How to wake up early

12 Ways to Smoothly Start Waking Up Earlier

The point is to really get out of bed and get going. If you’re just pounding the snooze button earlier, don’t bother..

You’ve likely read the studies saying that those who wake up earlier are more successful. You may even have set the goal to adjust your wake-up time, sure that an extra hour or two at the start of the day is all you need. But deciding to wake up early and actually following through are two different things. If you’d like to test out the theory that an early start is the key to success, here are a few tips to help you get started.

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Set an alarm.

The first key to waking up earlier is forcing yourself to take those first steps. Don’t overthink it. Simply set your alarm for the time you want to wake up each day and force yourself away from the snooze button. If a traditional alarm is too abrupt, a gradual wake-up light alarm may be a more palatable option.

Move up gradually.

Unless there’s a specific reason, you don’t have to move your wake time up a full hour overnight. Instead try waking up 15 minutes earlier every day until your body grows accustomed to the change.

Ask a friend to keep you honest.

It’s one thing to vow to yourself you’re going to start a new healthy habit. It’s quite another to make a commitment to someone else to do so. Accountability partners are a great way to hold yourself to a new commitment, including waking up earlier each day.

Make your bed.

There are a variety of reasons you should make your bed each morning, but one is that it reduces the temptation to climb back in. Instead of eyeing your warm, unkempt bed longingly, you’ll subconsciously resist, knowing that going back to bed means undoing your hard work (and having to do it again later).

Rely on caffeine.

No matter what health experts say, some people simply can’t get started without a hefty dose of caffeine. Set yourself up for success in advance, using your coffeemaker’s alarm to ensure you’ll have a pot of coffee ready when you stumble into the kitchen. For the many people who just can’t do caffeine, try alternatives.

Take a cold shower.

A warm shower is usually the first thing on the agenda for people trying to wake up early. However, warm water can make you sleepier. One tip that can help you wake up is to give yourself a blast of cold water for 30 seconds, switching to extremely hot for another 30 before going back to cold. Some people even forego the hot water completely and do a cold shower instead. Either way, if you inject cold into the shower routine, you’re going to wake yourself up very effectively.

Eat a healthy breakfast.

Coffee isn’t the only tool you can use to jolt your brain to alertness. Oatmeal, leafy greens, and even water will help you feel more alert in those early morning hours. Also, apples are known by some to be «nature’s caffeine.» They actually have no caffeine, but the fiber and natural sugar can help wake you up (plus they keep the doctor away).

Start with a workout.

Whether you take a run around the block, head straight to the gym, or just do some jumping jacks in your bedroom, a workout is the very thing you need to get your blood pumping. Walking is my favorite form of morning exercise because it’s an effective way to shake the cobwebs.

Listen to music.

Science has proven that music has a direct impact on the body. Feel free to put in your earbuds and blast your favorite music. Or invest in a shower radio that will help you multitask.

Go to bed earlier.

If you hope to wake up early and have a productive day, you’ll need to get plenty of sleep. That means going to bed early, even if you’re typically a night owl. Avoid electronic devices in the evening hours and gradually move your bedtime up until you’re getting the recommended eight hours of sleep.

Just say no to the snooze button.

You may think the snooze button gives you a few extra minutes, but it actually causes more harm than you realize. Force yourself to put both feet on the floor and stand after the first alarm.

Keep the same schedule on weekends.

Your natural inclination will likely be to sleep in on Saturdays and Sundays. This actually disrupts your body’s natural rhythms, which can possibly put your health at risk. For best results, keep that wake-up time the same no matter which day of the week it is.

An earlier wake-up time can kick off your day in the right way, helping you get more accomplished and feel better throughout the day. Don’t feel pressured to shift your wake-up time by hours overnight. Instead, make an effort to move your wake-up time forward gradually, letting your body get used to a new schedule.

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How to Wake Up Early Every Day Without Feeling Tired

Waking up early and getting enough sleep seems like an impossible task. Find easy tips and ideas here on how to wake up early.

The old proverb says: “Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.”

But learning how to wake up early and feel rejuvenated is quite a challenge for most.

It seems that many great men from the past took this proverb seriously.

Benjamin Franklin and Theodore Roosevelt would wake up very early in the morning to plan their activities. Ernest Hemingway claimed that he did his best writing early in the morning. But, no matter how bad some people want to have more productive mornings, they simply do not know how to wake up early in the morning.

Waking up early and getting enough sleep seems like an impossible task these days. But if you’re yearning to become an early bird, we have a few tricks in store.

Here are some ideas to get you started.

How Do I Wake Up Early Without Being Tired?

People tend to keep their alarm far from their beds so that they’re forced to get out of bed once it goes off.

But if you are trying to learn how to get up early easily and feel positive, this may not be an effective strategy.

If you want to wake up early and enjoy your morning without being tired, you don’t need this type of stress.

Instead, set up two alarms; one to wake you up and the other as a reminder to get out of bed, in case you fall asleep. Set the first alarm 5 or 10 minutes before you actually need to get up.

Then, after your first alarm goes off, spend some time in bed stretching, taking long, refreshing breaths, and conjuring up a few reasons to be grateful.

When you’re ready, sit up in bed and let your feet touch the floor.

