The early riser
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A good night’s sleep is essential for physical, emotional, and mental well-being.
Sleep schedules differ for everyone, with some naturally preferring to go to bed early and others preferring to stay up late. In everyday terms, people who tend to stay up late are often referred to as “night owls,” and those who sleep and wake early are called “early birds”.
Since I can remember, I have always wanted to be a morning person or “early bird.” Waking up early is not something that comes naturally to me as I struggle with regular sleep patterns and routines. One night without enough sleep is enough for me to feel out of sync, and afterwards it always feels like I’m playing catch up. I’m sure my family and friends have all the horror stories about what I’m like if my sleep cycle is disrupted or I haven’t had enough hours.
A person’s sleep schedule preference is closely tied to their circadian rhythms. Circadian rhythms are the physical, mental, and behavioural changes an organism experiences over a 24-hour cycle. Light and dark have the biggest influence on circadian rhythms, but food intake, stress, physical activity, social environment, and temperature also affect them. Since circadian rhythms are influenced by light exposure, meal timing, and exercise, these are all factors that can be used to naturally shift your sleep schedules.
Staying up too late could cause a person to accumulate a sleep debt, which grows if lost sleep accumulates over time. This is based on them forcing themselves to wake up early without developing an earlier bedtime. One of my biggest concerns about my current sleep cycle and finding myself in consistent sleep debt is the impact it is having on my productivity.
There has been rising interest in spending early morning time productively, with a view that early morning behaviours between waking up and the starting of daily work can develop into productive habits such as practising self-care, prioritising important tasks, planning and delegation. There is a link between these habits and improved health and quality of life.
A regular schedule of sleep can impact our early morning emotions which can influence feelings throughout the day hence the expression ‘getting out on the wrong side of the bed.’ Getting consistent, quality sleep can help you perform better at work, reduce your reaction time, and leave you feeling more motivated during the day. Morning exercise is effective in increasing physical performance, such as muscular strength, anaerobic power, and endurance whilst improving blood sugar and hormone levels.
So what can be done to get you a couple of steps closer to becoming an early riser?
A few simple lifestyle adjustments may need to be made to improve your sleep quality and in turn, optimise your productivity. You may need to improve your sleep hygiene. Sleep hygiene is all about fostering good habits that promote restful sleep. You could make a personalised plan for optimising your bedroom environment, maintaining a consistent sleep schedule, fine-tuning a bedtime routine, and eliminating any daytime habits that are making it more difficult to sleep.
Are you making sleep a priority? Do you need to consider how you justify staying up past your bedtime? If your work schedule is causing you to lose sleep, it may be helpful to discuss the issue with your manager at work, they too could benefit from your increased performance. You may even need to contact your local GP or see a sleep specialist.
All of this is not to say that a night owl isn’t or can’t be productive. However, in a world where an early riser becomes prioritised due to our current society’s work schedule, it is essential to ensure you get the recommended 8 hours a day of sleep one way or another.