Why waking up at 5 AM is important
"It is well to be up before daybreak, for such habits contribute to health,wealth and wisdom."~Aristotle
“Get up early! It is good for your health”. I am sure you have come across this advice multiple times either while talking to people or maybe on your Youtube recommendations. Everyone knows that waking up early is calming and increases productivity, but it’s easier said than done. You wake up at 5 AM and look out the window only to see a cloudy sky with little to no natural light and an eerie silence. You think of all possible excuses why this is not a good idea -“I’m not a morning person”, “my bed feels nice and warm”- and next thing you know you are fast asleep.
Let’s first look at why it actually helps to wake up early.
Why wake up at 5AM
1. It’s an opportunity to witness blissful solitude:
What many of us don’t realise is that waking up earlier than everyone else gives us an opportunity to spend valuable time on ourselves. You can spend time on yourself because your thoughts at this hour are clearer. This helps you to strategise and plan your day, to journal your thoughts and goals, and provides you with a peaceful start to the day. The “special” in you that usually remains suppressed during the day will have an outlet to come out and there’s nobody around to tell you better.
2. Helps tackle time management issues:
Waking up at 5 am can solve another common problem - the problem of time management or planning. When you wake up in a semi-sleep state and your thoughts are clearer, your brain sort of forces you to plan your day ahead which ensures smooth running of your day to day activities and “a normal person with a plan is far better than a genius without a plan”.
3. Helps finish the hard tasks:
Early mornings are most worth when they are utilized completing all the things you consider to be difficult. Since your mind is boosted and there is not much that can distract you, early mornings are used to tackle all of the problems you consider difficult. Our focus during the day cannot be compared to the amount of focus early in the morning. It is unbelievably high. This helps in higher productivity.
4. Beautiful start to the day:
Nobody likes waking up late, being late for work or school. Imagine a scenario where you wake up late and rush through your morning routine just to make it on time for work or school, only to find out that you’re exhausted. Well, waking up at 5 AM solves exactly this. Waking up early will ensure that there is no “rush” involved in your daily routine. Also completing the most important or difficult task of the day early on, keeps your mind and heart in high spirits and you look forward to the day with wonder waiting eyes.
5. Toning your body and honing your skills:
Working out in the morning is one of the best habits you can inculcate. Using your primal energy to hone your skills (a sport) or just working out for your health is a habit that will ensure peak performance and prime physical condition respectively.
Almost everyone in their lives would have attempted to make a plan to wake up early. But after experiencing the pain of trying to change a habit most people give up. But there are ways to make this process easier and slyly coax our minds into building a healthy habit.
How to wake up at 5 AM
1. Don’t rush the process:
Don’t go trying to get up at 5 AM the very next morning. Easing your way into the habit makes it easier to achieve. For example if you wake up at 7 AM, then start with waking up 15-30 minutes early first and then keep increasing your margin. Expect to fail in the start and don’t lose hope!
2. Keep away from gadgets before bed
I’m sure everyone has heard this at some point, “do not use electronic devices 30-60 minutes before going to bed”. This point still holds today. Studies have shown that such devices emit blue light which stops production of Melatonin and it will be harder to doze off. This is something that I have personally experienced.
3. Consumption of caffeine and late night meals:
This is a common point too. “Don’t consume caffeine and avoid eating your dinner late”. This also effects your sleep cycle especially when you’re first starting out. Basically, caffeine is a stimulant that makes us stay alert by blocking sleep inducing chemicals in the brain and increasing adrenaline. You do not need to be more alert before bedtime, let alone in the evenings, because most of the day’s activities are over and there is no requirement for additional stimulants.
Authored by Chiraag Katara, Student of St. Joseph's Boys' High School
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