Benefits Of Waking Up Early
Not a morning person? You probably will be by the end of this page. There are just so many benefits to waking up early.
Some of them physical.
Some of them mental.
Some of them are just going to give you a bit more time to get things done.
Sure, we all love to stay in bed a little bit extra on occasion, but if you are doing it all the time, then there is a chance that you are completely messing up your life.
It is worth noting that a lot of the benefits I discuss on this page are not just about waking up early. It is the waking up early that gives you a little kick in the right direction.
For example; you have most likely heard of how some of the most successful people in the world start their day at 5am or something crazy like that.
It doesn’t mean that if you wake up at 5am you are magically going to become a billionaire. You still need to have the drive (I am sure you knew that though, right?).
#1 Basis For Everything - Better Mental Health
There are a couple of things I want to discuss with you here.
Study after study has indicated that people who wake up early in the morning are far, far more likely to have better mental health than those who curl up in bed and give it a couple of hours to start the day.
Part of this is down to the fact that people who wake up early are more likely to go to bed early (I am going to discuss that part in a short while). This means that they have a set routine.
Studies have shown that the fewer hours of sleep you get per evening, or if you do not have a set routine when it comes to sleeping, the more likely you are to suffer from depression and conditions similar to that.
Other studies have indicated that those who wake up earlier are more likely to have a positive outlook on life. They are, essentially, more optimistic about the future.
That may be related to the fact that waking up earlier in the morning just gives you more time to plan your day. When you wake up late, the first emotions of your day are related to rushing and being late…maybe doesn’t sound like a good start, huh?
Just to play on the other side of things, briefly. It turns out that the people who tend to have later nights are a lot more creative. So, you may want to weigh up whether creativity or better mental health is better for you. #2 Healthy Food, Healthy You
It is no secret that if you wake up late, you are much more likely to skip breakfast. I am sure that you probably already know that if you skip breakfast, you are more likely to overindulge yourself when lunch time comes around.
After all, by the time lunch comes around, you will not have eaten for about 12 hours (at least).
Honestly, one of the best ways that you can start to lose weight is to actually wake up earlier and prepare yourself a decent breakfast.
A healthy start will also help you to resist any temptation to eat junk food later on as well as you’re already ‘on track’.
Once you start getting into the swing of things, and if you do a little bit of exercise for good measure, the weight is going to fall right off. #3 More Exercise, Happy You
The next benefit is going to require a little bit of work on your part.
If you wake up earlier, you have a bit more time to exercise in the morning.
Now, I know that you are probably thinking here “but won’t that make me tired?”. It is true. The first few times you exercise in the morning, it is going to make you feel somewhat lethargic.
However, once you start getting into the swing of things and realize that it is your life now, the lethargy will start to disappear.
So, why should you exercise in the mornings? Well, for starters, it means that you are going to get it out of the way and that means you have a lot more free time when you have finished work to enjoy yourself.
And you know what else? Exercise helps to release those amazing ‘feel good’ hormones into your body which is going to give you a proper good start to the day. You are going to be riding that endorphin high for the rest of the day. Starting tomorrow?! #4 Fix Your Daily Routine
One thing that I see which causes so much aggravation is when people tell me that it is fine that they are getting little sleep during the week.
They feel that they can just catch up on all that missed sleeping when the weekend rolls around. That is not the case. In fact, it is probably one of the worst ideas you can have.
You see, the body absolutely thrives on routine. Your body wants to know when it should be eating. Your body wants to know when it should be sleeping. Your body wants to know when it should be focusing.
People who wake up early tend to have a fantastic sleep routine. They always fall asleep at the same time each day (quite early, in some cases) and they always wake up at the same time each day.
Your body clock is going to be in sync.
However, people who do not wake up early tend to have a schedule that is completely messed up. They probably fall asleep at different times each day.
This means that their body clock is not going to work. It won’t know when it needs to eat. You will get lethargic at different times each day.
Basically, this means that you will eat more, or feel tired when you are meant to be at your peak. It is not a pleasurable experience. Trust me on that. #5 Unleash Your Productivity
Want to know why many of the most successful people in business tend to wake up early? It is because productivity is boosted in the morning.
Remember; when you wake up, you will be fresh off a good rest for your brain. This means that it is ready and raring to tackle the day ahead.
As you go throughout the day, your brain is going to get more and more tired. So, the closer you get to working as soon as you wake up (or whatever jobs you need to deal with), the more focused you are going to be.
Of course, you may be thinking “couldn’t I get this if I stayed in bed and woke up and done whatever I need to right away” and the answer is that you obviously can BUT you must remember that there will be more things that distract you the later you are in the day.
Let’s say, for example, you work from home and you wake up early. If you work from home, you can crack on with work right away.
The later in the day it is, the more emails you are going to have coming in. The more phone calls you are going to need to take.
This means that you will, eventually, end up spending a whole lot more time doing random little tasks than making actual headway with the work that you are carrying out.
Ultimately, this means that you are going to be working a lot more hours. #6 Get Better Grades (Or Nail That Promotion!)
Studies have shown that those who wake up earlier tend to be ‘smarter’. Well, more that they are able to process and store information a little bit better.
So, if you are at college and want to get the biggest bang for your buck for your tuition fees, then it is probably best that you put those late nights on hold…at least for a little while. Your grades are going to thank you.
People who work are probably going to benefit too. Studies have shown that those who wake up earlier than others tend to be better at planning.
This means that you may be able to nail yourself that big promotion that you have been angling for! #7 Enjoy The (Quiet) Morning Vibes
Not really a ‘health’ benefit this one. Well, unless you consider it stress related.
Imagine being able to go into work an hour earlier. Giving rush hour a skip. Think how empty those trains and the roads will be. It will be pure heaven.
If you are going out for a run in the morning, then you don’t need to worry too much about other joggers on the road. You do not need to worry too much about dog walkers getting in your way. It is absolutely amazing. To sum it up... Wake Up Early!
Of course, as I said at the start, getting up early is not going to be enough. For everything, except perhaps enjoying a bit of quietness, you are going to need to be a bit more proactive in your approach.
However, I promise you, doing all of that is going to be dreadfully simple once you start getting into the swing of things.
You won’t even realize you are doing it. It really is going to become the new normal for you.
Plus, you need to do something to fill up all of the free time that you now have in your life, right? 
Article by:
Daniel DeMoss
I’m a personal trainer based in Denver (Matrix Gym) and a true fitness nerd. If I’m not training clients or working out at my home gym, I’m probably skiing, cycling or hiking with my dog Rufus.
Get in touch: daniel@dumbbellsreview.com