BENEFITS OF WAKING UP EARLY....

ADVANTAGES OF SLEEPING:

Our bodies are designed to produce the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin after dark. The sleep-wake cycle in our body is regulated by our circadian rhythms, our body’s internal clock, which works with the light and darkness around us. When our retina perceives light, it signals the Suprachiasmatic Nucleus (our body’s biological master clock) to suppress melatonin production, causing wakefulness. We are naturally attuned to being more responsive and alert during morning hours and sluggish and sleepy at night.

Before you get into the habit of waking up early, you should know the benefits that come along with it. If you are already an early riser, you know what the mornings bring, apart from the beautiful sunrise. However, for those who are not early risers, here’s a list of the many advantages.

BENEFITS TO GETTING UP EARLY:

• Enhanced Organizing Skills=Your early morning hours tend to be the most productive time of day because you get uninterrupted time to yourself. You can accomplish any task faster when you don’t face distractions. You can use this peaceful and quiet time to plan your day ahead, allocating a certain time frame for each of your tasks. Mentally working out your day before you start it enhances your organizing skills, promoting productivity.

• Eat Healthy Foods=Waking up early gives you time to make a healthy breakfast. It doesn’t have to be anything elaborate, smoothies, salads, and fruit bowls only require a few minutes to prepare. Early risers have this time to prepare a simple and healthy breakfast for themselves and their family. If you wake up late, chances are you’ll be late for everything else, creating a domino effect.  When you’re running late, you’ll oftentimes pick up an easy-to-eat breakfast like a doughnut or muffin, or skip breakfast altogether.

• Exercise Regularly=Exercising in the morning is considered best because it gives you an adrenaline boost. Adrenaline enhances alertness, helping you overcome the sleepy feeling. Moreover, if you’re on a morning exercise schedule there are fewer chances of missing it due to some other important task eating into its time. For example, if you exercise in the evening there are higher chances of missing it due to extra hours at work, a get-together with friends, or sheer exhaustion.

• Stay Stress-free=Waking up early gives you the leisure to plan your day ahead. You aren’t rushing through your day in a haze with a cluttered mind. Planning ahead eliminates the stress that comes with rushing to get things done. Moreover, when you wake up early, you have more time for some stress-busting leisure activities, helping you start your day with a calm and composed mind. You are better equipped to prioritize and solve problems, the key to remaining stress-free throughout the day.

• Feel Happier=When you wake up early, you reap the benefits of many good habits, leading to an energetic, well-rested, stress-free, punctual, and healthy you. You get a sense of order in life, making you feel happier. In fact, according to a 2012 National Library of Medicine study, healthy adults who woke up early had a more positive state of mind than night owls.

Sleep Needs By Age:

Age	Sleep Hours
0 to 3 months	14 to 17 hours
4 to 11 months	12 to 15 hours
1 to 2 years	11 to 14 hours
3 to 5 years	10 to 13 hours
6 to 13 years	9 to 11 hours
14 to 17 years	8 to 10 hours
18 to 64 years	7 to 9 hours
65 years+	7 to 8 hours

HOW TO WAKE UP EARLY:

Now you know why  “early to bed and early to rise can make a man healthy, wealthy and wise.” With this knowledge, you may be drawn to the idea of making your day more productive. It may take you anywhere between 30 to 60 days to get accustomed to the habit of waking up early.

• Start Gradually=Set realistic expectations and don’t start with an unnatural hour while waking up early. It’s best to push the time gradually. For example, if you are used to waking up at 7 am, start by setting the alarm for 6:45 am. Once your body gets adjusted to this change, you can push it further by another 15 minutes. Going step by step will help your body better adapt to the change. When you wake up 15 minutes earlier than your usual time, you won’t resent the idea and give it up altogether feeling sleep-deprived.

• Keep the Alarm Clock Away From the Bed=Keeping the alarm clock away from the bed decreases your chances of hitting the snooze button. Instead of keeping the clock on your bedside table, you can keep it on a shelf or a table on the other side of the room. When the alarm rings, you’ll have to walk up to it to turn it off. Taking those few steps to your alarm may help you shake yourself out of slumber.

• Get Out of the Bedroom As Soon As You Wake Up=Your brain is conditioned to feel sleepy in the bedroom. Stepping out of the bedroom as soon as you wake up discourages you from going back to sleep again. Many night owls, while trying to become early risers, give in to the temptation of going back to bed when they spend time in the bedroom.

• Stay Away From Blue Lights=Blue lights from the television or your electronic devices can suppress melatonin production. Insufficient or delayed production of this sleep-inducing hormone may negatively affect your sleep quality. To be consistent about waking up early, you need to sleep early. Staying away from blue lights at least an hour before bedtime helps you achieve the goal of sleeping early. This practice also prevents you from scrolling through your phone, tablet, or binge-watching your favorite series. All these activities may further stimulate your brain, delaying sleep.

• Eliminate Excuses for Sleeping In: When you’re in the process of training yourself to wake up early, you may feel like sleeping in on a rainy or cold day. Try to avoid giving in to such excuses, because once you give in, it’ll be difficult to break out of the habit and you’ll have to retrain yourself all over again.