The Best Time To Wake Up

If you randomly pinned the question "What's the best time to wake up" to people around you, you'll probably get a variety of random answers. The reason is that ‘morning' varies from one individual to the next. Age, lifestyle and work schedules dictate everyone's sleep schedules, with some rising early in the morning, others late in the afternoon, and others after the sunset.

If you are keen, you might see that those who say they wake up in the morning get head nods in approval while those who wake up from midmorning until evening get disapproving, condescending looks. Unfortunately, society interprets waking up after the sun is up as laziness. Sure, some ‘couch potatoes' will prefer to sleep all day and all night, but most of society, we arrange our sleep schedules by the day's activities.

Sleep Should Optimize Your Health

Surprisingly, even those that schedule their sleep hours around their schedules are severely wrong. The reason is that many people tend to overwork and leave very little time for sleeping. Some people are comfortable working for up to 20 hours a day to maximize their output, but sadly, they do this to their detriment.

Sleep is meant to keep you healthy by reducing your energy demand allowing for the repair, restoration and re-energizing of cells in your brain and body. Good sleep keeps you functioning well. The contrast results in a weakened immunity, poor focus, depression, anxiety, mood changes, and poor memory. The CDC recommends that an adult sleeps for 7-9 hours each day for optimal health.

Different Times People Wake Up

The Early Risers

Some people wake up early, between 2 am, and 3 am. Specialists say that the 2-3 am period is one of the six times a person wakes up at night, depending on when they sleep. Waking up at this time is a sign that you have shifted from a deep to lighter sleep and not a sign that your body is fully relaxed.

According to the results of the Wake-Up-Time Report and the Snoozester Sleepyhead Index published on the Snoozester website, the most common time people like to wake up is 6 am. Psychologists say that people who wake up at this time are happier than those who wake up later.

The Night Owls

People who keep late hours, called night owls, often sleep in the morning and could wake up from 9 am to evening depending on when they slept. Their sleep is often desynchronized from the natural pattern, and even if many of them oversleep, their sleep does not produce optimum rest.

Studies show that they are at a higher risk of developing cardiovascular diseases and diabetes than morning people. They also have poorer mental health and may fall asleep during the day, reducing their productivity at work. Scientists suggest that night owls should adjust their sleep schedules to avoid the adverse effects of improper sleep.

The Best Time To Wake Up To Be Successful

The ideal time for you to sleep is early, at sunrise, between 6 am and 8 am, after resting for 7-9 hours. This waking time matches your body's biological tendencies to align with sunrise and sunset.

Even if you consider yourself a night owl, you may find that you sleep easily and better after sundown than at any other time of the day.

Common Misconceptions About Waking-Up Time

1. You could ‘catch up' on sleep

Despite many people doing it, this popular belief is a misconception. You cannot 'catch up on' or 'regain' sleep lost by sleeping more later. If you do this enough times, you end up sleep deprived because you cannot 'repay' the sleep debt accumulated. Although 'catching up on sleep' may reduce the drowsiness you feel after missing hours of sleep, it does not reverse the negative effects of little or low-quality sleep.

Sleep deprivation is linked to a negative mood, obesity, high blood pressure, decreased productivity at work, negative behavior, and safety risks.

2. An adult can do with only five or fewer hours of sleep.

The misconception that you only need little sleep has spread widely and is especially spread by celebrities, famous leaders and CEOs. Research on this myth indicates that the best you do with this practice is harming your health. It causes sleep deprivation that is linked to far-reaching and diverse effects on the health of your heart and mind.

3. So long as you find time to sleep, it doesn't matter the time of day you sleep.

The reality is that the human body develops a natural wakefulness and sleep rhythm in tune with the sunrise and sunset. According to research, individuals who work night shifts and sleep during the day experience circadian rhythm desynchronization, leading to poor quality sleep. They also have a higher risk of having negative health outcomes such as diabetes and depression.

4. If you're not getting any sleep, lying in bed with your eyes closed is just like sleeping.

Although you may feel rested from lying in bed, it does not give you the benefits you get from sleeping. Scientists say that this practice is harmful because your body remains awake. But, when you sleep, the working of your organs and your cognitive activity changes and you start to truly rest.

5. The ability to sleep anywhere and at any time indicates a healthy sleep system.

Conversely, if you can fall asleep immediately, you lay your head, it's likely that you are not getting enough sleep. It should take a healthy sleeper a few minutes to fall asleep.

6. Your brain adapts easily, and once you get on a schedule, you can function well even with little sleep.

Sure, you can get used to little amounts of sleep because your circadian rhythm adjusts. Nevertheless, this is not to say that it doesn't take a toll on your health. People with restricted sleep schedules report that their ability to feel sleepy goes off, and they can stay awake for long. Scientifically, this is dangerous because their bodies don't get the opportunity to slow down.

Tips To Keep In Mind When Changing Your Wake-Up Time

Here are tips to consider when changing your wake-up time:

• You will need a source of motivation to stay committed. If your goal is not as important to you, it will not push you to break a long-term habit.
• The change should be gradual to give your body enough time to adapt. Start by moving the wake time by 15-30 minutes every week until you are well adjusted.
• Do not force yourself to sleep early because you may stay in bed for long without getting sleep, which may cause you stress and anxiety. Instead, just like your waking time, you need to adjust it gradually.
• Ensure that there's light when you wake up because your body uses light to detect the time.
• A relaxing bedtime routine makes sleeping easier by causing you to let go of activities that stimulate your brain. In this way, your body systems slowdown in readiness for sleep.
• Don't induce sleep with alcohol because it may produce the opposite effect instead of lulling you to sleep. Although a single drink hours before bed is manageable for most people, drinking anything later than that could disrupt your sleep schedule and cause snoring acid reflux, or disordered breathing.

Products That Can Help You Wake Up On Time

1. An Extremely Loud Alarm Clock

Heavy sleepers, particularly, do not hear the soft rings of regular alarm clocks or the alarms on their phones. So, you're going to need a loud alarm that rouses you suddenly. The Sonic Bomb is one such clock that blasts a 113db alarm, vibrates vigorously, and flashes lights. You are less likely to miss it.

2. Wake-Up-Light

Since your body reacts to the tender sunrise rays, this light is designed to mimic the sunlight. Once the light touches your skin, you start to wake up instinctively. It also has an alarm clock feature if you need to be pulled up to consciousness.

3. High-Quality Pillow

You're going to need quality sleep to be well-rested and wake up on time in the morning. So, get yourself this high-quality pillow and let your head rest better. The pillow is very soft but firm and comfortable enough to adequately support your neck and head.

In Conclusion

The best time to wake up is between 6 am and 8 am when your body has had enough rest after sleeping through the night for 7-9 hours. The resting period gives your brain and body enough time to rest, repair, and rejuvenate in readiness for the next day's activities. People who maintain this schedule are happier, healthier and more productive at work.