How can I wake up easier in the morning?

Have you ever woken up a few minutes before the alarm? You likely felt well-rested, more alert, and in a much better mood.

We all have our own circadian rhythm. It’s what makes us feel alert in the morning and sleepy in the evening. And the circadian rhythm is what can help us wake up easier in the morning.

When we allow this rhythm to wake us up naturally, we will feel alert, relaxed, and ready to start the day. But for too many of us, our alarms interrupt our natural circadian rhythms.

The solution? Try a sleep app designed to monitor your circadian rhythm as you sleep.

You simply tell your app when you need to wake up in the morning, and it will pick a time within a designated window that is the most optimal time for you to wake.

3 Ways to Wake Up Feeling Refreshed

1. Get enough sleep

According to research, an average adult needs 7 to 9 hours of sleep.

While we sleep, we go through five stages of a sleep cycle. The first stage is light sleep, followed by a stage that prepares us for deep sleep. Then comes the stage of deep sleep, and it continues to the fourth stage. After these four stages, comes the REM stage.

Sleep cycles last for about 90 minutes and it is recommended to get five sleep cycles each night (7.5 hours).

If you have to go to bed very late, then it is recommended that you ensure at least three sleep cycles or 4.5 hours of sleep.

2. Be consistent

Once you’re getting enough sleep, you need to focus on consistency.

The human body loves consistency. Both your body and your mind will be grateful if you go to bed and wake up every day at the same time. By doing so, hormones and chemicals that our organs release will get used to a regular pattern.

And when you change that pattern, it takes time for your body to adapt. This is the reason why people suffer from jet lag after they change time zones and completely disrupt the pattern organs were used to.

Every time you change your sleep pattern, your body will suffer from something that resembles a micro jet lag. You will have a much harder time waking up, you will feel groggy, and you definitely won’t perform your daily tasks as well as you could.

3. Make sure you relax at night

After you’ve decided to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, ask yourself the following question:

“What do you do before you go to bed?”

Many people tend to collapse into bed immediately after they come home late from work or from a night out on the town.

This is not healthy for the body or mind.

What you should do instead is devote an hour every night to proper sleep hygiene.

Read a book, take a bath, or listen to some music. And at all costs, stay away from screens. The blue light from mobile devices, computers, tablets, and TVs disrupts the production of melatonin in the brain – the sleep chemical that helps you drift off to dreamland.

How Do You Go to Sleep Late and Wake Up Early?

It’s not always possible to get a full 8 hours if you’re used to going to sleep late. And this can become a regular habit on weekends.

But one of the great tips for waking up early is to do it on the weekends as well.

We use our weekends as our time off, so it may seem pointless to wake up early. But, by sleeping in, you will disrupt your consistent routine.

Use the extra time you get by waking up early during weekends to do something fun. Sign up for some morning class, go out and grab coffee with your friend, or, if you want to improve your health, go jogging.

Make sure that you actually plan your leisure activities.

If you don’t, then you probably won’t have a good enough reason to wake up.

Learning to wake up early at the top of your game is as simple as sticking to good sleep hygiene, setting a consistent sleep schedule, and doing your best to wake up at the ideal time in your circadian rhythm.

Once you get these strategies working for you, you’ll be amazed by how easy it is to wake up feeling refreshed and ready to start the day.

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Matt Coates

Matt is a copywriter for Mindvalley. As a professional word putterer, he can be found constantly squeezing his creative juices to concoct personal growth narratives to transport people to a place where great potential knows no bounds. He is also on a quest to be seriously funny.

Why and How to Wake up Early? (Great Advice from Successful People)

If you’re happy about being a night owl, and it works well for you, then there’s no reason to change.

However, if you want to switch your body clock from being a creature of the night into becoming a morning person, then you have come to the right place!

Here are practical ways on how you can switch your daily routine—as well as your environment—for you to be able to wake up early, according to experts:

Chief Habit Scientist | Coach | Author

It sets the stage for a productive day

Why wake up early? Well, here are a few major reasons:

Getting up early sets the stage for a productive day. The most successful people in the world wake up around dawn and start with self-care, filling their energetic cup with activities such as meditation, journaling, and exercising, rather than reacting to the external world. Willpower is like a muscle that fatigues, so doing these vital, self-care activities early is also really important.

The pre-dawn hours, according to Ayurveda (the science of life – which is focused on healthy self-care routines) defines these Vata (air & space) dosha hours as expansive and creative, which is why meditation, prayer, and creative endeavors are great to pursue at this time. When I am writing my books, I always write pre-dawn.

A recent study showed that one hour of sleep during the 10pm-2am window is equivalent to 2 hours at any other time of the day or night. It’s when the body heals and the mind is renewed.

How to wake up early? The day starts the night before. So, it’s vital to lay the groundwork.

Examples of how to do that include:

David Gdaniec

CIO & Co-Founder, Brand Alignment

Waking up early is a common theme found amongst some of the most successful people in history. Benjamin Franklin, Tim Cook, Nelson Mandela, Andrea Jung, Mahatma Gandhi and even Thomas Edison are all documented early risers. And many of them attribute much of their success to this very fact.

The reasons for waking up early are as abundant as the number of successful individuals who participate in the practice.

