From Wake to Woke: The Kick-Ass Benefits of Rising Early

The Dalai Lama once said, “Everyday, think as you wake up, today I am fortunate to have woken up, I am alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it. I am going to use all my energies to develop myself, to expand my heart out to others, to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings, I am going to have kind thoughts towards others, I am not going to get angry or think badly about others, I am going to benefit others as much as I can.’

Most of us begin our days on at least one major note of stress: tapping snooze on our alarm devices, preparing unruly kids for school, having to walk an impatient dog, or perhaps crawling out of bed after a one night stand. Then we rush against the clock in order make it out the door, just in time to star in the next scene of our personalized version of the film Groundhog Day. If we do eat something, it’s generally a piece of burnt toast or genetically modified banana on the run, washed down with a shot of lukewarm coffee.

If the above description sounds familiar, then don’t freak out - there’s hope for you yet. As the old saying goes, the early bird catches the worm and what better way to slay said invertebrate then funding your own kickstarter campaign with the currency of time? First you’ll need a head start so begin by rising early in order to do things you not only need but want to do and then do them right. Remarkably peaceful and quiet, the early morning hours of dawn offer a window in which you can find your center, set your intentions, and better fortify yourself for a new day.

Tips to Embrace the Early Riser Within

• Go to bed. Sleep experts say that if you go to bed earlier and wake up earlier, your body will be more in tune with the earth’s circadian rhythms. Many of us stay up much later than we should, perhaps nodding off in front of the TV, surfing our smartphones or pouring ourselves that extra night cap. However if we continue these habits while trying to get up earlier, eventually something’s gotta give. Try ditching the bad nighttime habits and physically going to bed earlier, perhaps with a good book or even a screen to keep you company. If you’re really tired, you just might fall asleep much sooner than you ever thought you could.
• Don’t party too hard. Despite the fact that alcohol often makes it easier to fall asleep, it doesn't help you stay asleep. Instead, it fucks with your sleep cycle and jolts you awake at an ungodly hour. In fact, much of the misery of a hangover is derived from sleep deprivation. Booze suppresses REM sleep during the first half of the night then the body overcompensates by getting more REM than usual in the second half. Sleep scientists call this the “rebound effect.” During the second half of drunk sleep, our produced REM joins forces with an increasingly alert nervous system, causing us to repeatedly toss, turn, twerk, and wake up without knowing it.
• Don’t play with fire. Put your alarm device and smart phones far from reach. If they are located next to your head or your bed, you’ll either hit snooze or be tempted to fall down another late night web-designed rabbit hole.
• Don’t capsize the boat. Take back the night but not too fast. Start slowly, perhaps by waking just 15-30 minutes earlier than usual. Get used to this for a few days. Then cut back another 15 minutes. Do this gradually until you get to your goal time.
• Control your mind. If you allow your brain to talk you out of getting up early, repeatedly pushing the snooze button or thinking “just 10 more minutes” you’ll never wake up early. Also if you wake up in the wee hours of the night, try to fall back asleep without activating your mind to the point of waking up too damn early.
• You deserve a break today. Establish a few regenerating reasons to wake up earlier like catching the sunrise, having a hearty breakfast, meditating, writing, or getting in better shape. Setting personal goals should help motivate you to get up earlier. Bolster your morning routine and rise and shine like a champion.
• Time waits for no one. Life is short and soon we’ll be dead. Take optimal advantage of your newly discovered extra time. Don’t wake up an hour or two early just to surf the web, hide under your bed or catonically refresh your social media pages. Get a jump start on your day! Set a few attainable goals for yourself! Try to establish one goal that you want to accomplish this week and work toward making it happen.

2018 presents us with a new year but still the same old you. So why not try something as simple and renewed as waking up early in order to give yourself the chance to get more acquainted with the better you. Ben Franklin infamously wrote, “Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.” So what the hell, why not at least give it a try? After all, what have you got to lose?