Early risers are often thought of as energetic problem-solvers leading businesses, organizations, or sometimes even nations. Ever wondered how a morning person can get so much done in only 24 hours? Waking up early gives you a head start on your day.

Night owls may disagree. They may argue that it’s possible to get extra work done at the end of the day. While this may be true for some, the vast majority of us are conditioned to be most productive during the early hours of the day.

The Science Behind Morning Wakefulness and Nighttime Sleepiness Our bodies are designed to produce the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin when we experience darkness. The sleep-wake cycle in our body is regulated by our circadian rhythms, our body’s internal clock, which works with the light and darkness around us.

When our retina perceives light, it signals to the Suprachiasmatic Nucleus (our body’s biological master clock) to suppress melatonin production and release cortisol, causing wakefulness. We are naturally attuned to being more responsive and alert during morning hours and sluggish and sleepy at night.

9 Benefits to Getting Up Early

Before you get into the habit of waking up early, you should know the benefits that come along with it. If you are already an early riser, you know what the mornings bring, apart from the beautiful sunrise. However, for those who are not early risers, here’s a list of the many advantages.

Enhanced Organizing Skills Your early morning hours tend to be the most productive time of day because you get uninterrupted time to yourself. You can accomplish any task faster when you don’t face distractions.

You can use this peaceful and quiet time to plan your day ahead, allocating a certain time frame for each of your tasks. Mentally working out your day before you start it enhances your organizing skills, promoting productivity.

Eat Healthy Foods Waking up early gives you time to make a healthy breakfast. It doesn’t have to be anything elaborate, smoothies, salads, and fruit bowls only require a few minutes to prepare. Early risers have this time to prepare a simple and healthy breakfast for themselves and their family.

If you wake up late, chances are you’ll be late for everything else, creating a domino effect. When you’re running late, you’ll oftentimes pick up an easy-to-eat breakfast like a doughnut or muffin, or skip breakfast altogether.

Breakfast is an important meal, giving you the energy to start the day. Skipping this meal makes your body crave energy and you end up eating something high in sugar or fat to instantly satiate yourself. Some people find that bigger breakfasts or larger lunches can help them put together lighter dinner, limiting what they eat before bed.

Exercise Regularly Exercising in the morning is considered best because it gives you an adrenaline boost. Adrenaline enhances alertness, helping you overcome the sleepy feeling. Moreover, if you’re in a morning exercise schedule there are fewer chances of missing it due to some other important task eating into its time. For example, if you exercise in the evening there are higher chances of missing it due to extra hours at work, a get-together with friends, or sheer exhaustion.

Beat Peak Traffic Commute If you wake up early, you can leave your home early, beating peak traffic hours. You don’t waste time being stuck in traffic while commuting to work or dropping the kids off. You’ll also be on time for all your other appointments throughout the day.

Stay Stress-free Waking up early gives you the leisure to plan your day ahead. You aren’t rushing through your day in a haze with a cluttered mind. Planning ahead eliminates the stress that comes with rushing to get things done. Moreover, when you wake up early, you have more time for some stress-busting leisure activities, helping you start your day with a calm and composed mind. You are better equipped to prioritize and solve problems, the key to remaining stress-free throughout the day.

Enjoy Quality Sleep You don’t have to count sheep to sleep. When you wake up early, your body feels tired early, leading to quality sleep as soon as you go to bed. You get accustomed to the natural circadian rhythm, making you early to bed and early to rise.

Dr. Joshua Tal, NYC-based sleep psychologist, noted that at first “waking up early will be hard and you will feel tired, but the more you do it the more your body will adjust.”

Longer waking hours lead to sufficient accumulation of adenosine. Adenosine is a neurotransmitter that causes sleepiness by inhibiting neuron activity. Waking up earlier leads to faster accumulation of adenosine, making you feel sleepy in the evening hours. Going to bed early can improve your chances of completing all four stages of sleep through the four to six sleep cycles, making you feel well-rested and rejuvenated the next morning.

More Morning Energy The main distinction between early risers and night owls lies in their energy levels throughout the day. Morning risers wake up with more energy, which gradually decreases as the day progresses, while late risers tend to have lower energy levels in the morning but experience a boost in energy during the evening.

This difference is particularly evident in teenagers and individuals with delayed circadian rhythms, as early risers may feel tired earlier in the evening compared to night owls.

Both sleep styles need to experience a full night of rest. Completing sleep stages and cycles improves both physical and mental well-being. Growth hormones, causing tissue repair and regeneration, are released during the deeper stages of sleep.

Feel Happier When you wake up early, you reap the benefits of many good habits, leading to an energetic, well-rested, stress-free, punctual, and healthy you. You get a sense of order in life, making you feel happier. In fact, according to a 2012 National Library of Medicine study, healthy adults who woke up early had a more positive state of mind than night owls.

Better Grades Getting up early may also improve your chances of scoring higher than others in academics. In a recent study, morning chronotype students got better grades than vening chronotype students, although the authors did note “the association is weak.” and theroized that evening chronotypes were more likely to be sleep-deprived for morning classes.