10 Surprising Health Benefits of Waking Up at 5 AM

Waking up at 5 A.M. has many health benefits that contribute to improved mental, emotional, and physical health and is often the reason many people take on this routine with the hope of improving productivity and health. There are clearly benefits to getting up early: 

1. Improved Mental Health

Those who wake up early report experiencing less depression and anxiety.  One reason is that people have a calmer morning routine that mitigates stress levels and encourages positive thinking.

2. Increased Productivity

When you wake up early, you have uninterrupted time to concentrate, plan, and create, enabling you to perform better and produce more.

3. Better Quality Sleep

Those who wake up early tend to normalize their circadian rhythms, which provides for a better quality: time, and quality, of sleep and less fatigue during the day. 

4. More Opportunity for Exercise

When you wake up early, having more time provides versatility to participate in some form of activity, engaging in physical activity improves mood and energy, and leads to overall improvements in health. 

5. Healthier Eating

Waking up early provides you time to develop a plan for preparing food and eating a healthy breakfast, which may promote appetite control and improve a person’s metabolism.

6. Less Stress

Starting the day calmly without feeling rushed can help relax your nervous system, decrease cortisol levels and improve emotional stability.

7. More Focus

Waking earlier than normal means that you will have less sleep inertia, or that groggy feeling you have when waking which means that you will have sharper focus and less time to get into cognitive ‘go mode’ during the day.

8. Greater Confidence

The accomplishment of waking early can also increase personal self-discipline and confidence and provides a great start to the day.

9. Decreased risk to health

Consistently waking and sleeping at earlier times benefits cope sleep habits will decrease the prevalence of heart disease, high blood pressure and stroke.

10. Quieter and cooler

Mornings are quieter and cooler, and provide an overall calmer environment to potentially improve mood and lessen environmental stressors such as noise.

That being said, the benefits of waking at 5 AM  should not come at the expense of sleep quality or quantity. Ultimately adequate sleep is more important than any of the benefits that stem from waking early.

Overall, with the adoption of a 5 AM routine with proper sleep and good habits, the benefits to health, productivity, and mental health effects may be dramatic.

This information is for general knowledge only. Consult a healthcare professional before altering sleep patterns, especially if you have sleep disorders or other medical conditions.