More time to get things done

First and foremost, being up bright and early allows you more time to get things done before the rest of the world begins to distract you. Many people, including myself, use this extra time to meditate, eat a nutritious breakfast, and even get a nice workout in hours before most others have even woken up. I also take some time each morning to set my intentions and goals for the day.

This practice helps me to be more productive and gives me a structured plan of attack. Increased productivity is arguably one of the most valuable benefits of an early start to the day.

Creates a much more consistent sleep schedule

Another frequently overlooked benefit of waking up early is that of being more rested. Although it may seem counterintuitive that waking up earlier will make you feel less tired, it is based on the idea that to consistently rise earlier you regularly go to bed at a reasonable time. In turn, this creates a much more consistent sleep schedule resulting in a more efficient and effective night’s sleep.

Getting up early sounds great in theory, but if you are anything like I used to be, waking up early probably seems like an impossible task. So now the question becomes, how do I create the healthy habit of waking up earlier?

The very first step in getting up earlier is to simply go to bed earlier. Whether that means recording your favorite late-night show and watching it the next day, or just getting your nightly tasks done earlier, it’s important to set your self up for success.

Some people, including myself, would find themselves lying awake in bed for hours before finally falling asleep. This is usually because you’re not tired yet because you woke up so late that day. Although it may seem like a catch-22, I’ve found a few different remedies that can help.

If your issue is not getting to sleep but rather getting up the next day, I have a few tips for that as well.

Each night as I go to sleep I think of all the things I’m going to accomplish the next day, especially the things I’m most excited about. Then when I awake the next morning I make that the first thing I think about instead of how tired I may be, or how comfortable my bed seems.

In conclusion, waking up earlier may not be the easiest endeavor you take on, but it could be the most beneficial undertaking of your life. With that being said, I do have one more tip on your road to earlier mornings.

With any big change or creation of a new habit, it is important to take small steps towards your goal as opposed to making a drastic change to your routine all at once. Start by first going to bed a bit earlier or cutting out electronics before bed. Begin waking up 15 minutes earlier at first and work your way up to getting up an hour or two sooner.

Making the change slowly will allow your body and mind to adjust to this change gradually and increase the chances of it becoming a consistent and healthy daily habit. As Aristotle once said, “It is well to be up before daybreak, for such habits contribute to health, wealth, and wisdom.”

Talent Strategist | Diversity Advocate

The flexibility to spend more time with your family

Waking up early is a crucial trait that many have tried to master. Its importance has been acknowledged by renowned leaders such as Richard Branson of Virgin Group and First Lady, Michelle Obama. As with any human behavior, the key to making it a sustainable habit is understanding how your body works and aligning it with your goals.

Early in my career, I co-founded a company and with only 24 hours in the day, I started waking up early to get quiet time to think. The timing also worked well since I had to connect with global clients living in different time zones. This habit has remained with me over the years.

I’ve always been a morning person so waking up early gives me the opportunity to split my day and schedule it in the way that’s most productive. It also gives me the flexibility to spend more time with my children later in the day.

I start at 4:30 am with a strong cup of coffee and an agenda that includes 20-30 minutes each of meditation, journaling, reading and working out. In my current role as a manager, I keep an eye on high-level goals while operating at the ground level. Starting this way stimulates my thinking and keeps me grounded throughout the rest of the day.

A few years ago, we were blessed with twin boys and, admittedly, my sleep pattern was off. It took a couple of years and several missed tries for me to get back on track. I experimented with various alarm settings & sleep times but could not keep it up consistently. It was then that I discovered author and coach, Benjamin Hardy on Medium. He has several sound tips to create successful routines based on behavioral psychology.

What I found worked best for me was:

Understandably this is not for everyone. A friend of mine tried to wake up early and finally gave in because her creative clock comes up at night. Waking up early for its own sake can be counterproductive. Ariana Huffington spoke to the value of sleep as a way to be more productive so be sure you are getting enough sleep. On average, 6-8 hours is recommended. My advice is to track your activities and energy level during the day and adjust your sleep pattern accordingly.

Also, understand why you want to wake up that early and what you want to do with the time. Personally, I find it both magical and practical to wake up before dawn and have this time for myself to write, ponder and learn something new each day.

Milovan Crowley

I’ve been working from home for six years now and there is a huge difference between myself now and when I started. Obviously, it comes down to developing self-discipline, but the single most effective method I use is just by following my mantra of “If I wouldn’t wake up extra early to finish it, I don’t stay up late working on it.“

It took years to get it through my skull. I would always work well into the night to 3-4 AM thinking how I am so effective. The reality is that it ruins the productivity of the next day because I will either sleep in or be incredibly exhausted to the point I will just take the day off anyway.

Working at home is so hard because there isn’t anyone watching you, and there are a million distractions. That’s why my schedule revolves around my focus time. I will wake up, usually around 7, and work about 5 hours or until I notice my concentration slipping.

When it does I stop right there, and go to the gym. Going to the gym for a run resets my focus and when I get back I will finish up whatever I was working on and call it a day. Total work time is just around 7-8 hours of effective focus.

