Many of us grew up hearing the idiom, “The early bird catches the worm,” usually from our parents as they tried to pry us out of bed. It’s a phrase that grates the soul when you just want to press snooze.
It turns out that our parents were right: there are many benefits to getting an early start to the day. In fact, one Lift user Andy Traub hasmade a living helping others build the habit through his book, Early to Rise. Andy pointed us to some studies that reveal the benefits of waking up early.
Three Benefits of Waking Up Early
- You’ll achieve more: A study at the University of North Texas found that students who woke up early had significantly higher GPAs. Another researcher Dr. Christoph Randler found that people who woke up early were more proactive than people who woke up late.
- You’ll be healthier: Researchers in Australia and the US have associated night owl schedules with being less active and weighing more.
- You’ll be happier: A recent study by the American Psychological Association found that waking up early could be the distinguishing habit that makes older adults happier than younger adults.
It’s easy to get started with rising early, too. You have a 90% chance of continuing a habit of waking up early after about 2 weeks according to our data.
How to start the habit:
Right now: Experiment with waking up earlier this week. Leo Babauta of Zen Habits and Joel Gascgoine of Buffer share great tips on their blogs.
Then: For expert advice and community support as you build this habit, join Andy Traub’s Early to Rise Group on Lift.
