Getting up at 6am

I’m three weeks into my new habit, getting up at 6am. I know three weeks isn’t long enough to truly say it’s a habit but I feel I’m far enough in this little experiment to talk about it.

It’s still a little dark outside at 6am where I live and the temperature is not as cool as I would like. It’s especially rubbish when I forget to set the timer for my aircon unit and wake up dripping in sweat.

The only thing for it is a cool shower, first world problems huh?!.

Despite these very minor challenges, I’ve been trying to make a habit of getting up at 6am every day and here’s why.

It’s all Pros and no Cons

I have read a lot of information and seen references in many vlogs over the years about the benefits of getting up at 6am or even earlier. Including but not limited to;

Increased productivity
Extra time for personal pursuits
Improved physical health
Improved mental health

There are challenges which I will address shortly, but, so far as I can tell, they’re issues with my motivation. All the things I’m struggling with were already problems I had faced when up at my previous regular time, which was somewhere in the region of 8am on a weekday and 10am on the weekend. The time of day itself doesn’t appear to have any cons at all.

I’m going to provide some tips on how I’ve been addressing the challenges I’ve had. Maybe it will put you off but maybe you’ll decide there are enough benefits to set your alarm a little earlier as well.

There are absolutely loads of famous and wealthy early risers. If Jeff Bezos swears by early mornings, there must be truth in that phrase “The Early Bird Catches the Worm”.

What Are the Benefits of Getting Up at 6am?

In no particular order, I was sold on the idea of getting up at 6am because of hearing the following benefits over and over again;

Increased productivity
Improved physical health
Better mental health
Enhanced creativity
Improved sleep quality

As I already mentioned, I’m three weeks in, but I’ve noticed getting up at 6am really does give me an advantage on the day. Having the opportunity to complete my normal morning tasks like checking emails and making my schedule for the day before the dogs are hassling me for a walk is bliss. And, it means when 8am hits, I’m already sat at my PC, ready for “real work”. Previously I would have been rubbing my eyes and wondering if I remembered to buy anything for breakfast.

To get a better idea of long term benefits, I had a chat with Jo who I know used to be a lover of long lie ins. All that changes when you have a child though and she confirms that despite generally having less sleep than pre-motherhood, earlier mornings are definitely more conducive to a productive day.

Studies show that waking up early is associated with various physical and mental health benefits. I can’t say I know for sure if my heart is healthier or if I’m reducing my risk of diabetes but, I’m definitely getting a good feeling about having tasks ticked off earlier.

It could be psychosomatic, or it could be the extra daylight hours. I find I’m waking up a little while before my 6am alarm. I sit up feeling refreshed rather than putting the 8am alarm on snooze several times and then dragging myself downstairs to the sofa already annoyed with the day.

My Tips for Successfully Getting Up at 6am

I’m not an expert but through trial and error I’ve come up with six things that I believe are essential if you want to get up at 6am – or even earlier.

Set a sleep schedule and stick to it.

Of course there are exceptions but we start getting ready for bed at about 9pm these days. If you try to go to bed at the same time, it stands to reason that you’ll also start waking up at the same time.

Whilst only one of us springs out of bed at 6am on a Sunday, I know we’re both awake by then. I always thought sun-rise in Cyprus was something that happened when you stayed out too late. But it’s actually a lot nicer to see sober.

Create a relaxing nighttime routine.

Try a few different things to find out what works for you.

Headspace is a great way to unwind and we’re quite partial to falling asleep with a sleepcast on.
Reading is a new hobby as well, it’s still story-time like putting on a TV show but without the noise and lights and tension.
Put on some relaxing background music.
A bubble bath is always a winner.
Dim the lights and put a few candles round the room. There are some great electric ones these days if you’re not keen on the smell/safety issues with real candles.

Make your bedroom sleep-friendly.

My husband can fall asleep any time anywhere but after years of living in the peace and quiet of the English countryside, I’m not so lucky. What I’ve found works the best is having a cold room and heavy bedding. I don’t have a weighted blanket but a large bedspread is a great alternative. Blackout curtains are on our list of things to buy since we lost our last set in the move from Cyprus.

Use an alarm clock and keep it out of arms reach.

Trusting your circadian rhythm is very brave. Don’t do it if you’ve not been consistently waking up naturally before your alarm for a number of weeks. For me, I hate the noise of an alarm on my phone so much that I’ll just get out of bed to turn it off.

An alarm doesn’t have to be invasive. If you have Alexa or something similar in your bedroom, you can set it to turn on music at a certain time. Don’t make the same mistake we did and set it to play at random from a playlist, being woken up with Panic! At the Disco – High Hopes is not my idea of a relaxing start to the day!

Get some sunlight as soon as you can.

Easy for me to say right? 300+ days of the year there’s sunshine in Cyprus but not everyone is that lucky. So long as there isn’t torrential rain, try to get out into the daylight for a while anyway. If there’s no daylight at all, consider investing in a SAD lamp.

Hydrate!

A glass of warm water before any cup of tea or coffee should be first on your mind. If you don’t like warm, at least avoid ice, but warmer is better as it helps to flush out toxins.

How to Overcome Challenges

As someone who has struggled with falling asleep for as long as I can remember, I know how challenging it can be to establish a consistent routine.

It took me a long time to realise that being an adult and therefore being allowed to stay up as late as I wanted didn’t mean I had to stay up as late as I could. And, being allowed to have a TV in my bedroom didn’t mean I should have a TV in my bedroom.

Have a look at your current routines and try to think objectively about them. Are the challenges you’re facing are of your own making? Are you doing something stimulating like watching TV or playing on your phone late at night?

An interesting idea of an open book - created in Canva

As a child and teenager I was obsessed with reading. Not only that, I was reading mystery stories and later on books from the point horror series. Reading something that makes you too scared to stop is NOT what you should be doing.

As an adult I’ve traded fear for laughter and now read stories from Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels. Not only has this helped me wind down way more than watching TV ever did, it’s a complete disconnect from reality and any real life thinking. I’ve even managed to get M reading them as well.

My Conclusion (so far)

I titled a whole section “all pros and no cons” and for now I’m standing by that. I’m not a millionaire yet but I can see how waking up early might positively affect my bank balance. I tend to start the day in a positive and productive mood and that can only lead to great things.

The only downside I can find comes when you get up early and don’t balance that out by going to bed early. So if you’re going to give early mornings a try, listen to your body and get to sleep early too!

Have a great week.