Unleashing the Potential of Early Birds: The Benefits of Becoming a Morning Person

Aine Rock, a high performance coach and breathwork facilitator based in California, begins her day at 5 a.m. every day. This allows her to have a quiet moment to herself before being bombarded with news updates, client demands, and attending to her children. Rock’s decision to prioritize herself before anyone else has been life-changing, impacting her energy, clarity, mood, and sense of agency over her life. However, becoming a morning person is not just about willpower. It is also related to one’s chronotype, which is controlled by inherited genes that determine the body’s natural disposition to sleep and wake at certain times. According to Chris Winter, MD, a neurologist, sleep specialist, and author of The Rested Child and The Sleep Solution, some are larks, early risers who are super active in the morning, some are night owls or those who thrive after dark, while others are hummingbirds.

If a person wants to become a morning person, Jessica Matthews, DBH, NBC-HWC, FACLM, a national board-certified health and wellness coach, recommends training one’s circadian rhythm by gradually setting the alarm clock 30 minutes earlier and simultaneously moving up the bedtime. The body will adjust over a series of days, making it easier for the person to wake up early. It also helps to change one’s mindset by thinking of oneself as an early riser. Britney Blair, PsyD, a licensed clinical psychologist and an adjunct professor at The Stanford Center for Sleep Sciences and Medicine, suggests waking up at the same time every single day, including Saturdays and Sundays, to reinforce the body’s internal clock. According to Tara Nicolas, a Nike trainer, reiki master, and meditation instructor, morning workouts can also be an effective way to change the morning mindset. It not only sets the tone for the day and gives an added boost of energy but can also rejig the circadian rhythm, making it easier for the person to sleep at night.

It will be hard to be an early bird if you aren’t getting enough sleep at night. (Keep in mind the average adult needs seven to nine hours of sleep.) That’s why you want to make sure you are actually tired when the time comes so that you sleep adequately throughout the night, says Blair, which is where a wind down routine can help. For Rock that means a warm bath, a white noise machine, essential oils, a silk eye mask, and restricting screen use at least an hour before bedtime. These types of bedtime routines, which Matthews suggests doing about 30-60 minutes prior to your newly desired bedtime, “create a more natural and easeful transition to falling asleep at an earlier time.”

Matthews suggests increasing daytime exposure to sunlight, particularly in the morning, to put you on the right path. Here’s why: Bright light in the a.m. can make you feel alert. It’s also another way to help your body cement its sleep-wake cycle.

Ultimately, though, whether you achieve the goal of becoming a lark or remain happy as a night owl or hummingbird, the most important factor in terms of improved health and well-being, according to Matthews, is consistently getting good quality and also the proper quantity of sleep.