Why Waking up Early May Not be Lifechanging for You

There has been an online trend of early morning routines, millionaire's morning habits, and how to become early risers. This trend is pushing videos, articles, and blogs about how to become a morning person as if early morning equals success.

But, what is so magical about waking up early? Is becoming a morning person a lifechanging habit for everyone? Why am I not a morning person?

So, I tried waking up early every day to see what is magical about the early mornings.

I tried to shift my sleep schedule earlier and earlier to 7 AM, 6 AM, and even to 5 AM.

So there is our trendy title — “I woke up at 5 AM every day, and this happened … ”

What Really Happened, Then?

When I was writing my doctoral dissertation last summer, I wanted to write in the morning with a clear mind and no interruptions.

5:30 AM seemed to be a good time when very few people in the time zone were awake. The truth is, I also wanted to run/jog to obtain a clear mind. I like that the feeling of adrenaline and cortisol kicking in after my run.

With the 100 F temperature in Texas summer, anytime after 7 AM is not optimal for running outdoors. So waking super early before 6 AM worked out for the best for my productive morning fitness routine :

5:30 AM: Wake up

5:40 AM: Morning Latte + Writing

6:20 AM: First Sunrise — 5K Run

7:30 AM: Resume Writing

9:30 AM: Morning Break/Food

10:00 AM: Back to Writing until Hungry for Lunch

As you can probably tell, I usually have completed a lot of writing by 9:30 AM, the time at which I would otherwise wake up during summer.

The 50 min morning exercise helped me to stay energetic during the rest of the morning time. Waking up early was the ONLY way to catch that short period of sunrise breeze.

Thanks to my “magical productive morning writing routine”, I was able to finish my dissertation within 20 days — 120 pages of academic work. (Chapters 1 & 2 were finished during the proposal, chapter 3 was revised from the proposal.)

Is It a Lifechanging Experience?

I truly believe that it was my early morning routine and writing ritual that enabled me to complete my doctoral dissertation within an extremely short period of time.

Yes, waking up early was a lifechanging experience during that PARTICULAR summer, where my ONLY goal was to finish my dissertation draft within a month.

My professors were proud of me. My fellow doctoral students said to me, “I wish I had your drive.” My students set me as their “role model”.

What drives me going was the fact that I could discipline myself to wake up early every day before everyone did, to run as the sun rises, to finish the hardest part of writing before lunchtime.

But, I also gave up a lot in other aspects of my life.

I did not attend any social events. I did not spend much time hanging out with my husband or his family. My friends were very understanding that I could not see them due to my stressful dissertation and graduation timelines.

I was able to go to bed at 9 PM every day to ensure I had enough sleep to keep me going in the morning. I did not see my husband much, really. He was usually at the bowling alley or eating dinner and hanging out with his family until 10 PM.

Why Early Mornings May Not Be for Everyone?

If it was such a lifechanging habit, why did I stop waking up at 5:30 AM every day?

Thanks to my early morning routine, I successfully completed my dissertation and obtained my doctoral degree.

Now. I work full-time at an 8–5 job while trying to be a YouTuber, Blogger, Streamer, and Researcher at the same time. I realized that waking up before 6 AM may not be healthy for me.

In fact, the 5:30 AM alarm quickly became a stressful burden and a rigid structure for my life. After fighting the 5 PM traffic rushing home, I felt guilty at night when not finishing video editing before 9 pm. I withheld myself from having fun at a game night stream. I did not take care of my skin because I felt rushed during my night routine. Even when I laid in bed, I kept stressing about not falling asleep quickly enough to get enough hours of sleep.

At work, I started getting sleepy and not productive after 3 PM. Because of the rigid schedule at work, I cannot start working before 8 AM and leave work before 5 PM. So waking up early did not lead to finishing work early. It just means going to the office before the air conditioner gets turned on, and that is definitely not a pleasant thing in south Texas.

This is when I realized, the so-called early morning magic may not apply to everyone, or at least, not always apply.

