Rising with the Morning Sun

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via EliteDaily

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There’s another world out there. Like entering through a secret portal, it’s a world that only some people experience. A world few have visited and only some can live in.

Like traveling to another country, it’s a world that only some people ever get to see. A chill in the air only some people ever feel; a dew only few walk across.

It’s when coffee is strongest and the air is most crisp. When the morning light is most entrancing and that soft haze makes everything look magical. It’s when there’s nothing but you and the quiet company of the newly awoken sun.

A select few only get to walk along these empty streets, taking in the energy and the absence of sound. Only few get to feel the morning air, before it becomes tainted and consumed by the breaths of the masses.

Early risers get everything first. The first sounds, the first bites, the first waves of new air. They get to the streets before they’re littered and walked across. They get the news before it’s shared and exposed. They get the world before it’s crowded and full.

They are the planners, the leaders, the doers. They are the ones who don’t wait for you to get up, but beat you to the punch. They are the ones who are starting their lives with purpose, every morning. And according to Emotion, the study published in the American Psychological Association journal, even though night owls may be more creative and intelligent, early birds are more successful.

Because our society is structured around a 9-5 work period, people who wake up early are more accustomed and productive during those hours, so we’ve deemed them more socially acceptable.

They go into work already awake, rather than spending half the day in a fog. They go to bed when the sun goes down, rather than when it’s coming up. They are accustomed to — and in-tune — with the schedule society functions around.

This schedule is referred to as our “social clock,” according to Renee Biss, the scientist from the University of Toronto who led the study.

Social jetlag is the term given to night owls; their biological clocks are not in sync with society’s social clock and, therefore, they end up having a hard time meeting societal expectations and functioning throughout the day.

Early birds, on the other hand, are more productive and happier throughout the day because their schedules are aligned.

They reap the benefits of the chaotic threshold that begins when their alarm clocks go off. They are already making their mark, hatching their plans and creating a day worth living before you’ve gotten the strength to get out of bed.
They have first dibs on the day

They get everything first, and that makes all the difference. They get the first opportunities and the first bites of life. They get the first chances to strike and the first attempts at success.

Contrary to night owls, who use the night for creativity, early birds use the morning for planning and plotting. They are hatching plans, finding answers and leading the charge.

According to a study conducted at a Texas University in 2008, college kids who wake up earlier are more likely to graduate at the top of their class.

Using a questionnaire, students were instructed to determine themselves as either morning people or evening people. They compared the results to the GPAs of the participants and found that those who considered themselves morning people had higher GPAs than their night-owl counterparts, with the results a full point higher (3.5 vs. 2.5).

Researchers concluded the reasons for these discrepancies could be found in the lifestyle of the early birds. Kids who wake up earlier are less likely to go out at night and make bad decisions because they know they have to be up sooner. They are also more prone to get to classes on time and create study habits that are more conducive to the college lifestyle.
They have all morning to figure it out

The more time you spend on a problem, the more solutions you procure. Early birds have the distinct advantage of having hours to figure out their days and plan for the problems they will face. They get work done before you’ve even opened your eyes and are on to the next set of problems before you’ve even taken your morning shower.

According to Christopher Randler, a biology professor at Harvard, early birds are more productive because they have time to anticipate problems and solutions. They are proactive and goal-oriented, which is a quality most leaders possess. They are ready for anything because they’ve been awake.

Surveying 367 college students, Randler asked them what time of day they were most energetic and how willing they were to take action to change a certain situation or outcome to be in their favor.

Not surprisingly, the early birds were more prone to agree with statements like, “I spend time identifying long-range goals for myself” and, “I feel in charge of making things happen.”
They have healthier habits

They eat breakfast; they go for a run; they make time for the gym. They have time to do all that stuff you can’t fathom doing when you wake up late for work. They are the ones who are going to find time during the day to do all those things that keep them healthier and, ultimately, happier.

They are also eating better than night owls. According to a 2011 Northwestern University study published in Women’s Health Magazine, night owls eat twice as much fast food than early risers, and have a higher BMI.

Early birds are also prone to eat more fruits and vegetables, as much as double the amount as those who sleep late.

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