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Waking up at 5:00 a.m. is actually easy, and I'm going to prove it to you in this video. And no, it doesn't require torturing yourself with a million alarm clocks or throwing a bucket of ice water in your face.
In this video, we're going to talk about whether being an early riser actually matters, and if so, how to do it the right way. Because as we're going to see, the science of a perfect morning surprisingly has very little to do with mornings at all.
In his autobiography, Benjamin Franklin extolled the virtues of being an early riser, coining the famous phrase, "early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise." Now, old Ben not only preached it, he actually practiced it. In his book, he laid out a strict daily routine that he claims led to his life's incredible success. and his wake up time 5:00 a.m. on the dot. But it turns out that Franklin is not the only famous historical figure who was an early riser. In fact, it's almost more difficult to find a famous or prominent figure in history who is not an early riser.
But how do you do it? Waking up early has long been associated with productivity, mental clarity, overall well-being. And recent studies have actually found that early risers are less likely to experience depression. They have higher and more sustained energy levels throughout the day. and they self-report higher perceived productivity. Also, interestingly, people's quality of sleep seems to improve the earlier they wake up. And as we'll see, that's actually huge.
But I personally believe that most of the benefits of waking up early come from something else entirely. Something most of the research misses, and you definitely won't hear on Huberman anytime soon. More on that in a minute. First, we should get a better understanding of what sleep is and why it's important.
Napoleon once claimed that "6 hours of sleep was more than enough for a man and only 8 hours was enough for a fool." Well, Napoleon also died a miserable death alone in exile on a deserted island. So, what the [ __ ] does that guy know? It turns out that the research is crystal clear. The length and quality of your sleep matters far more than exactly when you sleep.
Getting enough high quality sleep isn't just about feeling less groggy. It boosts your brain power. During deep sleep, your brain consolidates memories, helping you learn faster and think more clearly the next day. And your immune system benefits, too. When you sleep, your body produces and regulates the cells and proteins that fight off infections. If you don't get enough rest, you're more likely to catch colds and feel run down. On top of that, sleep supports your heart health. Studies link poor sleep to higher risks of hypertension and heart disease. By making sure you get enough shutye, you help regulate your blood pressure and lower inflammation, factors that keep your heart happier.
Now, another big perk is how sleep helps maintain a healthy weight. Skipping on rest can throw off hormones that control hunger and fullness, often leading to cravings and weight gain. Getting the right amount of sleep helps balance these hormones, which can support healthier eating habits and a stable metabolism.
Now, good sleep should be the single most non-negotiable part of your health. Brian Johnson, a man who has spent millions of dollars in an attempt to be the healthiest man on Earth, was recently asked if he could only give one piece of advice to the whole world, what would it be? He immediately replied, "Sleep."
I bring all of this up because before we start high-fiving each other over our 5:00 a.m. wakeup calls, the most important factor here is quality and quantity of sleep. Because if you do want to become an early bird, this matters a lot.
Now, when trying to wake up earlier, most people's natural inclination is to simply set their alarm to an earlier and earlier time and then painfully force themselves out of bed. This is awful. Forcing yourself awake at 5:00 a.m. on 4 hours of sleep is not heroism. Honestly, it's self-sabotage.
Now, if our priority is quality and quantity of sleep, and we want to wake up at 5:00 a.m. to take advantage of being an early riser, then it logically follows that the key to our new morning routine actually starts at least 8 hours before that, at 9:00 p.m. the night before. This is what everyone gets wrong about the fetish for early morning routines. It has nothing to do with the morning. What matters is when and how you go to bed at night.
Now, chances are, if you're like most people, you struggle to fall asleep at night. This is probably because you spend most of your afternoons and evenings [ __ ] around on your phone, playing video games, eating massive meals, and going out partying and drinking with friends. All of these things are completely contrary to getting a good night's rest. Therefore, you don't fall asleep at a reasonable hour, and it feels impossible to wake up at a reasonable hour.
