13 Amazing benefits of waking up at 5:00 AM

7 Amazing benefits of waking up early

October 27, 2018

How to sleep better and feel more refreshed

October 27, 2018

Published by Reality Check Daily on October 27, 2018

What is the most appropriate time to get up?

Well, it all depends on when you go to bed. Scientists and psychologists recommended having at least six hours of sleep. Plan your routine around this and ensure that you get at least six hours of sleep.

Those who get enough sleep are more productive, healthier and have a longer life span than those who don’t. Click To Tweet

I have put that into consideration when waking up at 5:00 am, I make sure I mostly go to bed by 11 pm. Sometimes though rarely, because of unavoidable circumstances I may wake up at 5:30 because I went to bed late.

Amazing benefits of getting up early as conducted by experts

A few years ago biologists conducted a transformative study on the benefits of waking up early in the morning discovering a number of shocking advantages that morning people have overnight owls.

Those who get enough sleep are more productive, healthier and have a longer life span than those who don’t. The study investigated a physical phenomenon called the circadian clock– a biological meter that cycles within our bodies every 24 hours. This clock affects when you’re hungry, how fast your heartbeats, and when your body is ready to sleep.

As you can imagine, not everyone’s clock looks exactly alike. We each have something called a chronotype – a unique schedule that determines the times we are most likely to feel tired.

Have you ever wondered why you start yawning a lot around 4 o’clock every day? Well, Your unique chronotype is the reason why.

So, why am I telling you all this? Because those biologists, the ones who revealed some of the advantages of early risers recognized that our circadian clock also tells us when we are most productive by pointing out two extreme time periods which happen to affect every chronotype the same way.

These periods are early morning around 5 AM and late evening around 9 PM – whether you have good sleeping habits or not; your body always treats these extremes the same way. One is for waking up and the other is for going to sleep.

In order to take advantage of the many benefits of a biologically tuned sleeping schedule, you have to start by consistently waking up early. Click To Tweet

What are those benefits? And does adjusting your sleep schedule really make that big of a difference? Biologists and psychologists have been testing the same exact question for years.

So, am here to tell you about the incredible things they found. Here are 13 Amazing benefits of waking up at 5:00 AM. Learn how changing your morning routine can change your life and improve your lifestyle.

1. Discipline

One of the most convincing pieces of evidence shows that early risers are on average significantly better at making and maintaining schedules because they have conditioned themselves to work harder and smarter than everyone else. For anyone that has actually tried to wake up at 5 am, it isn’t hard to see why.

No matter how used to it you are, it requires a remarkable amount of mental fortitude to avoid slamming your hand down on the snooze button.

By consistently waking up at or before sunrise, you are honing a disciplined and organized mind. Click To Tweet

But there is one cavalier; there are plenty of people in the world who get up this early because they have to. However, to maximize the benefits you should be getting up extra early by choice.

If you know that you could go back to sleep yet still decide to wake up at 5 am every day you’ll gain a unique, intrinsic discipline that can positively impact every facet of your life.

2. Proactivity

A number of studies (1, 2, 3) found that morning people are significantly better at anticipating problems and minimizing the amount of risk involved.

These skills stand from two important observations about individuals who wake up early. They are more proactive in almost any situation and they report feeling more control over their personal and professional lives.

These advantages allow early risers to operate with more confidence free from the cloudiness of an anxious mind. Because waking up early increases both efficiency and spare time they can focus better on their objectives while slowing down to consider new perspectives before making critical decisions.

For the same reasons, morning people are also more likely to work outside of their comfort zones feeling motivated and powerful when facing new challenges.

3. Stress reduction

The first or two hours of the day often sets the tone for the next fourteen. So, by allowing yourself extra time to complete a morning routine you can mitigate the amount of extraneous mental stress you might experience throughout the day.

Think about it like this: what sounds like a better way to start your morning: Slowly eating breakfast and taking a long relaxing shower or rushing off without food to just sit in bumper to bumper traffic?

