Should I get up at 5 am?
I have read many books espousing the benefits of getting up early in the morning to get things done. The military does it, high achievers do it, top athletes do it, and many successful people do it - they all wake up early in the morning to get a head start on the day.
I used to get up at 5 am, drive to work to beat the traffic, go to the gym for an hour, and still be at work before everyone else. You can get through a lot of work in a quiet office before the masses arrive.
So is getting up early really that good for you? Here's what we know;
⏰ Numerous studies show that students who wake up early have higher grades than those who don't.
⏰ From 3 am onwards, your brain is in its creative period where ideas flow and problems may be solved more easily.
⏰ Early risers generally have better sleep routines, and sleep more soundly as a consequence.
⏰ Waking earlier eliminates the need to rush around in the morning, reducing the accompanying stress. Plus, you may minimise the stress of being late or getting stuck in traffic.
How do you become an early riser? The answer is slowly - our brains don't like to be surprised too often.
In the evenings, start going to bed 15 minutes earlier each week.
Keep the same ritual everytime before bed. Mine was to have a light snack along with warm milk, have a shower, darken my room, put a glass of water by the bed, listen to the radio for 5 minutes and then head down to sleep. Every day, no matter what, never change the ritual.
As for the mornings, set your alarm clock to wake you up 15 minutes earlier each week. Again, follow a similar ritual each morning – go to the gym, meditate, produce a blog, eat breakfast, have a shower, etc. Do the same things each morning to get yourself into a pattern of behaviour.
While some say it is better to adhere to that same pattern in the weekend, I do not. Weekends are for relaxing, doing what you want to do, and catching up with any lost sleep you might need. You might want to still wake up at 5 am, but you might also want to have an afternoon nap.
Is Waking At 5am Good For You?