Early Risers…Is waking early better for you?

I’m an early riser; 4:00am during the week. People are always commenting on my early rise; most of the time it is to say, “I don’t know how you do it.”

I wasn’t always an early riser, in fact early on into my early morning routine I really struggled, I didn’t function well at all. These days though, I am loving the early morning starts…Most of the time!

Now if we listen to the experts, being successful depends on waking early. It makes you more productive, you’ll be healthier, happier and have loads more energy. You’ll feel like you’re winning the morning and have more control over your life. It must be great, loads of the biggest celebrities and CEO’s absolutely swear by it.

The question is, is it actually a benefit to wake early?

The reactive response from my point of view would be yes, without any hesitation. For me waking early means a much more productive day. By the time most people are rolling out of bed at 7:00am, I have already completed 3 hours of highly productive work. By 7:00am I have exercised, read, journaled, and completed a number of coaching sessions. It is my daily process, and for it, I feel like I have won the morning. My morning has been productive, and getting up at 4:00am instead of 7:00am adds an extra 3 hours a day, 15 hours a week, 450 hours a month, and 5400 hours per year. That is a load of extra time to yourself.

When is rising early beneficial?

If we look at what is needed to be fit and healthy, you’ll find the following things:

-Exercise

-Good Nutrition

-Sleep

-Mindset

The key component to benefit from rising early is an early bed time the previous night. Without adequate sleep the early rise may become a problem. Whilst the topic of sleep is another article in itself, without 7-9 hours of sleep a night the benefits of an early rise will be hindered, the early sleep deprived riser will in fact end up with a hormone imbalance, their judgement and decision making may be impacted, stronger food cravings present, and they’ll feel tired and lethargic during the day.

If you are going to wake early then sleep is imperative. An early night is beneficial in itself; most people waste their evening in front of a TV, the hours gained by rising early are hours lost in front of the box for most who are late night owls.

What do the experts say?

I am a supporter of the early morning; if I sleep in, I feel that the day has not been properly utilised. I am an early riser activist.

And I am not the only one… As previously mentioned, many successful celebrities, entrepreneurs, and leaders swear by it, and so do many of the experts.

The most common listed benefits for the early riser from studies are:

-Positive Outlook

-More Energy

-Body System Reboot

-More Time to Exercise

-Become more Organised

-Healthier Eating

-More Productive

-Helps your Skin Look Healthy

This list makes a strong case for being an early riser… Oh, and they tend to be early settlers in the evening. If the sleep is there then the benefits are immense. Becoming an early riser does take time to adjust. Once adjusted though, you’ll appreciate the habit; a habit that can lead to many more positive and productive habits in your life