Yes, these are two extreme scenarios but this difference actually accounts for a significant disparity between the satisfaction levels of early risers and those of night owls.

Difference between early risers and night owls

In fact, studies(1, 2, 3 , 4, 5, 6, 7) have found that early risers are generally more optimistic, agreeable and conscientious in addition to feeling more in control and ambitious.

Night owls, on the other hand, tend to be creative and intellectual but suffer from higher rates of pessimism, anxiety, and depression.

A relaxing consistent morning routine destresses both the body and mind allowing you to warm up for the day instead of just jumping headfirst into the chaos. Click To Tweet

Also read: 5 Easy tips and tricks to help you sleep better

4. Inspiration

When building that stress-free morning routine many psychologists recommend adding in something that inspires you. Something that gets you motivated and excited to achieve.

This is also a great way to get your mind going before you actually have to go to work or school, ensuring that you are ready to do your best work by the time you get there.

What are the best things to get inspired by? Well, the sources are unique to you. But you have to pick something that directly relates to your goals and challenges your thinking.

Whether you like listening to informational podcasts, watching documentaries or reading thrilling books; use these forms of inspiration to give your day direction.

Remember to learn from whatever you are listening to, don’t just treat it like any other distractions.

I personally read the bible in my morning routine, it builds up my character, fills me with positive meditation and energy to help me confront the day’s challenges with joy. You can even combine your inspirational media with breakfast to stimulate your mind while nourishing your body.

For those of you who find yourselves watching TV every time you eat, this can be a great alternative, just make sure that you are paying attention to portion size because consuming food while viewing media can lead to overeating.

5. Better sleep quality

How many times have you gotten excited to sleep in on the weekends using those late mornings to catch up on some much-needed rest?

The truth is that sleeping in doesn’t really do you any favours because sleep quality has little to do with the actual volume of sleep.

In fact, you might have noticed that you feel especially tired on days when you sleep for nine or ten hours, but how is that possible?

Sleep quality is far more dependent on consistency. Leaving you the most well-rested when you are able to maintain a regular sleep schedule. Click To Tweet

Because of that master biological clock, your body tries to physically prepare for periods of unconscious rest to ensure that you experience four full rem cycles which take about eight hours.

So, whenever you stay up until four or three in the morning you are making it much more difficult for your body to correctly anticipate and enter deep sleep.

For anyone that has pulled an all-nighter, you may have noticed that you are the most tired right before sunrise then suddenly start to feel awake when you see the sunlight.

Even though you haven’t slept, the presence of light sends your brain a subconscious signal to wake up even though you never actually slept.

So, when you do try to fall asleep, in the morning, your body will be confused, and ill-prepared. Thankfully, you can avoid all this by maintaining the same seven to eight-hour schedule on weekends allowing you to make the most of your free time instead of wasting it by sleeping too much.

Also read: How to sleep better and feel more refreshed

6. Timing nutrients

I am sure you’ve heard the saying that breakfast is the most important meal of the day but not actually many people know why.

Eating a healthy breakfast provides your mind with the jumpstart it needs to tackle the rest of the day, supplying the energy necessary to focus and perform. Click To Tweet

Many people don’t realize that the body still gets hungry while we sleep even if we are just lying in one spot all night. When we wake up in the morning we are actually breaking a fast.

So, it is crucial to refuel immediately instead of waiting until lunch. This is a problem that many night owls face almost every morning. They wake up at around 10 or 11 am so that they are too late for breakfast and too early for lunch which leads them to skip the first meal of the day and over-eat during the second.

This habit ultimately slows them down because breakfast is there to wake up our metabolism, which is responsible for converting food into usable energy.

If our metabolism isn’t up and running before that giant lunch, it’s just going to make you feel lazy. This skewed eating schedule is also correlated with weight gain, poor concentration and a lack of productivity. So, avoid these negative outcomes by starting every day with a balanced meal.

7. Quiet time

For individuals busy with school, work, friends, and family quiet time can be hard to come by. They are left with little time to think about their lives, goals, and future because they are always needed somewhere. However, by starting their day an hour or two earlier they can wake up when the rest of the world is still sleeping opening up daily opportunities to set goals and discover new opportunities.

