Most of the time now my day starts at 5am or 4:45. Now, for many years I woke up at 4:30 to teach a 5:30 class. After I had my brain scare, I stopped doing that. This isn’t the blog for rehashing my old schedule — but let’s just say I used to operate on (if I was lucky) 4 hours of sleep a night. Not because I couldn’t sleep, but, rather, I just didn’t feel it was productive to get more sleep than that. Oh, how I’ve been schooled.
The bottom line for me, though, is… I love waking up early! That said, after reality set in that I was living a dangerous life of sleep deprivation, I had a crazy hard time going to bed at an hour that would warrant a 5am wake up time.
I had to make a decision based on the amount of hours of sleep I need to feel my best at. For me, that magic number is seven.
It took me about four years — I know that seems ridiculous, but I’m just being honest — to get myself in the habit of going to bed early enough to justify my beloved 5am wakeup.
But why do I love getting up at 5am or, sometimes, in the 4 o’clock hour (and why, with the right amount of sleep, should you consider it, too)?
Caveat: The following reasons will not apply to everyone, like shift workers and new parents.
Reason #1 to get up at 5am: Your energy and productivity are better.
Go ahead and read bios for the majority of successful people throughout history and you’ll find that, generally, they were / are early risers. That’s because you have more time to concentrate (no interruptions!) on key projects while the rest of humanity is still in Dream Land.
Not to mention, science proves our brains are sharpest mid to late morning. Imagine the head start you would have on the world if YOUR mid to late morning began around 8am. The leg up you would have is immeasurable.
Also, it’s noted that most of us make wiser decisions and think more lucidly in the AM vs the PM. Because of which, when you set your goals for 1st thing in the morning, you have a higher likelihood of achieving them.
While it may seem to fly in the face of common sense, one can’t deny the countless testimonials that validate how much more energy those who get up early have in comparison to those who don’t.
Reason #2 to Get Up at 5am: Quiet time.
With no distractions, it’s amazing just how you’re able to fill your soul with things that matter to you. Personally, I love listening to an audio book or podcast (I pick out the night before) and listen as I’m getting dressed, feeding the dogs, putting on makeup, etc. It’s my ME time and there’s nothing better.
Reason #3 to get up at 5am: Quality of sleep.
Holding onto a consistent sleep routine is crucial for your circadian rhythm (i.e., internal clock) to operate in your favor. Many people use the weekends, for example, as a time to stay out late and get up late. However, this makes it ridiculously hard for your body to ever fully recover from, let alone adjust to.
Does this fact answer why Mondays are stupid hard for people?
Okay… we’ve just barely scratched the surface here! For much more on this subject, like:
- How I eventually trained myself to go to bed early
- What my gym routine consists of today
- What’s on my general to-do list and how it differs by day
- How I keep my mornings only about growth
- How my husband honors my need to be alone
- What my evenings look like
- How I plan for the morning the night before
- What I do if I don’t get enough sleep
- How the latter part of my week differs from the beginning
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