I’ve tried working the 10-12 hours days, but it just doesn’t yield effective results. I’ve found that only a portion of it is actually worthwhile, the rest is just distracted half-hearted work when it would be better spent relaxing and recharging for the next day. Day after day of effective work and focus will always yield better results than someone overworking themselves all at once.

Stephen Hart

Everyone is obviously different, but I find that I’m at my most productive in the morning. That’s more than enough of a reason to wake up early.

I think the easiest way to get up early is to make sure that you go to bed early the previous night. This will prepare your body for getting up early. Your body and mind need around 7 hours sleep a night to be at its most productive, so you’ll probably find it harder to get up at an early time if you haven’t had enough rest.

Another good tactic is to put your bedroom alarm clock as far away from your bed as possible. This will mean that you’ll physically have to get out of your bed to turn it off, making it more likely that you actually stay awake and don’t just hit the snooze button.

Matthew Ross

Co-owner & COO, The Slumber Yard

I’m a big believer in waking up early. I typically wake up around 5 am and work for a couple hours before going to the gym. This allows me to catch up on emails and check items off my to-do list before even getting into the office.

That way, once I do get into the office, I’m ready to work on forward-looking tasks instead of playing catch-up. However, it can be hard for people to learn how to wake up early and be productive.

One little trick I’ve found helpful is to place your phone (or alarm clock) on the other side of the room before you go to bed. That way in the morning, it will literally force you to get up out of bed, walk over and turn it off. Too often, your phone is super close and it’s just too tempting to hit the snooze button while still laying in bed.

Once you get up out of bed, you’ll most likely stay out. Do that for a couple of weeks and your body will start to naturally adjust to your new wake-up schedule.

Eric Sztanyo

Realtor, Keller Williams Advisors Realty | Owner, We Buy NKY Houses

I have to admit that I like to binge watch Netflix as much as the next guy. However, after about my 12th season of Survivor re-runs last year, I said to my self, “Self… You need to go to bed.“

It’s been a journey, but for the past 6 months or so, I’ve been getting much better at going to bed and waking up early. The benefits are enormous. With four little kids, it provides the best time in the day to spend a little time in my Bible and prayer. It also allows me to focus on some important planning work for the day and start the day off by being productive.

My two simple tips on how I’ve been getting up earlier have been:

Alex Johnson

Founder, Price This Please

A distraction-free environment

Waking up early gives me a distraction-free environment that I can use to get things done that I’m typically too tired for after work. I find morning workouts are a lot more efficient as it’s usually quieter, plus the endorphin release helps sets me up for the day.

I also like to do extensive note-taking whilst reading. If I do this after work, I struggle to take things in and critically think about what I’m reading

My best tips would be:

Katherine Rowland

Digital Marketing Executive, YourParkingSpace

Waking up early is not something that has always come naturally to me, not by a long shot. My University mornings were mostly spent clambering about bleary-eyed when I realize I have woken up 10 minutes before the start of a lecture.

This was not a great start. More often than not I was then half-asleep, hungry, and in an all-around bad mood when I was starting to learn.

Nowadays I like to take my time. It is hard to explain how much better you feel when you have not rushed in the mornings. You now have time to have a good breakfast (they really aren’t lying when they say it’s the most important meal of the day!), do some exercise, and complete any other tasks you would like.

For me, mornings are when I’m most productive, and it’s a great feeling as though you have accomplished something before you have arrived to work.

In terms of how to wake up earlier, my first point might seem self-explanatory, but it is very important nonetheless. Go to bed earlier. There is no way you’re going to be able to get up early if you’re going to bed at 2 am, your body needs 7 hours sleep (minimum!) so do the math and work backward to find your bedtime. So if that is 6 am, go to bed at 11 pm – and by going to bed I mean falling asleep at 11 pm, not getting into bed at 11 pm!

Secondly, be prepared. This could be as much as laying out your clothes the night before, preparing your breakfast, or more simply just putting your slippers beside your bed. You will be surprised how much easier it is not to ignore that alarm when you know breakfast is made, and you don’t have to deliberate over what to wear.

Last of all, I will say this is a gradual process. There is no point going all gung-ho and deciding you are going to start getting up at 5 am when you normally rise at 9. You will only end up snoozing that alarm and then what’s the point.

Start by setting your alarm for maybe 20 minutes earlier than you normally would, and do this again after a week and again until you reach your goal time.

Interestingly I found, and maybe this is just a placebo effect, but I found that as I was getting up earlier, I was able to go to sleep earlier too.

Waking up earlier really does give you a head-start on the day, I take great joy from knowing that I have accomplished more before 9 am than some might do in a day.

Miles Roger

Career Writer, Zety

I’ve been a writer for over 10 years. I spent 8 years in academia and now am a freelancer. Seeing that a lot of my work was done independently, it meant making my own schedule. For a while, my sleeping patterns were completely off. I stayed awake and did research or wrote when I felt motivated by an idea.

I was sick often and couldn’t work properly. I then did my own research on sleeping patterns and that’s when I made the shift and committed to creating my own sleeping routine, which boosted my work and helped me achieve so much more.

Here’s how I did it. It’s a 100% commitment. Call it my long-term relationship.

