Many students prefer to sleep in and often have a hard time waking up early. Yet, recently I have learned that when I go to sleep early and wake up early I feel more rested and well rounded. With AP and honors classes, many students find themselves stressed and working late at night, but sometimes it’s better to have an early night and then wake up early and finish the rest of whatever is unfinished.
I used to be like other high schoolers until I decided to sleep early one night, and that changed my perspective.
According to Healthline, waking up early helps you concentrate, “Your brain doesn’t wake up the second you do, which is why we tend to feel groggy and disoriented when we first get up.” Savannah Cheng (10) says, “I love to wake up early! It’s nice to start my day in the morning!”
Personally, I found that I am more refreshed when I wake up early. When I go to sleep at 10 pm and wake up at 7 am, I still get 9 hours of sleep. I feel more rested and relaxed, sleeping early rather than going to sleep at 1 am, waking up at 10 am, and getting 9 hours of sleep. I wake up groggy and tired instead of refreshed and ready to start my day. Another pro I found of waking up early is that I have more time to complete my daily tasks, and I have more time for myself. When I wake up early on weekends, I can have more time in my day to do homework, study, or errands. During AP testing, on average, I woke up around 6:30-7 am on the weekends to start my work. By 8 am, I would have already started working.
During the summertime, students may not see a reason to wake up early, but it also has other benefits besides an advantage in doing schoolwork. Avery Yang (10) elaborates, “I feel like during the summertime, most students don’t have a reason to wake up early, especially because they don’t have to wake up and go to school. Yet during summer, I think it’s important to wake up early because it helps you organize your day better.”
Overall, waking up early has many benefits, stretching from increased productivity and organization, to just general mood and wellbeing. So the next time you set your alarm, maybe set it an hour earlier instead!
