The Early Riser's Dilemma: Is Waking Up Early Worth It?
Some say the early bird catches the worm, while some studies suggest that night owls have better cognitive function (intelligence, reasoning, and memory) compared to early risers.
Personally, I’m not a huge fan of rising early. You’d think that after waking up early all my life – first as a student and then as a mum – I’d be used to it by now. But nope, I firmly belong to the sleep-in brigade. Are you an “Early to bed, early to rise” sort, or a “Stay up late and sleep in” night owl?
If you’re not an early bird, check out these pros and cons of getting up early that you may not know about:
IMAGE: PEXELS
Pros: The bright side of early mornings
It’s peaceful
I admit it – getting up before anyone else in the house (I’m usually up by 6am to make school lunches) gives you a chance to enjoy some peace and quiet. Most days, I’m racing from one task to another, so those early hours allow for much-needed, unhurried time for yourself.
And if you time it right, you could even catch a beautiful dawn. Resist the temptation to hit snooze; trust me, you’ll thank yourself 10 minutes later for getting out of bed when you did.
Less traffic to deal with
Whether you’re driving to work or catching a taxi or public transport, the earlier you get going, the better traffic. This means you’ll likely waste less time and energy on your commute.
Get your workout done early
I’ve always admired those who rise at 4am just to work out. If only I had that level of discipline! But it’s true – if you know you won’t have any other time in the day for a workout, getting it done first thing is the way to go.
More time to get things done
Ever wish you had more hours in the day? By getting up an hour or two earlier, you can tackle tasks you’ve been putting off (and avoid wasting your weekend on them). I definitely feel more in control of my life – at least for those couple of hours anyway – when I start chipping away at my to-do list or finally get around to that dreaded paperwork. Win-win!
IMAGE: PEXELS
Cons: The not-so-great side
An early start requires an early bedtime
By Thursday, I’m usually ready to crawl into bed by 9pm. We know it’s not healthy to get less than seven hours of sleep, but going to bed so early every night just isn’t practical for me. Getting a full night’s sleep is important, and crashing right after dinner isn’t sustainable in the long run. Trust me, it’s not fun skipping the chance to unwind after a long day.
It’s not as easy as it sounds
After reading Robin Sharma’s “The 5am Club”, I thought I’d give early rising a go too. But as I mentioned, it only works if you can resist the snooze button. There hasn’t been a single morning when I’ve “hopped” out of bed at 5am due to sheer motivation!
Getting up early can be counterproductive
You might recognise this scenario (welcome to my life). Just because you abandoned your bed while it was still dark doesn’t mean your body will thank you for it. Ironically, if you’re getting less sleep in an effort to be more productive, you’ll likely face a huge energy slump after lunch – hello, sleep fog!
Less sleep is unhealthy
You might have thrived on little sleep in your 20s, but as we age, sacrificing sleep can lead to negative effects like moodiness, poor concentration, potential weight gain, and increased risks of heart disease and high blood pressure. There’s no glory in being a performative workaholic who wakes up early just to squeeze in more work! And if you have kids, navigating the day on autopilot without proper rest won’t do you any favours either.
Waking up early on weekends, too
You might not set an early alarm for weekends, but your body clock could still wake you up earlier than you’d like, because it’s used to doing that Mondays to Fridays. It’s frustrating trying to sleep in on weekends when you just want to catch a few extra Zs.
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