It means going to bed at the same time every day and waking up at the same time, 7 days a week. It might be hard for those who want to sleep in on the weekends, but trust me, it throws off your sleeping game for the rest of the week and you’ll never really recover. I’m in bed at 10 pm on the dot.

I leave my phone outside my bedroom, one of my most strict rules so that I’m not tempted to browse articles late at night and get my head spinning.

I go and set my old-school alarm clock for 6 am. Next, to my alarm clock, I turn on my diffuser that has lavender oil in it.

On my bedside table is a cooking book from the 1800s. Not fascinating stuff, but not the point…I’m trying to get my mind thinking about ancient grains, plowing the fields, shucking the corn, and somehow, it makes me unbelievably calm.

After a half hour, I turn the lights off and then apply my own sleeping method. Method: it’s based on what the military does to help their soldiers sleep. I thought, “if soldiers fall asleep when there are bullets going past them, it’ll work for me.” I mean, I have a lavender diffuser in the background, not such a crazy atmosphere. I start by exhaling. Then I loosen each muscle in my body, starting from my face, all the way down to my fingers and toes. I then imagine myself in a darkened room on a hammock. I’m out in 10 minutes, max.

After I applied this new routine, I finished my doctoral dissertation, I was writing three blog posts a week, and working full time. I’ve been more healthy than ever before.

Robyn Chavarie

Business & Clarity Coach | Author

My old morning habit used to consist of repeatedly hitting the snooze button, racing around the house and barely having enough time to get myself ready and out the door before being late for work. It would leave me in a flustered and frantic state when I finally sat down at my desk to begin trying to be productive.

I was a personal development junkie, growing my side hustle while working my full-time job. I listened to podcasts and youtube videos and read books to help me grow and when I heard of the concept that successful people get up earlier than most and have a mindful morning routine, I was skeptical at first, but I realized that if it was a habit that those who were more successful than me were doing, maybe it was something I should take a little more seriously.

Changing that habit for myself, on the other hand, was not an easy task.

Now I fully understand that it’s not about being perfect or rigid, but it’s about shifting your state and how you feel first thing in the morning.

My morning routine consists of working through my own thoughts with meditation and journaling. It helps me to be conscious of where I have my own blocks that keep me from reaching my next level, and it gives me the time and space to reflect on my own accomplishments – something I never would have taken the time to do in the past.

I also dance, sometimes do some light yoga or stretching, to get me back into my body and into the present moment. To bring more joy into my life and strengthen my mind-body connection.

If you understand that your daily habits are what create your life, then taking the time to slow down and reflect on those, and then get your mind and body into the present moment, you can give yourself the space to develop yourself into the version of yourself that has anything and everything you’ve ever dreamed of.

My advice for anyone wanting to make a change like this is to remember why you are doing it. It’s not about adding another thing to your to-do list, it’s about embodying the next level version of yourself that has what you want. If your morning routine isn’t changing how you feel, then try something different – but don’t give up!

Being present and in your body decreases stress and allows you to be more focused on the task at hand. Start small and ease your way into it. Start with 15 minutes earlier than normal and just sit with your coffee and your mind for those few minutes, then try another 15 minutes earlier and grabbing your journal and putting down whatever comes to mind on the page.

We never create long-term shifts by making huge, sweeping changes – take it one day at a time and remember that you are in the process of becoming your next level self, which never happens overnight.

Author | Musician

Getting up early isn’t an absolute necessity for success. It killed Rene (“I Think Therefore I Am”) Descartes who used to lie in bed for hours and think things out, and when he was forced to rise early for a patron, it destroyed his health.

If you have a life that allows late nights and late mornings, and it suits your profession and your constitution, go for it.

That being said, if you are neutral on this issue, or worse, if sleeping late is a way of avoiding the day, then having a way to get up early is essential. Morning hours can be incredibly productive because, once you get going, you are working with a completely rested body.

There’s also a surge in adrenaline that comes from charging out of the gate and having worked several hours before lunch.

Getting up early is easiest if you get enough sleep

That means a decent bedtime, preferably around the same time each night, with a good bedtime routine to get your body ready. Setting an alarm for the morning will also prepare you mentally and physically for the wake-up.

Getting out of bed is the hardest part. A morning routine helps immensely here, a series of things you always do, the more the better. If the first link in the morning chain is appealing, like deep breathing or stretching or dancing, or even breakfast, then once you grab it, the weight of the rest of the routine will pull you out of bed and get you going.

It also helps to have larger goals during the day. If you know what you want to accomplish in a day, even if it’s a small thing, that thought can propel you over the edge and get you up. Accomplishing it will make it easier to do the same thing the next time.

Adina Mahalli

Certified Mental Health Professional, Enlightened Reality

More time to engage in morning self-care

Waking up early is hard for many people to do, and for some, it even seems impossible. Yet waking up early is a great way to start your day. It helps you get ready for work at a leisurely pace so that you can have a clearer mind. It also lets you have more time to engage in morning self-care like showering, having breakfast and going for a jog.

And, waking up early can help you beat the morning rush hour traffic and get to work more quickly and calmly. Getting to work early means that you’ll have some time to catch up on things before the office hustle and bustle begins.

