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Hitting the snooze button just one more time to get an extra few winks of sleep. We’ve all been there. It may feel good at the time, but most scientists say sleeping in after you wake up is not the way to feel more refreshed. In fact, waking up even earlier than usual can not only make you feel great but also improve your life in the long run. Even if you’re not a natural early riser, take some to time to delve into the benefits of starting the day before everyone else. There are a whole host of successful people who swear by an early start to the day, so there must be something to it.
1. YOU'LL HAVE MORE TIME FOR BREAKFAST
Waking up early means you always have time prepare a healthy breakfast, the most important meal of the day. Eating breakfast is a foundation for building healthy eating habits and makes you less likely to eat junk the rest of the day.
2. IT WILL INCREASE YOUR PRODUCTIVITY
This one is simple maths, really. The earlier you rise, the more time you have to get stuff done. It’s often easier to stay in bed just a little longer, but when we achieve certain tasks early in the morning it sets us up for a more active day.
3. IT WILL GIVE YOU MORE TIME FOR HEALTHY HABITS
If you roll out of bed and head straight to work you are missing out on time for some really healthy morning habits such as meditation, exercise and journaling. It’s much harder to motivate ourselves to do get these things done after a long day so why not get them out of the way early on and start as you mean to go on.
4. YOU'LL DEVELOP BETTERN SLEEP PATTERNS
The earlier you wake up in the morning and get going, the easier it is to have a good night’s sleep. If you wake up feeling refreshed and motivated you are more likely to be active during the day and will naturally want to go to hit the sack sooner rather than later in order to rest and this ‘early to bed early to rise’ sleep pattern is really good for your health.
5. YOU'LL BE MORE OPTIMISTIC
How you spend the first hour after waking sets the tone for the rest of your day and by waking up earlier you start to reduce the stress in your life by eliminating the need to rush in the mornings. People defined as “morning people” are often more positive, more optimistic and more likely to experience satisfaction in their lives.
6. YOU CAN ENJOY SOME QUIET TIME
If you are able to wake up earlier than everyone else you get to enjoy the quiet stillness that is only captured in the early morning. If you have a noisy family or live in a big city, waking up early means you have more chance of enjoying a quieter morning, and therefore a more peaceful and positive start to the day without distractions.
7. YOU'LL HAVE A GREATER CHANCE OF CATCHING THE SUNRISE
Even if you don’t have access to an impressive view to watch the sunrise from, it’s a magical experience to watch night turn into day, darkness into light. There is nothing quite like watching the sun as it rises to light up the sky and light the way for a whole new day full of endless opportunities, and it can even improve your health.