Whether you want to try a new hobby, start a work-out routine, or just need some time to think; those relaxing morning hours give you the freedom to do work on bettering yourself.

Remember how I said the tone of the whole day is set first thing in the morning? Well, making good use of this quiet time also guarantees that this day will start off stress-free.

It won’t be long before you notice some improvements in performance, decisiveness, and concentration, all thanks to that hour of quiet yet productive free time you earned by waking up early.

8. The time boost

When I started to wake up at 5:00 am every single day, the very first thing I noticed was that I had way more time. That’s why I call this the time boost.

Most of my friends wake up at 11 am or even later. That’s fine but it means that I have an extra 5-6 hour of the day before they even open their eyes.

Time means everything in the modern world and so those hours are extremely beneficial. Many notable CEOs have described the benefits of this time boost and all that it has done for their careers.

Steve Jobbs for example used to wake up at around 5:30-6: 00 am and used the extra time to get a head start at Apple.

So, if you start waking up at 5:00 am, you are going to experience the same exact kind of thing. The time boost is truly powerful.

9. Fitness consistency

Most people out there want to get fit. If you are a guy you probably want to get strong and lean. If you are a girl you probably want to get curves and still cut weight.

Of course, fitness goals do vary a lot but that’s what generally people want. Unfortunately, most people don’t accomplish their fitness goals.

Are you where you want to be? Are you as strong as you’d like to be or as lean as you’d like to be? For most people, the answer is NO. And, the reason is simple; it’s really hard to be consistent, with your fitness goals.

Going to the gym after a hard day at work or school is tough! Your motivation is drained, you’re tired and hungry. And, you would rather watch Netflix with your dog.

And that all makes sense but there is a simple cure that is going to help you accomplish every single fitness goal that you could possibly have. And, I am sure that you have already guessed it by now; wake up at 5:00 am!

When you wake up at 5:00 am the extra time boost gives you the flexibility to work out before you exhaust your brain at work or at school. It means that you can visit the gym first thing if you want.

It also means that you will have time to eat a healthy meal to make sure that your recovery is good enough too. So, if you want to get strong, lean and fit, the answer is pretty clear.

Watch this video about celebrities who use this formula

10. Creativity hours

Ask yourself a simple question. How do you normally spend your time after 10 pm? Are you working diligently at 100% capacity? No distraction? Probably not.

After 10 pm most people relax and spend their time hanging out with friends, drinking alcohol, playing video games or doing other amusing activities.

The truth is this: the late hours of the day are almost never spent productively; they are usually spent on things that don’t require much effort and lead to simple pleasures. But the opposite is true for the early hours. When you wake up at 5:00 am, your mind is fresh and your motivation tank is full. You have the energy to do creative, difficult and complex work. You can focus this time and energy on the things that really matter to you; your long-term goals, your dreams, and your ambitions. The things that you have always wanted to do but probably never have done.

I am here to tell you that the days of procrastination are over. Your late nights have limited your potential but no longer! Waking up at 5:00 am gives you creative hours not wasted hours.

11. The lone wolf

Distractions are everywhere: your phone, tv, sports, etc. These are all major distractions, and they are keeping you from accomplishing your goals. Nevertheless, you are not going to get rid of your tv and you’re not going to ignore a text from your friend; it’s just not human nature.

But let me ask you this, who is going to be texting you at 5:00 am and what’s going to be on the tv? The answers: no one and nothing.

You see, during the early hours of the morning, everyone else is asleep. No one is there to distract you. No one is going to knock at your door, call you, text you or email you.

Sports are not played that early because only a few people would watch. The world does not run at 5:00 am thus your distractions are going to be significantly minimized.

This will help you accomplish the things that you have always desired to do but never could. You are going to be a lone wolf, free to be productive, and powerful. Distractions are like a disease and early mornings are the cure.