How to wake up early

If you struggle to wake up early in the morning, think of some incentives to get you out of bed. Promise yourself a hearty breakfast, treat yourself to a special latte, or carve out some time to make a bit of headway in the new book you’re reading.

If you need extra motivation, though, there are special alarm clocks available which will get your butt out of bed quickly. There’s one that starts brewing a cup of coffee so that the fresh smell lures you to it. There are also alarm clocks which move around the room, so you have to get up to catch it and turn it off.

And there’s also an alarm clock app that requires you to take the same picture every morning in order to turn it off, so you can set it to make you take a picture of your kitchen or bathroom to ensure that you get up.

Andrew Clark

Marketing Strategist, Duckpin

Waking up early has been part of my life since I can remember, as it was something that my parents would do in order to get a gym workout or bike ride in before work. Although this habit fell by the wayside for several years because of school and struggling with depression, I have begun to implement it once again.

For me, rising early a few times a week (3x at 5:15 AM) allows me to get a CrossFit workout in ahead of the workday and in turn, provides me with extra time after work to nurture my marriage via quality time together, cooking dinner, and dates.

Additionally, I find that waking up early helps me manage my recurring anxiety by not feeling rushed out the door and preparing for my days at a slower, more relaxed pace without distractions.

If you’re looking to begin waking up early, my advice is to get to bed earlier and set your phone (with its alarm enabled) away from your bed. I’m not saying that you need to be asleep by 9 PM, but let’s be real, many of us are sleep deprived thanks to phones and other technology that keeps our minds turned on way past when our natural sleepiness kicks in.

To push back against this and help on the other side of sleep, set your phone to Do Not Disturb elsewhere in your room an hour before you’ve been usually falling asleep. A little distance between you and your phone will aid in breaking the habit of mindlessly scrolling on your phone and force you to get up to switch off the alarm. Try this for a week and fine tune as needed/when you want to be waking up.

Riley Adams

Senior Financial Analyst | Founder, Young and the Invested

Recently, I have decided to embrace the mentality that the early bird gets the worm. Routinely, I would wake up to text messages, emails, and other social media contacts from the most productive people I knew. And they all started to roll into my inbox and notification screen at 5 am!

Seeing this for a number of months, I wondered if waking up that early would lead to any productivity benefits in my own life. I have attempted the routine since the beginning of the year and started slowly by waking at 5 am. I found it provided me more time in the morning to wake up and jumpstart my brain. I arrived at work fully charged and ready to go.

But that wasn’t what I wanted- I wanted to be up and going before I got to work. So I decided to lean in and begin waking up at 4 am. I began to notice some of my desired effects. My brain took a while to adjust and my sleep schedule suffered for a bit. However, my body and mind slowly began to normalize to my new routine.

I was able to accomplish more before the workday began and as a result, led to less stress during the day. I felt more accomplished and productive. I plan to stick with it and see if the benefits begin to compound.

Lydia Noyes

Health, Wellness, & Lifestyle Journalist, HighYa.com

One strategy that works well for me is sort of the opposite of what the experts suggest- the second my watch alarm goes off, I grab my phone and turn it up to full brightness. The glare is blinding and not necessarily a pleasant introduction to the new day, but that blue light does the trick of waking me up.

I rarely do use my phone so early in the morning; it’s often enough just to browse through a gallery of my recent photos. Within two or three minutes of this bright light exposure, my body has committed to being awake and I can officially start my day.

My second tip is starting the day hydrated. I am a coffee fiend, but before I even prep my French press I strive to chug at least 24 ounces of water. This prevents me from starting the day with a liquid deficit, and it helps me process the caffeine I’m about to put in my system.

How to wake up early, even if you’re not a morning person

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«Just five more minutes,» you say, hitting the snooze button on your alarm clock for the second time.

We all know that waking up early is a pain. Your bed is too comfortable. It’s too dark in your room to feel awake. You’re not a morning person, and that’s that.

But why do you struggle to wake up in the morning? Trust us; it’s not just about how soft your pillows are.

With a better understanding of our overall health and bedtime routine, you can learn how to start waking up early without any ill feelings towards your alarm clock. We’re here to teach you how to wake up early and make your morning routine more enjoyable.

Why is it so difficult for some people to wake up early in the morning?

Struggling to wake up early isn’t about whether you hate mornings but how you sleep at night. Lifestyle factors like your social life or work schedule, medications, and medical conditions all determine your sleep quality. The reason you struggle to wake up early might differ from your partner or family members.

To develop better sleep hygiene, we first need to understand some of the causes of your lack of proper shut-eye.

Here’s a list of causes of lack of sleep that can impact how you wake up early in the morning:

Why should I wake up early in the morning?

Hearing that the early bird gets the worm is tiring, but knowing how to sleep early and wake early has plenty of benefits.

Beginning your day late is a rotten feeling. It creates negative consequences that we know we could avoid when we’re running late. Starting your day earlier with healthy sleep habits can give us the energy levels to accomplish our goals. If you have a lot of errands to run or work to get done, jump-starting your day can put you on the right track.

Waking up early has excellent mental health benefits, too. Learning how to start waking up early improves our overall wellness because we feel ready to take on the day. We feel organized, are in a more productive mood, and can soak up more vitamin D as the sun rises.

