Waking up early to start the day may fill some people with horror, but for many early risers there are many scientifically proven benefits to their habit, and they show that early risers have many advantages over night owls.
Did you know, for example, that many of the world’s most successful business people, executives and entrepreneurs are all known to be early risers? They typically get out of bed between 4 am to 6 am to get their day started.
Benjamin Franklin once said: “Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.” This is an inspirational quote that Imran Akram, ex-boss of Asons Solicitors in Bolton, very much believes in and uses to keep himself motivated.
Imran Akram’s favourite benefits of waking up early
No matter whether you want to wake up early to work out and improve your health, or you are studying for a test and want to give yourself a bit of extra study time, you may already have a good reason for wanting to wake up early.
For business entrepreneurs, waking up earlier can do a lot of good for your business, plus it can give you more family time at the end of the day, which is important for the strength and success of your family relationships.
Let’s take a look at some of Imran Akrams’ favourite reasons for waking up early:
Improved quality of sleep
You may wonder why sleeping less will help improve your quality of sleep, but studies show that early risers tend to go to bed earlier and fall asleep quicker, which means they are more likely to get a good 7-8 hours of quality sleep per night.
Sleep experts say that if you go to bed earlier and rise earlier, your body will be more tuned into the earth’s circadian rhythms, which will give you better quality sleep.
To quote Aristotle who said, “It is well to be up before daybreak, for such habits contribute to health, wealth, and wisdom.”
More exercise time
Some of us need a bit of motivation to go to the gym or go for a run to get a bit of exercise, but by getting up early you can get yourself into a regular exercise routine that gets the job done early and is out of the way for the rest of the day.
A lot of people find working out after work difficult because it may eat into precious family time, or they feel too mentally drained after a stressful day at work. This can often lead to missed sessions because you have all day to talk yourself out of it or something may crop up that will need your attention, such as dinner with a client, or an emergency meeting at work.
Waking up early and getting your exercise done straight away is your best bet to help you stick to your exercise routine and make it a healthy habit.
Healthy eating boost
If you have previously been one of those people who get up late and fuel up on coffee and a sugary pastry on your way to work, then simply by getting up a little earlier every day you can give yourself the time to prepare much healthier breakfast.
Even if you skip breakfast and try to last until lunch without food, you will be setting yourself up for some poor eating habits and will most likely lead to sugary carb binges later in the day. Research has shown that by doing this you may consume around 250 more calories per day than those who rise early, as well as spike your insulin levels with unhealthy sugary food choices that can lead to type 2 diabetes.
By getting up earlier you can prepare yourself a healthy breakfast that is high on protein, such as bacon and eggs, to keep your blood sugar stable and your energy levels consistent for many hours before you feel hungry again. A study conducted by Dr Joerg Huber of Roehampton University in London found that early risers tend to be healthier and happier as well as having lower body mass indexes.
Increased energy and motivation
Better quality sleep and rest results in more energy and motivation. Early-risers tend to fall into better sleeping patterns that will give them more energy during the day, allowing them to meet their goals and get tasks completed faster.
Become better organised
Getting up earlier will give you more time to focus on your tasks and to better plan out your day without any interruptions or distractions. This means you can plan out your ‘to-do’ list and prioritise your tasks in order of importance or the time needed to work on them.
You can also use your extra time to better organise your home, office or workspace. All those little tidyings up and decluttering tasks you have been putting off can now be done and you will have a neat and organised working or home environment in no time!
Increased productivity
Imran Akram knows from experience that one of the biggest benefits of waking up early is increased productivity. As most successful people, like himself, are up at around 5 am it makes you procrastinate less.
When given some quiet time to yourself in the morning, you can be very proactive and get lots of tasks done without any distractions. As our brains are most alert in the morning, it makes sense to use this time to make your most important decisions.
Because you can think more clearly in the morning than you do later in the day and have fewer distractions around coming from your family members, work colleagues, ringing telephones or messages pinging at you, the early morning is the best time to think through and make big decisions that may impact you or those around you.
So why not get a morning routine started by setting your alarm for 15 minutes earlier each day for a week. Use the extra time positively because how you spend this time can tell you what kind of day you are going to have!