Waking Up EARLY at the SAME TIME EVERY DAY – Know the Benefits

DOES THE EARLY BIRD CATCH THE WORM EVERY DAY?

Take a look at the list of successful people below. Do you know what they all have in common, besides being rich, famous, having brilliant minds and large bank accounts? They all wake up EARLY at the same time every day and follow a morning routine.

1. Square and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey wakes up at 5:30 a.m. to go for a six-mile run (almost 10 km) and meditate.
2. Former Disney CEO Bob Iger gets up at 4:30 a.m. every day to either ride a bicycle, lift weights, or use aerobic equipment for exercise.
3. American entrepreneur Martha Stewart, a well-known short sleeper (only four hours a night), gets to work hours before her crew arrives around 6:30 a.m. to cook and prepare breakfast for her pets which include donkeys, horses, and over 200 chickens.
4. Making the Cut and Project Runway co-host and fashion icon Tim Gunn begins his day at 5:30 a.m. reading the newspaper with an espresso.
5. Brad Feld, a venture capitalist at Foundry Group, wakes up before sunrise and does a simple ritual. He and his wife, together with their dogs, watch daybreak while drinking coffee and having a conversation. They call the ritual “four minutes in the morning”.
6. Tony Robbins, the world’s most famous business and life coach, wakes up between 7 to 9 a.m. (he’s another short sleeper with only three to five hours of sleep) to consume a specially formulated drink he calls adrenal support cocktail. Also included in his morning routine is exercise, meditation, and sauna cold plunge combo.
7. Steve Jobs, who is synonymous with Apple, woke up at 6 a.m. and always wore the same outfit daily – an Issey Miyaki black mock turtleneck and blue jeans. Part of his routine was looking at the mirror daily and asking himself, "If today was the last day of my life, would I be happy with what I'm about to do today?"
8. Tim Cook, Apple’s current CEO, wakes up at 4 a.m. and hits the gym around 5 a.m. He claims to be the first one at the office and the last one to go.
9. Richard Branson, Virgin Group founder and chairman, wakes up as the sun rises around 5:45 a.m., exercises, and eats a balanced breakfast before heading out to work.

So, let's look at how waking up early at the same time every day could benefit you.

WAKING UP EARLY THE SAME TIME EVERY DAY…

1. … reinforces your circadian rhythm. Circadian rhythms are biological cycles in your body that roughly fluctuate over a 24-hour time frame. When your lifestyle and circadian rhythms don’t match, you increase your risk of developing various diseases according to research studies on circadian biology. If they coincide with each other, your body feels energised and ready for the day.
2. … promotes better digestion. When your body is well-rested and follows a consistent schedule, your brain and digestive enzymes function optimally, triggering hunger and facilitating digestion on time. Regular timing of your meals can positively affect your cholesterol levels, insulin levels, and weight according to a research study published in the Journal of Proceedings of the Nutrition Society in 2016. Waking up early at the same time every day also supports your digestive system and biological clock, leading to better bowel movements. Better bowel movement affects your mood significantly and who doesn’t want a better mood in the morning?
3. … strengthens your immunity. Embracing a habit of waking up early at the same time every day produces a routine that leads to better sleep. It is during sleep that our immune system goes to work by producing cytokines and immune cells needed for an immune response towards infections.


4. … improves concentration and increases productivity. Some people are thrilled about having more productive hours in the day. Getting up early at the same time every day could be your key to increase your productivity. Since there are no distractions or interruptions at this time, you have more time to plan and orient your goals and tasks to be accomplished for the day. In return, you spend more time concentrating on the work at hand.
5. … fights sleep inertia. Do you experience significant sleep inertia? It’s that feeling of grogginess and impaired performance after waking up in the morning. It can last anywhere from 15 to 60 minutes. Most people experience sleep inertia only for a short period, while for others it can be prolonged. Waking up early at the same time every day gives you more time to adjust and jump-start your mental functions. Of course, you still have to sleep early to wake up early.
6. … wards off social jet lag. Are you one of those people who catch up on their sleep during the weekends? Then you also know that it leads to staying up later and creates a vicious cycle that can be likened to travel-induced jet lag. Social jet lag is a term coined by Till Roennenberg, a German researcher. It’s the discrepancy in your sleep pattern between the weekday and the weekend that makes a person feel jet-lagged or tired. So, stop with the catching up on sleep and stick to a strict wake-up time even on weekends.
7. … puts you in a better position for a successful career because you become more proactive. According to Christopher Randler, a German biologist from the University of Education in Heidelberg, early risers, or morning people tend to anticipate problems and find solutions to them. They become proactive. This is based on a survey done on 367 university students. Additionally, proactivity is associated with higher job performance, more successful careers, and better pay. Another study also found that people who wake up early tend to procrastinate less.

Now that you’re awake, make that extra hour or two (or three?) useful, productive, and focused by incorporating some or all of the following into your morning ritual or routine:

1. Meditate. You don’t require a full hour in a painful abnormal position. Five to 10 minutes of meditation in an easy yoga position can give you the same benefits.



2. Write a gratitude list every day. According to researchers from the University of California, Davis, and the University of Miami, people who write down what they’re grateful for every day felt better, were more optimistic, had fewer clinic visits, and exercised more.
3. Just get moving (another way to say exercise).



4. Feed your mind. Include reading a book for 15-30 minutes, and since you have already reserved some time for self-improvement, also consider enrolling in an online class.


5. Think about your goals in life through visualisation and affirmation.


6. Jot down a to-do list for the day to create more focus.

The best morning rituals or routines are ones that are perfectly tailored for you. The ones mentioned above are some of the more common ones. It’s your job to concoct the perfect mix of individual activities, creating the ideal early wake up routine for you.

TIPS ON HOW TO EASE YOUR WAY INTO WAKING UP EARLY AT THE SAME TIME EVERY DAY:

1. Set your alarm clock (or mobile phone) to the time you want to wake up every day.
2. Work your way up gradually. If you usually wake up at 9am and have convinced yourself that the following day you will get up at 5am, you’re probably setting yourself up for failure and disappointment.
3. Go to sleep earlier than normal.
4. Make the bed.
5. Jolt your way to consciousness by drinking coffee (or alternatives), eating a healthy breakfast, or taking a cold shower.
6. Researchers from RMIT (Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology) have found that melodic alarms improve your alertness levels far better than harsh tones.
7. Waking up early at the same time every day is NOT a one-size-fits-all way to be successful. It all depends on the type of person you are, whether you’re a morning or an evening person.
8. Now that you’ve turned off the alarm, get up and step away from your bedroom.
9. Don’t forget your family. Involving a family member can tremendously motivate you to get up early, even more, if that family member wakes up with you.

Waking up early at the same time every day serves as your daily anchor. It grounds you and starts your day in a more relaxed, calm, and determined mindset to get things done. It’s time to be loyal to only one button in your life, the stop button on your alarm clock. Goodbye snooze button.