Once your circadian rhythm recognizes a clear sleep schedule, it’ll easily become habit. Soon, you won’t flinch at an early morning.

A sustainable morning routine is crucial for the long haul. ​​Sticking to new habits is tricky, especially waking up early in the morning every day. But once the habit exists, you’ll have an easier time maintaining it.

Morning person vs. night owl

Being a morning person or a night owl has several causes. Certain occupations force early mornings, like being a baker, while being a nurse that works night shifts results in sleeping during the day. Other lifestyle interests and social activities also impact whether a person prefers the morning or night.

Here are a few characteristics of morning people and night owls:

Morning person

Night owl

Melatonin and circadian rhythms

Let’s talk more about the science behind your sleep patterns.

Melatonin is a hormone that your body produces naturally. It works to regulate and encourage sleep by spreading a sense of sleepiness through your body. Your melatonin levels rise in the evenings in response to darkness. It’s why you yawn or become sleepy after watching a movie in the dark, even in the middle of the day.

Melatonin production works to help your circadian rhythm stay on track. It tells you when it’s time to wake up, feel hungry, and go to sleep. You really notice your circadian rhythm when you travel to a different time zone when jet lag throws off your internal clock.

Taking doses of melatonin will help your sleep routine if you find you need a boost. It winds down your energy levels if you don’t have naturally high melatonin levels or need to adjust to a new time zone. It’s available to purchase as a supplement at many stores or pharmacies to help your circadian rhythm understand when it’s time to sleep.

As far as the dosage goes, less is best. It’s recommended that you take 1–3 milligrams about two hours before your bedtime. If you’re new to taking melatonin, try talking to your healthcare provider first. They’ll consult you on how much is best to take and how frequently.

If you find that taking melatonin isn’t working to help you sleep and improve your morning routine, stop taking it. It could hint that you have some underlying health issues that must be resolved first.

How can I start waking up early?

Waking up early can seem natural and easy for some, but it can take a while to fall into a steady routine for others. Having a solid night routine is key to having a morning routine. Here are six tips for waking up early that you can try out starting today:

1. Limit screen use before bed

We’re all guilty of scrolling through social media too much. Losing track of time and scrolling before bed can cause our brains to stay awake for longer. A few hours before your bedtime routine, try to limit notifications and your exposure to blue light. Too much artificial light could reduce melatonin production.

2. Pay attention to when you eat before you sleep

Indigestion or heartburn could inhibit your sleep. To avoid acid reflux, limit snacking before bed. Too many late-night beverages can also make you get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and thus interrupt your sleep.

3. Stay consistent with your routine

Keeping a consistent bedtime routine helps you stay on schedule with your goals. Your body’s internal clock will recognize when it’s time to start relaxing because you have a consistent sleep time.

4. Try sleep medicine or tools

If you’ve been diagnosed with a sleep disorder, you can take sleeping aids to help your body relax. Breathing devices can help people with sleep apnea, and prescribed sleeping medications can help you sleep through the night.

5. Get your daily exercise

Sometimes when we haven’t moved our bodies enough, we don’t feel the need to sleep because we’ve been constantly resting. Exercise can fight against excessive sleeping and help people with anxiety that might keep them up at night. Something as simple as a morning walk or going for a short bike ride can make a difference.

6. Be consistent

Having the same bedtime and wake-up time is crucial to getting a good sleep. If you know you’ll get enough sleep — and have the same hours of sleep each night — you’ll have an easier time waking up the next morning. Your sleep quality will improve as your body adjusts to this new schedule.

7. Create a relaxing evening routine

It’s difficult to fall asleep when you’re overstimulated. Creating an evening routine full of relaxing habits will help you sleep better and make your early morning less difficult. Think about what your mind and body need to relax. That could be reading, stretching, or meditating.

8. Make an effort to get enough sleep

One reason why early risers feel energized to wake up early is that they get enough sleep. It’s recommended that adults get 7–9 hours of sleep each night to take care of their bodies and store energy for the next day. Review your sleep patterns now and see how far off you are from the recommendation. Perhaps just an hour or two of more sleep will make a difference.

Some of these strategies might be difficult to establish by yourself. With a BetterUp coach, you’ll work on a personalized plan that caters to your needs — not what works for everyone else. Experience what it’s like to have support from someone focused on seeing you reach your goals with one of our coaches.

8 tips to help you wake up early

If you’re taking all the steps to an early morning but you’re still having trouble, we understand. But you also can’t expect yourself to go from an 8 AM wake up to a 5 AM wake up in a week. Here are some more useful tips to help kickstart your morning:

Tips to wakeup early

When should I see a doctor?

If your worries are becoming overwhelming and stressful, there’s no shame in seeking professional help. Seeing your doctor can put your mind at ease that you don’t have any underlying health concerns impacting your sleep and energy levels.

Your next move

Adapting a new routine allows you time to pause and work to understand yourself better. What works? What doesn’t? What do you want out of this new routine?

Learning how to wake up early will serve you well in many aspects of your life, empower you to keep it up, and help you make peace with your alarm clock.

How to Wake Up Early & Feel Great (Ready to Set Your Alarm for 5 AM?)

