivity is directly related to their rest.
thesleepjudge.com
9. More time
There is no doubt on this benefit. If you wake up early, you have more time to do whatever you want. You can take the time to plan your day out, spend time with your family, work with no interruptions, exercise, and more. Check out what you should do when you wake up below!
10. Success
In a study of 367 university students, biologist Christoph Randler found that what they say is true — the early bird really does get the worm.
“When it comes to business success, morning people hold the important cards,” he found. “My earlier research showed that they tend to get better grades in school, which get them into better colleges, which then lead to better job opportunities.”
He continued: “Morning people also anticipate problems and try to minimize them, my survey showed. They’re proactive. A number of studies have linked this trait, proactivity, with better job performance, greater career success, and higher wages.”
businessinsider.com
What to do Early Morning
Now that you know the benefits of waking up early, what exactly should you do when you wake up? Here are some things I found over the internet that can help you not only in the morning, but also throughout the whole day:
- Exercise
- Plan ahead/strategize
- Drink water
- Meditate
- Get some sun
- Eat breakfast
- Make your bed
- Read something inspiring
- Work on a personal project/passion
- Spend time with family
Here are 14 things successful people do first thing in the morning!
The Takeaway
Waking up early is a great habit to adopt and will not only be a great boost to your daily routine, but as well as your lifestyle. The benefits of waking up early include:
- More productivity
- Better sleep quality
- Improves mental health
- More energy
- Healthier body
- More organization
- Healthier eating
- More positivity
- More time
- Success
Be sure to check out my previous blog, How To Fix Your Sleep Schedule. Also, watch this video on how to wake up early and make it a habit. This will ensure that you actually can wake up early and defeat the snooze button. Check out the 30-day challenge for waking up early. Comment below if you tried it and the effect it had on you.
To be clear, although there are people who wake up as early as 4:30, that does not mean that you have to. Let’s face it- we are teenagers, and we need an adequate amount of sleep. The earlier you want to wake up, the earlier you’ll have to sleep. The recommended amount of sleep for 14-17-year-olds is 8-10 hours. And, the recommended amount of sleep for young adults from 18 -25 years olds is 7-9 hours. For example, if you are 15 and sleep at 10, you can wake up at 6 am. It all depends on your preferences and the type of sleep schedule you want.
To help with waking up early, download some of the sleep apps listed in a previous blog, Best Apps to Improve your Life. You now have all the resources needed to start on this habit. So, what are you waiting for? Go set an alarm for tomorrow morning!