Watch this video and see how it has worked and transformed the life of this guy

12. Habit construction

Creating habits can be very hard. The world was not designed for people to do the same thing at the same time, every single day. Maybe, you want to go for a run but you can’t find a specific time that works throughout the week. As a result, this makes you inconsistent and inconsistency is very bad when it comes to creating good habits. Waking up at 5:00 am is going to fix this too.

Since nothing else really happens at 5:00 am you are free to dedicate your time in a very direct way. For example, you could make the time from 5:30-6:30 for designated exercise period or you could make the time from 6:30-7:00 am your dedicated goal-setting time.

I personally like to tidy up my place, pray and read the bible, then get my laptop by 7:00 and start working will watching CBN until 8:00 am, but it is all up to you. And, that’s the beautiful thing; your schedule is consistently set by you and not by other people or by other responsibilities.

Also read: 10 Common Habits Of All Highly Successful People

13. The Money grind

I am sure that it is a common thing in the readers of this article that you all want to make money. Most readers who read materials on self-improvement are interested in such kind of thing. Well, lucky you! Because one of the best benefits of waking up at 5:00 am is giving you an opportunity to make lots and lots of money.

Let’s talk about the normal way that people earn their income in today’s world. In general, you are paid a wage or salary for putting in time at work; this applies to everyone from doctors to fast-food workers.

In essence, you are performing a trade with the person you work for; giving up your time in exchange for money. But am here to tell you that it does not have to be that way.

Creating a side income based on a different philosophy is one of the best life decisions that you can make. And, one day you could potentially even replace your job if you don’t like it. But what is this different philosophy?

Instead of trading your time for money I suggest creating a stream of income-based around a system that generates money automatically. And no, I am not talking about a scam. I am talking about entrepreneurship.

You see, in the modern world the internet has become one of the most powerful business tools on the planet, and there are tonnes of ways to legitimately generate income online.

In the spare time that you have each and every morning; you could learn to invest. You can start a website or a website or a blog. You could make a popular Instagram account or even a YouTube channel.

These are all examples of system-based incomes rather than wage-based incomes. Websites, YouTube channels and stocks all generate revenue while you sleep. And that is what makes them so powerful.

How to get up early in the morning at 5:00 am

Now that you’ve learned about the various benefits of waking up early every single day let us talk about how you are going to do that. Why? Because actually doing it is much different than just talking about it.

Actions speak louder than words. And when it comes to big life changes, actions speak way louder than words. When I describe the process of changing your sleep routine; I normally break it down into two parts.

The first part is what I call the one bad night. See, when most people try to change their sleep routine, they screw it up. They just try going to bed earlier, but this does not work on its own because your body is not used to that. You will end up falling asleep when you normally do because it’s too much of a big shift.

Instead try going to sleep at your regular time and waking up at 5:00 resulting in one bad night of sleep so for example if you normally go to bed at 1 am, do it again but this time wake up at 5:00 am. You are not going to sleep much and that is why I call the first step the one bad night.

As soon as you wake up, eat a large breakfast and make sure not to fall back asleep or to take any naps throughout the day. Doing either those things will again screw up your new sleep routine.

Since you didn’t get much sleep, you are going to run on adrenaline for most of the day. This is a chemical that keeps you alert in unusual situations but around 9 pm you are going to get really tired.

After all, if you went to sleep at 1 am you only got four hours of sleep. At this point, go to bed and make sure to again set your alarm for 5:00 am. As soon as you wake up, eat breakfast and enjoy your first real-time boost. And that wraps up step two.

It may take more than one bad night to completely change your sleep routine as it depends on your normal hours but trust me this is the fastest and most effective way to adjust your schedule.

You don’t have to sacrifice sleep on a consistent basis in order to wake up earlier. You only have to do that for only a few days utmost.

Being sure to eat your breakfast as soon as you wake up is also really important as your body associates your eating schedule with your sleep routine. This all leads to one final point.

Ultimately, you are going to have to make a choice. Which do you value more? A few late hours spent watching TV / Netflix, or your wildest dreams becoming a reality? It’s completely up to you.