Morning seems to come earlier and earlier everyday. With our busy lifestyles, it can seem almost impossible to wake up earlier than absolutely necessary.  Many of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs and business executives wake up in the wee hours of the morning, and there are a multitude of reasons why this is an excellent habit to adopt.

More Energy

It might seem counter productive, but getting up earlier and getting moving will actually give you a jumpstart into your day rather than make you groggy from not getting the extra bit of sleep. Getting one thing done that needs to be done, which would otherwise have been devoted to sleep only, gives you a boost of energy and a great mindset to make the most of your day.

More Time

There are a lot of things we tend to put off like exercise, eating a solid breakfast, or even just relaxing. The early morning hours gives you a chance to have some time for activities you normally think you don’t have time for. We all know exercising gives you so many health benefits, and if you’re up anyway, you might as well work out. You could choose to spend your morning with a cup of coffee and a hearty breakfast, checking emails, reading the news, or even just enjoying the morning and having time to yourself.

Established Sleep Cycle = Better Quality of Sleep

Once you make the commitment to wake up earlier, it’s likely that you’ll be tired a lot earlier in the evening. Going to bed earlier will allow you to more easily wake up before or when the sun comes up, and this sleep cycle of going to bed early and waking up early will help you gain better sleep. People that wake up early tend to have a better sleep regimen and develop a set time for lights out. Of course, in order to keep getting quality of sleep, you should cut back on alcohol, cigarettes, and caffeine right before bed too.

Feeling More in Control

It sounds so easy to wake up early, but we all know how incredibly hard it actually is in practice. Setting the alarm at night for 5 or 6 AM is not hard, but hearing it and responding to the sound it makes by moving from a warm and comfortable bed is difficult to say the least. If you can start the day off by waking up early and getting something done, there’s no telling what else you can do. You are in the minority of people who wake up early and that itself is a feat.

Getting Yourself to Wake Up Earlier

1. Have a goal in mind. Telling yourself you’re going to wake up early just to wake up early is most likely not going to be enough to get you motivated. Keep sight of some sort of goal, be it to live a healthier lifestyle, keep up on current events, responding to emails, or even just to have some time for yourself only. You have to believe that it’s important that you have this time, or else the snooze button is most assuredly going to be hit multiple times.

2. Start slow. Maybe you need to get up in small increments, rather than waking up 2 hours earlier all of the sudden. Waking up earlier, even if it’s only 10 minutes earlier, will feel like an accomplishment if you’re constantly sleeping in and feel rushed in the morning. Build your tolerance to waking up early so this can be a lifestyle you can adopt and stick to.

3. Get some Vitamin D first thing. Waking up and seeing the sunrise or stepping out in the morning light can help reinforce your circadian rhythms and help keep you from staying up late. Your circadian rhythms are the internal biological clock that delegate when you are tired or awake. When it’s daytime, your circadian rhythms are likely to keep you more awake, and when it’s dark out you’ll want to fall asleep. This is why, in most circumstances, working the night shift is detrimental to your health. Being awake at night and sleeping during the day throws off your circadian rhythms.

4. Lay off Caffeine, Nicotine, and Alcohol at Night. To really get a healthy sleep schedule, it’s important that these 3 chemicals are kept to a minimum in the evening hours. Caffeine and nicotine are stimulants that will not do you any favors as you’re laying in bed. Many people say that drinking alcohol right before they lay down helps them fall asleep faster, and while this may be true, the quality of the sleep you have after a drink or 2 is worsened after imbibing.

5. Stay Away From the Snooze Button. We all rely on our cell phones for everything, and it’s likely that your phone is also your alarm clock. There’s nothing wrong with that, but try to keep the cell phone further away from your bed. You need it to be far enough away that you need to get up to turn it off, but close enough that you can hear it and it’ll wake you up.

6. Don’t look at Your Phone Screens. Speaking of cell phones, keeping your eyes away from the blue light of your cell phone screen will also aid you in falling asleep faster. The blue light illuminates your face and simulates sunlight to your brain, tricking it into thinking you should be awake.

7. Get Your Stuff Ready. Help your future self the night before by getting some things ready before you lay down. Having your coffee pot set to brew when you’re to wake up the next morning, setting aside your clothes to wear the night before, having a set goal for the morning will all lend you a helping hand when it’s time to get up the next day. While you’re laying in bed and the snooze alarm goes off, just think of the hot pot of coffee waiting for you.