⌛ Waking Up Early: Benefits and Downsides
Over the past 4 weeks, I’ve been consistently waking up at 5am. For those of us who have a hard time getting out of bed, it can be hard to imagine ever wanting to wake up earlier (check out my article about how I did this, cuz it was hard for me too: I’ve Stopped Hitting the Snooze Button (How I Did It) .
The truth is, there are some benefits to rising with the sun.
Waking up early can improve your productivity, give you more time to focus on your goals, and even help you get a better night's sleep. I have started waking up consistently at 5am in the morning, because I find that there are tasks I would like to get out of the way first thing in the morning.
But like any lifestyle change, there are also some drawbacks to consider.
☀️ Benefits to Waking up Early
A major benefit of waking up early is that it gives you more time to focus on your goals.
Many successful people have reported that they get up early and use the extra time for activities like journaling, exercising, and reading. That extra time can allow you to get a head start on your day, making it easier to get things done and stay on track with your goals.
I currently use my early morning time to write each of these articles or to go play basketball to get my early morning cardio for the day. I find that it is easier to get these done first thing in the morning as opposed to the afternoon, because when I get home from work I just want to relax and take a break.
Another benefit of getting up early is that it can help you improve your productivity. Studies have shown that people are more productive in the mornings than in the evenings. So if you're looking to get more out of your day, a few extra hours of productivity in the morning could be just what you need. Dr. Huberman is a great source of information when it comes to the benefits of sleep and waking up early: https://hubermanlab.com/
😪 Downsides to Waking up Early
One downside of waking up early is that it can be difficult to adjust to the new schedule.
Going to bed and waking up earlier means changing your body's natural rhythm, and it can take some time to get used to the new routine. It's also easy to get off track and fall back into old habits if you don't have a plan to stay on track.
Finally, it's important to consider the impact of waking up early on your sleep. While getting up early can help you get more done, it can also mean sacrificing important sleep time. If you're not getting enough sleep, it can have a negative impact on your physical and mental health. So it's important to make sure you're getting enough rest before committing to an early wake-up routine.
I had to adjust my schedule to be going to bed closer to 10PM if I was going to wake up at 5AM. This gives me about 7 hours of sleep. It’s most equally important to pick CONSISTENT times to go to sleep if you want to feel optimal.
I have consistently started tracking my time everyday to help me understand how much quality sleep I’m getting so I can do better at making sure I do things to make me feel recovered.
🌜Closing
Overall, waking up early has its benefits and its drawbacks. It can be a great way to improve your productivity and focus on your goals, but it can also mean sacrificing important sleep time. It's important to consider the pros and cons before making the switch and to create a plan for staying on track with your new schedule.
Check out my other articles!
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Seeya tomorrow,
Malachi Corliss