Have you ever wondered how some people seem to accomplish it all? These hyper-productive people can handle multiple responsibilities at a time and seem to get most of their work done by noon. Their secret: They know how to wake up early.

Waking up early has many benefits. (Image source: Envato Elements)

There are many top performers in their field who use an early start to gain an advantage:

You don’t need to be a CEO or an action star to gain this competitive edge. This guide will show you how you can benefit from the simple habit of waking up early, and how to get started—even if you think you’re a night owl.

The Benefits of Waking Up Early

Here are some of the science-backed benefits you can expect when you become an early-riser:

1. You’ll Be More Productive & Proactive

Research published in the Journal of Applied Social Psychology found that people who find it easier to wake up in the morning tend to be more proactive. They feel more in charge of situations and plan more for long term goals. They also anticipate obstacles and can mitigate them.

For example, entrepreneur Chris Winfield found that waking up early allowed time to quiet the negative voices that stress Winfield out about the upcoming day’s events.

“By waking up early, intentionally and immediately taking action—I was able to quiet and eventually defeat these morning demons,” Winfield wrote.

Morning people also tend to be more productive, as research from The Journal of General Psychology found. Compared to people who stay up late, morning people are less prone to avoiding tasks.

2. You’ll Be Healthier

Being an early riser can also lead to better health, especially if you pair it with enough sleep. Adults need around seven hours of sleep per night according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. This “promotes optimum health among adults.” Also, if you get too little or too much sleep, it can negatively affect your immune system (Mayo Clinic).

Waking up early can also help you follow through on healthier habits. The mornings are usually the easiest part of the day to schedule an exercise, especially if you work a lot during the day. Author Leo Babauta found that by waking up at 4:30 a.m. Babauta was able to find the time to train for a marathon.

3. You’ll Be Happier

If being more productive, proactive, and healthier aren’t enough reasons to wake up early, remember that your happiness is also relevant to the time you wake up. A study conducted by the University of Toronto found that morning people, whether young adults or older adults, have a tendency to experience more positive emotions than night owls. This is backed by a more recent study, which found that being a morning person led to better mental health.

How to Wake Up Early

Now that you know about the benefits of rising earlier, it’s time to make the change and turn it into a habit. Here’s some tips to wake up early:

1. Get Enough Sleep to Wake Up Early

First, you need to plan your sleep schedule in such a way that you get enough sleep. It’s unrealistic to aim to wake up at 4:00 a.m. if you go to sleep at 11:00 p.m. As mentioned earlier, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends around seven hours of sleep. Pick your target time for waking up and work backwards from there to find out when you should be sleeping.

2. Make Gradual Changes to the Time You Wake Up

Remember: don’t force yourself to make a big change in waking up early. If you’re used to waking up at 8:00 a.m., don’t pressure yourself into suddenly waking up at 4:00 a.m. Instead, try to wake up 15 to 30 minutes earlier than you’re used to. Then, work your way to your ideal rising time over two weeks.

For example, if you typically wake up at 8:00 a.m., wake up at 7:45 a.m. for two to three days. Once you’ve adjusted to this, start waking up at 7:30 a.m.

«That might seem too slow to most people. However, in my many experimentations, the most enjoyable and long-lasting change in sleeping schedules have been slow and gradual.»

3. Establish an Evening Routine

Waking up early actually starts the night before. You’ll need to set your alarm, prepare yourself for sleep, and create the conditions that’ll allow you to get up at the right time the following day. Here are some things you can do to make this happen:

Step 1. Plan the Next Day

It’s possible that you have a hard time sleeping because you’re thinking about the events of the following day, especially if it’s going to be a workday. Put your concerns to rest by setting up your task list, packing your work bags, or preparing your clothes at least two hours before bed. By preparing yourself for the following morning, you no longer have to worry about your morning preparations. You’ll also be in less of a rush when you wake up.

Step 2. Place Your Alarm Out of Reach From the Bed

One common sense tip you should try is to keep your alarm out of reach from the bed. In fact, the nearer it is to your bedroom or bathroom door, the better. This is so that turning off the alarm will lead you a few steps closer to your next activities—leaving the bedroom or going to the bathroom—instead of keeping you in bed.

Step 3. Eliminate Screen Time an Hour Before You Sleep

To ease your way into sleep, avoid screen time at least an hour or so before you need to sleep. Research from the Salk Institute found that looking at screens late at night disrupts our internal clocks, preventing sleep. Using your devices before you go to bed also gives you a lot of unnecessary stimulation, according to the National Sleep Foundation. These devices keep up your alertness at a time when you should be resting.

If your alarm is on your mobile device and you put it out of reach as suggested earlier, this also prevents you from spending time looking at a screen. This tip doesn’t just apply to mobile devices however, it applies to your television and computer as well.

Step 4. Remind Yourself Why You Need to Wake Up Early

It’ll also help to use this time to remind yourself of why you’re trying to wake up early in the first place. Magazine editor Caroline Picard hated waking up early for work. Then, Picard changed the narrative.

“My solution: Stop waking up for work and start waking up for myself… Rethinking mornings as time for myself made getting up so much easier and, yep, now I count myself firmly in the morning person camp,” Picard said.

If you need additional ideas on how to establish evening routines, the following guides can help: