We’ve all heard how much more productive we could be if we just got up at butt crack of dawn. I can’t say I haven’t considered trying it. I mean, being super productive and even making more money by doing so certainly sounds appealing. But then the critical thinker in me kicks in and starts to question how this could possibly benefit my life.
For the purposes of this article, let’s just assume that the butt crack of dawn is equivalent to a 5 am wake up call.
My Current Sleep-Wake Cycle
I’ve come to know my body and mind pretty well over the years and I know that I absolutely need a minimum of 7 hours (preferably 8) of sleep to function optimally on any given day. I’m also hyper-aware of the fact that I do not sleep straight through the night. Ever.
I wake up a few times a night, every night, and it takes me a few minutes to get comfortable enough to fall asleep again. Since this has been my natural sleep cycle for a span of, oh, I don’t know, 4 decades, I don’t expect it will soon change.
What does it all mean? It means for me to get at least 7 – 8 hours of good sleep, I can’t just go to bed at midnight and wake up at 7 am. It means I have to go to bed long before that to accommodate the several times I know I’m going to wake up each night.
My natural bedtime, considering my current work and home schedule, is 10:30 pm. This somehow occurs every night without any prompts. Like clockwork (pun intended), I find myself crawling into bed right around 10:30 pm every single night.
At Work
Since I shoot for arriving at work each morning between 8 and 8:30 am, a 7 o’clock wake up time is perfect for me. Even though I have the option of working from home twice a week, I prefer to go into the office for socialization and productivity. Yes, productivity.
I’m a social butterfly and love to chat, so I enjoy being at the office. In addition to socializing, being physically present at work also allows me to easily access corporate documents and have face-to-face meetings and conversations. All my socializing and face-to-face discussions build rapport and with people I wouldn’t otherwise have a relationship with. Let me tell you, that usually turns out to be a huge win in the corporate world. Unlike waking up early, being physically present is what makes me more productive.
At Home
Just like my corporate life, my home life is no different. I don’t adjust my internal clock on the weekends just because it’s the weekend. Of course, I’m also not in my 20s anymore so partying it up on Friday or Saturday and staying up late aren’t typically on my agenda.
Instead, my husband and I are busy running errands, cleaning the house, watching our daughter play soccer, and trying to sneak in a coffee date here and there. I’m sure you’ll agree that a weekend of that magnitude doesn’t require a sleep-wake adjustment.
Related:
- Operating With An Attitude Of Gratitude On The Path To Financial Independence
- Ditch The Financial Gimmicks For A Better Life
- Our Brand-Spankin’ New (And Frugal) Memory Foam Mattress
Analyzing A Butt Crack Of Dawn Wake Time
In light of my own life, I oftentimes feel the need to do things better than I do them now. The Internet has this undeniable ability to make me feel like everyone else is more efficient at everything. Maybe it’s just me. But I’m guessing it’s not.
Now, when I engage my brain I realize there is no way other people are as put together as they portray. It’s those times when my brain isn’t engaged (often) that I question if my productivity would skyrocket if I got up at 5 am. Hmm, let’s examine.
The Biological Implications
I’m a scientist by training. A microbiologist to be exact. So when I think about setting my alarm to 5 am, I think about how it might impact my body, biologically speaking.
According to “science”, most people need between 7 – 9 hours of sleep each night to function properly. Sleep occurs in 4 stages that are categorized as either non-Rapid Eye Movement (non-REM) or Rapid Eye Movement (REM).
Everyone cycles through these stages several times a night with REM sleep being the most restorative stage. The REM stage of sleep also occurs in longer intervals toward the early morning hours. So, not surprisingly, the last type of sleep anyone should cut short is REM sleep – the exact stage you cut short by moving up your wake time.
And again, that’s not me talking, it’s science. Check out the information about the importance of sleep from the National Institute of Health.
Obviously, some people are naturally inclined to go to bed early and get up early. Others are inclined to do the opposite. I think it’s a safe assumption to say that most of the population falls somewhere in the middle. Since I’m a self-proclaimed average individual, I fall somewhere in between. And that’s where I’m going to stay.