Social Events at Night

In order to wake up between 5:00–5:30 AM, I needed to go to bed around 9 PM to get 8 hours of sleep. As a result, I had to give up many social events and family activities when I was on the 5:30 AM schedule. If the family dinner is held at 7 PM, I would have to eat and run right away. It is certainly not a socially appropriate thing to do. I turned down many of my friends’ invite to go bouldering, game night, dinner parties, and so many other events.

It was justifiable for a short period of time because “I was focusing on school and graduation”. But in the long-term, it is not always beneficial for our mental health and social relationships.

Your Partner is a Night Owl and Not a Morning Person

My husband works from 9 AM to 6 PM. So he does not wake up until 8 AM. When my alarm used to go off every day at 5: 25AM, it was almost always torture for him, because his sleep cycle was interrupted, probably during the deep sleep or RAM stage. It was almost selfish for me to wake up at 5:30 AM every day with an alarm.

In the evening, my husband goes bowling two days in a week until 10:30 PM and 11:30 PM. On those two days, I wouldn't see my husband at all. On other days, he likes to enjoy his dinner at 7:30 PM and watches TV, and relax until 11 PM. When I was on my 9 PM sleep schedule, I ate dinner alone at 6 PM every day and complete my night routine of a short walk, watching some YouTube, and editing some videos all by myself.

It was almost like two single people living together in the same house. We barely see each other after 6 months of marriage. The only communication we had was through text messages, which I barely responded because I wanted to focus on writing and work during the day.

It would work, short-term, as we both knew this kind of marriage life would end as soon as I completed my dissertation. But in the long run, unless my husband saw the need to completely change his work schedule to 7 AM -4 AM, it would certainly damage our relationship and marriage.

Our Work Schedule

It is my dream to have a flexible work schedule and work towards my maximized productivity. However, my dream has not come true.

The 8–5 or 9–5 work schedule are not natural to everyone, it forces us to work during a rigid time frame regardless of our mental clarity or physical fatigue. But, it is what it is. I work one of those jobs.

I have to change my sleep schedule to maximize my work productivity, which is to wake up between 6 AM –7 AM, so I am not extremely tired and feel dread after 3 PM.

In the meantime, I need at least 1 hour at night before bedtime to work on my side-hustles, such as editing YouTube videos. Pushing back my bedtime can actually maximize my productivity and get more things done.

Some People Just Function Better at Night — Genetic Night Owls

Genetically, we are different in our biological clocks. According to a study in 2017, a mutation in a bio-clock gene — CRY1 may be contributing to the night owl behavior.

“Carriers of the mutation have longer days than the planet gives them, so they are essentially playing catch-up for their entire lives,” says first author Alina Patke, a research associate in the lab of principal investigator Michael Young, Richard and Jeanne Fisher Professor and Head of the Laboratory of Genetics at The Rockefeller University.

— Scimex, 2017

It turned out, the delayed sleep phase disorder (DSPD) is a real thing. Some people may struggle to sleep at night and wake up in the morning due to DSPD. They are not lazy, it is physically uncomfortable for them to be pressured to catch up with the rest of the world. Societal expectations and morning work schedules might cause people with DSPD anxiety, depression, and other mental and physical issues.

The truth is, we may or may not carry this gene or be diagnosed with DSPD. However, I am sure that everyone has their preferred sleep schedule that they can feel well-rested and productive during the day.

Some People Need More Sleep than Others

I have a medical condition that often causes me to feel fatigued. As a result, sometimes I may sleep up to 16 hours a day. (I promise, only sometimes.) But many times, I am judged for sleeping in, for having more sleep than others, just because my body needs it.

On average, most Americans struggle to get 7–8 hours of sleep everyday. Sometimes, some medical conditions, physical or mental state may require us to sleep even more than 7-8 hours.

In this competitive world, we often feel obligated to wake up early and pressured to be productive. But rarely, we take care of our mental and physical health. Sleep deprivation can be dangerous and cause numerous harm to our health. Waking up early without going to bed early can do more harm than good.

