Beep. Beep. Beep. The infamous sound of your alarm clock is ticking; you can hear it right? Well, we’ve all heard it said time and time again that if you wake up early you will have a more productive day, leading to a more successful future. Is this really true? If you’re anything like me, you probably don’t like waking up early (especially if you’re a student). Sometimes we need more motivation in waking up early and working out in the morning, but usually the temptation of hitting the snooze button triumphs over the better option. Imagine you are in bed sound asleep at 4:30 am, and Michelle Obama is already working out! I mean how is that possible? Regardless, we usually hit the snooze button, but could that be preventing us from becoming more successful, or better yet, a millionaire? I would also like to mention that before I wrote this article, I read three different, reliable sources that I will refer to (citations listed at the end of the article). It’s important to acknowledge the fact that I am not a sleep expert, which you have probably already figured out.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, healthy adults need seven to nine hours of sleep, while teenagers and young adolescents need about eight to ten hours, and adults over the age of sixty-five need between seven to eight hours. On average, Americans don’t even get seven hours of sleep a night.

Some experts say that early rising is a “performance killer.” We need eight hours, and we shouldn’t mess with our internal body clocks. If you’re not getting enough sleep, you aren’t protecting yourself from illnesses. Your body only produces half the antibodies of the normal amount against the flu, if you’re getting less than eight hours of sleep. Additionally, you can put on weight and for people who have diabetes, if they don’t get enough sleep, they can have more difficulty regulating their blood sugar levels. You can also become more prone to having depression and anxiety because your mood can fluctuate due to a lack of sleep.

Your genetics can also play a part in whether or not you should wake up at the crack of dawn every day. Some people are wired to be more productive in the morning, while some are wired to be more productive at night. It’s also vital that you maintain a consistent bedtime routine and time. These can ensure that you will go to bed and rise at the same time, and you will be more likely to reach eight hours of sleep every night.

So, these billionaires and millionaires may be successful but most of them aren’t getting enough sleep. It’s more important that you get enough sleep so that you can be productive. If you are tired, then you won’t be able to focus as well, and you aren’t as likely to become successful. If you are naturally an early riser then great! If you are more productive at night and are more of a night owl, then you should stay up later and wake up later if you can. You are much more likely to become a millionaire if you get a good night’s sleep, not if you wake up at a certain time of the day, or rather, in the early morning. The key to becoming a millionaire is getting enough sleep.

Citations:

1. Popescu, A. (2019, June 5). Waking Up at 4 A.M. Every Day Is the Key to Success. Or to Getting a Cold. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/05/style/self-care/waking-up-at-4-am.html.

2. Suni, E. (2021, March 10). How Much Sleep Do We Really Need? Sleep Foundation. https://www.sleepfoundation.org/how-sleep-works/how-much-sleep-do-we-really-need.

3. Lufkin, B. (2019, February 13). Is waking up early good or bad? BBC Worklife. Retrieved January 16, 2022, from https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20190213-is-waking-up-early-good-or-bad