The Relationship Implications
On top of the biological implications of adjusting or shortening my normal sleep cycle, there are also relationship implications that shouldn’t be ignored.
Going to bed at 8:30 pm would seriously interfere with my relationships with my daughter and my husband. On any given night, my little girl and I are hunkered down reading together around that time. This special mommy-daughter time consists of us both reading a chosen book all snuggled up in her bed together with stuffed animals abound. We try to wrap up around 9 so we can get her all prepped and tucked in for bedtime.
As soon as she’s close to dozing off I make my way out to the couch to spend some time with Mr. MMM. This is our special time where we catch each other up on our days and broach topics we couldn’t discuss earlier when our little one was still vertical.
Sometimes, we cut our convo short to take in a television series. We’ve found it’s a wonderful way to be present, unwind, and be entertained at the same time. We have enjoyed several series over the years and always tend to rehash what’s happening during our weekend coffee dates. For such a superficial way to pass time, it sure does keep us bonded and up-to-date with pop culture.
Just in case you’re curious, our favorite series over the years have been: Breaking Bad, Ozark, Mad Men, and Game of Thrones. Yeah, we’re mostly just like everyone else. And that comes to our wake-sleep cycles too.
The Quality of Life Implications
So you see, by me short-cycling my natural bedtime, I’d be seriously hindering the rest of my life. And to what end? I’m certain that starting my day 2 hours earlier isn’t going to make or break my bank account or productivity – especially when it means I’m going to bed 2 hours earlier to make up for it.
Getting Up At 5 am Won’t Make Me More Productive
Sure, maybe it’s quieter at my house at 5 am compared to 7 am. And, sure, maybe I’d be productive in those 2 hours by blogging or doing laundry or making a grocery list, but I’d also have to be super quiet out of fear of waking up my husband and daughter. If I’m getting up early to be productive, tip-toeing around the house is just going to hinder that productivity.
So, am I willing to get up at 5 am if it means adjusting my bedtime to 8:30 pm? The answer is a BIG FAT NO for all the reasons stated above.
The obvious alternative would be to get up early and not go to bed early. After this analysis, I can say with ABSOLUTE CERTAINTY that I will not dial back my current sleep time in the name of productivity. That is a bad plan for anyone’s health and wellbeing.
Related:
- Why I Love My W-2 Job And You Should Love Yours Too
- Why We Stopped Chasing Early Retirement For A Happier Life
- Extreme Frugality Fatigue Is All It’s Cracked Up To Be
Exceptions To The Rule
As with most things in life, there are exceptions to the rules. This situation is no different.
Obviously, if you’re working a job that requires an early start time or you need to adjust your schedule to align with other aspects or people in your life, then a 5 am wake up time might be unavoidable. And that’s okay.
It’s also perfectly fine if you actually enjoy getting up super early and watching the sunrise from your deck or kitchen table. Not everyone fits into the same mold.
But for me, I can say beyond the shadow of a doubt that setting my alarm for 5 am in the name of optimization and productivity, will never happen.
4 Comments
Hey! I’d be right there with you, if my wife hadn’t gone and started her 5AM habit a few years back. It was literally the only time she could find to get a work out in. So, to keep our relationship tight, I eventually succumbed to the 5AM wake-up call. Sometimes our boy will wake up but 95% of the time the kids sleep right on up until 6:45/7.
Going to bed at 9PM every night is odd at first, but now, it’s routine.
I totally get that there is little wiggle room in the schedule when you’re dealing with little ones. It’s good to hear you were both able to get on board with the 5 am routine!
5AM? Way too late for us. We started getting up earlier than that a long time ago to get our morning run in with our running group before work. Now that we are early retired we still run at the same time with the same group. Except on Saturdays, we run longer distances, so start earlier. Everyone has 24 hours a day, when you start your waking day doesn’t change that by a single second. Our kids are grown and gone so we can set our schedule any way we want.
That is awesome! You’re spot-on. Everyone has the same 24 hours each day. If someone chooses to get up at 2 am, more power to them. It’s all about accommodating one’s own lifestyle and being happy. Nice work with the early morning runs, btw!