Although the habit or preference of being an early riser versus a snooze-alarm-puncher is a highly individual choice, there are some real benefits to being an early riser.

Even if you're the type who squeezes the pillow until the very last moment, when it's either get up or get fired, it is possible to learn to be an early riser.

The trick is making it worth something to you.

As I am an early riser myself, I was thrilled to find these both inspiring and precise tips to the benefits of being an early riser, published by ZenHabits.net. Those early morning hours are some of the sweetest of the entire day. None others are as calm, quiet, or beautiful.

ZenHabits lists 10 great perks of rising with the sun, from creating a soothing, life-affirming morning ritual, to the joys of eating breakfast.

ZenHabits.net May 10, 2007

Dr. Mercola's Comment:

Most people don't understand the importance of the timing of their sleep, and they stay up far too late thanks to completely unnatural electric light.  You were designed to go to sleep when the sun sets and wake up when the sun rises. If you stray too far from this biological pattern you will disrupt delicate hormonal cycles in your body.

Some say that for every hour you sleep before midnight it is worth two.  Ayurvedic medicine has had an element of chronobiology for over 5,000 years as they had a deep appreciation of this phenomena.

Personally, I tend to go to bed around 9 to 9:30 p.m. and typically get up around 4:30 a.m., but sometimes I will bounce out of bed at 3:30 a.m. with plenty of energy. I hardly ever use an alarm and allow my body to rest and sleep later if I need to. 

Sleeping in complete darkness is another key if you are going to maximize your melatonin levels and decrease your risk of cancer.

To help you move in this direction you can view waking up early as a reward—not a punishment and loss of your sleep. Once you've created a morning ritual or two that add zest, peace, and productivity, there will be no going back.

Instead of setting off a mad-rush chain-reaction by getting up at the last minute, you can actually find time you didn't know you had to truly enjoy some of the best parts of your life! Breakfast, in and of itself, can change your life, as having a good breakfast means that you're no longer running on fumes and resorting to caffeine, fats and sugars to keep your head temporarily upright.

Now, if you're getting up earlier, naturally you may want to go to bed earlier as well. Getting enough sleep is one of the most important steps you can take for your health, so don't try to get up early by attempting to compress a full night's sleep into a few short hours. And also don't make the mistake of taking sleeping pills to make this switch, as there's really no such thing as a safe sleeping pill.

Instead, see my 33 Secrets to a Good Night's Sleep, and make sure you're still setting aside at least six to eight hours for sleeping.

Also remember that if you consistently sleep under six hours a night you will likely increase your risk of diabetes. Interestingly, this also appears to be true of sleeping more than eight hours. The further away you stray from these numbers (less than six or more than eight hours of sleep) the higher your risk of diabetes.

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