How To Start Waking Up Earlier
It's 5:46 am, and you've snoozed your alarm for the fourth time. You know you need to get up if you're going to fit in leg day, work, and your kid's soccer game. But the warm bed is impossible to leave.
So you hit snooze today. And the next day. And the next. Any hope of waking up predawn is gone. We get it—waking up at the crack of dawn is hard. But it doesn't have to be... if you have a solid sleep routine.
We've rounded up seven tips to help.
Why sleep matters
Just as our muscles need rest to recover from strenuous workouts, our minds (and bodies) need enough sleep for optimal functioning.
When we don't get the required rest, we experience brain fog and other symptoms, like:
- Negative hormonal changes, like increased concentrations of cortisol and ghrelin
- Problems metabolizing glucose
- Increased blood pressure
- A suppressed immune system
- Reduced human growth hormone
- Diminished cognitive abilities, like reasoning and problem-solving
And if you’re severely sleep deprived, you can become paranoid and hallucinate.
But well-rested people generally enjoy benefits like:
- Improved memory recall and cognition
- Reduced mental fatigue
- Enhanced athletic performance, like positive effects on reaction time
- Decreased risk of anxiety and depression
Jocko’s a firm believer in waking up early and getting enough sleep. His advice for doing both? Discipline.
Discipline starts with waking up early—willing yourself to get up when the alarm goes off, and leaving the comfort of your bed. It's hard. But that's why Jocko relies on discipline and a solid sleep routine.
7 ways to start your day earlier
Like anything else, building a new habit overnight is a challenge. Ever tried to give up coffee cold turkey? Doesn't typically go over well.
The same goes for shifting your sleep schedule. You might adapt on the first day. Or it could take a week. But if you follow these steps and are disciplined with your sleep routine, waking up predawn will become a habit—fast.
Step 1: Hit the sack earlier
Want to wake up earlier? Go to bed earlier. It really is that simple. The key is maintaining the same hours of sleep. So, if you want to wake up by 4:00 am and get seven hours of sleep, you need to go to bed by 9:00 pm.
If you're a night owl, this can be especially hard. Jocko suggests doing three things to make falling asleep simple:
- Tire yourself out throughout the day with intense morning workouts and activities that energize you during the day, but tire you out come bedtime.
- Blue light from computers or phones can suppress melatonin and throw off your circadian rhythm, making it harder to fall asleep, so turn them off.
- If simply laying in bed isn't enough to tire you, read a book that puts you to sleep (literally). Reading is relaxing and can help you wind down.]
Step 2: Stop snoozing the alarm
There's no magic trick—set your alarm, wake up, and get out of bed when it goes off. No, "five more minutes" or snoozing. Just get up.
It's not easy or fun, but it's part of the skill you're trying to hone: discipline. And, while it's initially difficult, it gets easier as you start going to bed earlier and maintaining your regular amount of sleep (likely 6-8 hours).
Step 3: No excuses—just “do”
Nike's genius "Just do it" slogan has inspired everyone from elite athletes to casual gym rats to get after it for decades. Stop doubting yourself, making excuses, and not taking action—just do it.
Embrace this philosophy with getting up in the morning. The bed is warm. I'm tired. I don't want to. When every excuse pops into your head, use discipline to:
- Wake up
- Get out of bed
- Go do
Step 4: Embrace power naps
If you're feeling extra tired or not getting enough sleep as you make adjustments, power naps can be a lifesaver.
A quick nap can re-energize you, and, if you elevate your feet, it can take some pressure off your circulatory system in the lower body.
But don’t sleep too long. After 20-30 minutes, we move into the deep stages of our sleep cycle, so ideally, you should nap no more than about 20 minutes.
Step 5: Turn on the lights
Dr. Afifa Shamim-Uzzaman—Director of the Ann Arbor VA Sleep Disorders Center and an associate professor at the University of Michigan—explains that much like blue light keeps us up at night, sunlight wakes us up in the morning. How? By turning off the sleep-regulating hormone melatonin.
If it's dark in the morning, use a broad-spectrum lightbox to trick your mind into waking up and being more alert.
CALLOUT BOX: "When you're exposed to bright sunlight, it shuts [melatonin production] off, telling the body, 'Hey, it's time to be awake.'" - Dr. Afifa Shamim-Uzzaman
Step 6: Get your workout in first
One of the best ways to combat excuses around hitting the gym is to work out first thing in the morning. It's good for your health, sets the tone for the day, and is yet another way to practice discipline.
Make it easy on yourself by doing as much in advance as possible, like:
- Laying out your workout clothes the night before
- Write down your morning workout ahead of time
- Do things you typically do in the morning, like creating to-do lists, the night before
All you have to do now is roll out of bed, get dressed, and Go.
Step 7: Be consistent (and disciplined)
You already know that one-off efforts won't get you anywhere—in the gym, with your nutrition, or with waking up early. A solid sleep routine is about consistency and discipline.
Discipline might not be as crucial when you're doing something easy, like sleeping in. But when you want to create a new habit—especially a tough one—having discipline and being committed is paramount.
It’s 4:34 AM—are you awake?
Waking up before the sun rises is hard. But following a solid sleep routine, like the one we've outlined here, will help you start your day before anyone else—a foundation of discipline.
Tackle your workout. Read. Embrace the day. Now that you're up, get after it.