The 5 am club: is it worth the hype?

Written By : Grace Weidenhamer

I don’t consider myself part of the 5 am club. Maybe 5 am club adjacent. I’ve never been that much of a morning person, but with starting a new (and busy) job, coaching two soccer teams, and training for a marathon, it’s essential in order to get anything accomplished.I prefer to wake up early enough that I can indulge in a slow morning, but late enough that I get a full 8-ish hours. However, more often than not I find myself waking up to a buzzing sound and a screen that starts with the number 5. As much as I like my beauty sleep, I do find benefits in waking up early.

First of all, the amount you can get done in a day drastically increases just by waking up earlier than you need to. When trying to wake up earlier, try planning out activities for your morning in order to keep yourself motivated. If I know I want to wake up early, but don’t know what for, it’s easy to forget your goal and hit snooze when 5 am rolls around.

Use the mornings for yourself. Jay Shetty, author of Think Like a Monk, says to “create a time cushion at the beginning of the day or you’ll spend the rest of the day searching for it. I guarantee you’ll never find that extra time in the middle of the day. Steal it from your morning sleep and give that sleep back to yourself at night and see what changes.”

There’s been plenty of times where I put off personal to-do’s for later in the day and never seem to get around to them. Doing things for yourself first thing in the morning forces you to do them and sets you up for a great day ahead. I think most of us enjoy a slow morning, but how often do we manufacture them for ourselves?

Try waking up slightly earlier until you find that time frame you need to manufacture your perfect morning (I’m still working on this). It seems like the healthiest and happiest people are the ones that wake up earlier than they need to and spend time meditating, journaling, doing red-light therapy, going for a walk, or another form of emotional regulation. You don’t have to do it all, but find something that you want to add to your daily routine, and make the time in the morning for it. It took me a while to not hit an afternoon slump while trying to wake up earlier. The secret ingredient? Going to bed earlier! I know, I know, easier said than done. But once you ease yourself into the routine of getting up earlier, you’ll find that going to bed earlier is kind of, dare I say, nice.

Put your phone away so you don’t see the time, use only soft lighting, and create a wind-down routine that signals it’s time to go to bed. Personally, I find that it’s easier to get stuff done in the morning than it is at night (I’m a sleepy girl).

For some, this routine may not make sense. It may not work for your lifestyle. But if you ever get an inkling of curiosity, I suggest testing it out. You may surprise yourself! I rarely wake up at 5 am (more like 6) and I let myself have days of sleeping in. It’s all about balance, listening to your body, and prioritizing your rest so that you can recharge and show up as your best self as often as possible!