But what if? What if you didn't go out and do crazy things at night? What if you put your phone away at least an hour before bed and read a book and meditated instead? What if you had an early light dinner and stopped working and checking email in the late afternoon? What if you didn't binge watch TV or play video games all night? What if you didn't look at screens at all after dark? I know this all sounds awful. See, that is the trade-off. Less nighttime fun equals more daytime productivity. So, ask yourself, what do you want to give up?
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It turns out that an ideal nighttime routine is actually pretty straightforward. Chances are you just don't want to do it. But if you want to get up at 5:00 a.m. consistently every morning with no alarm, this is how you would go about it, working backwards.
9:00 p.m. bedtime. This means you're in bed by this time. The room is dark and cold. You're ready to sleep. And if you are still awake, you're either reading something light or meditating.
8:00 p.m. All devices and screens are off. This is the hardest one for most people to do. I recommend leaving your phone in another room entirely. You don't need the alarm. Remember, this is your windown routine. You're stretching, journaling, reading, doing your nighttime hygiene. You can also try a warm shower or bath in the evening. When you step out, your body temperature will drop, which can then make you sleepy.
7:00 p.m. Dim the lights. No food or drinks. Bright lights can trick your brain into thinking it's daytime just like screens do. Maybe switch to a lamp or use a warm soft lighting in the evening. Some people go as far as wearing blue light blocking glasses at night. Also, no food or drinks past this time either. This will help prevent nighttime bathroom breaks and sleep issues due to food.
6 p.m. No more work. The same way your brain needs time to warm up, it needs time to wind down as well. Nothing will keep you tossing and turning in bed like stress from work.
2 p.m. caffeine cut off. Self-explanatory. Caffeine can stay in your system for over 6 hours. And if you're particularly sensitive, move this back to noon.
Now, be sure to start gradually. If you are currently going to bed at 1:00 a.m. each night, don't just immediately start trying to fall asleep at 9:00 p.m. That's probably not going to work very well. Take it 1 hour at a time. Move your bedtime back to midnight for a few nights, then move it to 11:00 p.m., then 10 p.m., and then 9:00 p.m. Think of it as like adjusting the jet lag, except instead of visiting another continent, you're visiting like another part of the day.
Now, when in doubt, take it slow. Don't move your bedtime back another hour until you're able to easily fall asleep at your current bedtime. Do this, and within a week or two, you should actually be there.
Now, none of this is rocket science. You and I and everyone else can do this. The question is, is it actually worth it? Because here are just some of the things that you're likely giving up for that extra boost of productivity. Most of your nights out, large meals at excellent restaurants, alcohol for the most part, binging TV shows and video games, late night work sessions. And unlike people who make productivity porn content, I'm going to level with you. It might not be worth it. Depending on what you value and what you're optimizing for in your life at the moment, it might actually be dumb to get up at 5 in the morning. It really depends.
When I was in my 20s, I went to bed at 4:00 in the morning most nights and woke up around 11:00 a.m. or noon. I loved it. I went out drinking multiple times a week. I still built an awesome career for myself, too. These days, I wake up naturally around 5:30 or 6. I also love it. But it's not because there's something magical about being up before dawn. It's more just that I don't really have any interest anymore in what the night owl lifestyle offers me. I don't like to drink or party anymore. I try to avoid screens and I'm in a stage of my life where I'm trying to be as productive and efficient as possible. Therefore, early mornings make sense for me right now. Would I go back to my 20s and give up all those fun nights out and great experiences I had with friends just to make a little bit more money or build my business slightly faster? To be honest, I probably wouldn't, especially because I don't think there's anything inherently magical about early mornings. In fact, if you dig into the research enough and look at the data, most of the benefits of waking up early do not actually come from waking up early. They come from all the things that you're forced to give up the night before.
So, can you wake up at 5:00 a.m. without an alarm? Yes. I just gave you the step-by-step guide on exactly how to do it. And I'm confident within a few weeks, if you follow it to the tea, you can easily implement it if you want to. But should you wake up at 5:00 a.m. every morning without an alarm? That's the question I don't have the answer to.
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