9 Non-Obvious Reasons Why Waking Up Early Is A Great Idea
Image: Shutterstock
“Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise” is not an idiom that exists in vain. Even if you hate waking up early and can’t fathom how it might help you when early mornings leave you cranky, the benefits of being an early riser still pretty much exist! And some of them are not even that obvious, to be honest. But nonetheless, we’re sure they are enough to convince you to quit your habit of sleeping in late!
Here are 9 unobvious reasons why you should always strive to wake up early:
1. You Get Plenty Of Time To Be Completely Awake
How many times have you woken up late and rushed to complete all your morning rituals so you can reach work on time? It’s an uncountable number, we’re sure! Yes, you drink coffee and take a cold shower to knock yourself out of the sleepy state, but that’s hardly enough. And that’s because of sleep inertia, which stays with you for 2-4 hours after you wake up (1), (2). At this time, your functions of memory, attention, and reaction don’t work well enough and need some time to do so.
2. Your Sleep Quality Will Improve
Research has shown that waking up early has a positive impact on the quality of your sleep (3). In fact, studies also reveal that late risers are more likely to suffer from sleep disorders as compared to those who wake up on time (4). Moreover, the bodies of late risers don’t really get good sleep even if they stay in bed for a longer period of time than people who wake up early (5)!
3. Waking Up Won’t Be Such A Terrifying Ordeal
Hitting the snooze button on the alarm every 10 minutes or so can make anyone hate the thought of getting out of bed and jumpstarting the day. However, if you train yourself to get up and about as soon as you hear your alarm ring for the first time, you won’t dread it so much anymore. Don’t fool yourself into thinking that snoozing your alarm gives you more time to sleep. It only upsets your sleep schedule and deprives you of much-needed rest. Which obviously leads to the very perceptible grogginess and crankiness!
4. You’ll Become Fitter Than Before
Snoozing the alarm clock is not just bad for your sleep cycle, it’s bad for your fitness too! A disturbed sleep cycle can significantly slow down your metabolism, which further leads to weight gain and even obesity (6). If you need a little motivation to wake up early, use the alarm snooze time to actually work out than stay in bed.
5. You Don’t Procrastinate As Much Anymore
Studies have conclusively established that people who procrastinate a lot postpone doing their essential tasks and chores to the evening (7). This makes them feel like they have less time, which also delays sleeping. However, people who wake up early get everything done on time and are hence, able to use nighttime only for sleeping. So, wake up early and most of your work will be done by noon!
6. You’ll Be Motivated To Do More
Early risers are always motivated to do more, to accomplish more. Even if what they intend to do seems impossible! And research backs that up. According to one particular study, when you wake up early, you have plenty of time left to get ready to leave the house, plan out your day, think of your long-term goals, and comprehend better the tasks you have been assigned (8).
7. Learning Seems Much Easier
We can all agree that learning something new is much harder on a tired, sleepy mind. However, if you’re energized and awake, it becomes easier. Studies have proven this too, stating that early risers perform better when studying (9). That’s because they reach school right on time and are not distracted by worries, allowing them to focus on what’s being taught.
8. You Get To Inculcate New Good Habits
The link between waking up late and having bad habits is a strong one, according to a recent study (10). So, if you’ve been trying to shirk off some of your bad habits but weren’t able to do so, you might want to start with waking up early. Rising sooner than before won’t give you the scope to indulge in wild nights and temptations, and will force you to lead a healthier lifestyle.
9. You’ll Become A Happier Person
Happiness is truly free! Your overall happiness levels and psychological state are dependent on the time at which you start your day (11). Studies have proven that early risers are very emotionally stable, while those who keep up late at night generally suffer from mood swings and are likely to get depressed quite often (12), (13).
Being healthy and happy is absolutely crucial! So, if that’s your aim, it’s time to start waking up early.