Yes, some people require less sleep than us, but some also need more. While we see many millionaires revealing their crazy work schedule, it is also important to keep in mind not to compare our sleep schedules with others. Trust your own body and give what it needs.

What Truly Matters in the Morning?

The truth is, it is not about when we wake up, rather, it is about what we do in the morning.

What we do in the morning sets the tone of the day. There is really not a magical time for waking up. What really matters is what we do during our precious morning time.

Do the Hardest thing First in the Morning

“The longer people have been awake, the more self-control problems happen,”

— psychology professor Roy Baumeister says.

Take advantage of the better self-control in the morning. Execute disciplines and do that hardest task first thing in the morning. Create a momentum of discipline and carry this discipline to other tasks throughout the day. Completing the hardest task also motivates us to have more tasks done during the rest of the day.

Set up a Morning Routine

Routines are a matter of personal choice; successful people have varied morning routines, but they all commit to following them. — Elle Kaplan, CNBC

A healthy morning routine is essential for a healthy productive life. For me, running and exercising in the morning gives me energy for the hardest task of the day. But everybody’s routine may be different. A good cup of coffee, a delicious breakfast meal, morning meditation, playing with pets, and so many more things that can set a pleasant tone of the day.

Sticking to a routine not only helps us get ready quickly in the morning, but also encourages ourselves to practice discipline, which is helpful for us when feeling tempted to slack or indulge in other aspects of life.

How to Be a Morning Person?

While it may not be beneficial for everyone to wake up at 5 AM everyday. I do believe in practicing discipline and wake up early enough to establish a mindful and healthy morning routine to set the tone for a productive day.

Growing up, I always struggled waking up in the morning. I always failed the class held at the first period because I was always too sleepy to concentrate. I used to believe that I was doomed to be a night owl. It wasn’t until my 5:30 AM dissertation routine that I finally came to the realization — I can do it, actually!

Set up Intention and Purpose

Simply waking up early in the morning may not be beneficial to our lives at all. In fact, why do we want to get out of our comfortable bedd and leave our soft pillows for nothing?

Why do you need to get up one hour earlier than you absolutely need to?

Set up your intention for that one extra hour is the key.

Maybe you want to run outdoors when it is still cool. Maybe you want to work out when there is nobody at the gym fighting for those equipments. Maybe you need one hour of peace to meditate, write, journal, take care of plants and pets before everyone wakes up.

Your intention is what drives you to get up from that cozy comforter. Your purpose is what drives you to live life to its full.

What is your intention of this lovely morning?

Go to Bed Early

You cannot wake up early unless your body wants too.

No matter how much will power we have, our bodily instinct still drives our action. Having enough sleep is the one and only precondition for waking up early.

It usually takes me a while to unwind and relax in bed before I can actually fall asleep, so I try to go to bed 30 min before my scheduled sleep time. If you plan to wake up at 5 AM, then try to go to bed around 8:30PM before the 9 PM absolute bedtime.

Keep in mind our sleep quality is also important. If you wear a fitbit regularly, you would see that we actually wake up multiple times during our sleep cycle. Although we go to bed for 8 hours, the actual sleep time is roughly 7 to 7.5 hours, sometimes even less! This may explain why you still feel tired after an appear-to-be 7 hours of sleep, because your actual sleep time may only be 6 hours. So be mindful of how much quality sleep you get each night to ensure that 7–8 hours of quality sleep.

Discipline Does NOT Equal to Being Rigid

Be kind to yourself. Listen to your body and heart.

While it is important to keep a consistent sleep schedule, it is ok to sleep in from time to time, especially after a stressful workday or an intense workout day.

Don’t feel guilty if you wake up 7 AM once in a while instead of 6 AM to skip the morning workouts just because you are so tired.

Don’t feel guilty if you need to stay up late to be there for your family or hangout with your spouse.

Be disciplined to your principles, fullfill your intentions and your purpose. But it does not mean you have to be subjected to a rigid form or structure. You are not a slave to the early morning. Instead, the beautiful sunrise is there to serve YOU.