Find Out Why Early Risers Are Healthier

Rise and shine! If you are an early riser, then you should be thankful because according to the latest news, you are healthier than people who don’t wake up early. On the other hand, if you don’t have a tendency to wake up early in the morning and prefer to sleep in, this article will inspire you to change your habit. Keep reading to find out more.

The early bird gets the worm

Jawbone UP analyzed data from over 850,000 fitness trackers from all around the globe. Outcomes of this analysis were released in the Huffington Post. The report showed that users of Jawbone, who went to bed at the same time each night (before 11 pm) ate more nutritive food and logged fewer calories. On the other hand, people who went to bed between 11 pm and 3 am intake more caffeine, refined sugars, saturated fats, alcohol, processed meats and carbs than their counterparts.

Dr. Kristin Aschbacher, a data scientist at Jawbone, going to sleep an hour earlier regularly for a whole year could help to lose 4 to 5 pounds without any adjustments in physical activity. What night owls can learn from this report is that going to bed earlier aids in weight loss thus preventing you from getting various diseases associated with being overweight or obese.

The report was a result of self-reported food logs from third-party phone applications such as MyFitnessPal. The primary aim of collecting this data is because the company aims to identify trends and inspire users to implement certain behavioral changes that lead to better sleep and eating habits.

So, how does an amount of sleep affect food consumption? According to Aschbacher, there are several theories for that. For example, certain people are more focused on healthy sleep and nutrition, and sleep has a direct impact on food intake the next day. Poor sleep is known to change secretion of hormones like leptin and ghrelin which cause person to feel hungry thus eating more food at frequent rates.

Furthermore, people who wake up early also go to bed earlier at night thus getting sufficient amount of sleep that is necessary for overall health and wellbeing.

Quality sleep importance

Hassan Dashti of the Tufts University in Boston conducted a study to inspect the connection between sleep and food choices. For the purposes of the study, Dashti analyzed more than 15,000 people from several countries and compared how much sleep they get to the amount of fat, carbs, and protein content in their diets.

Results of the study were published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, and they showed that younger adults who slept more ate less saturated fats than less-rested peers. Findings of this study show that well-rested individuals make healthier food choices than people who don’t get enough sleep.

Other benefits of being an early riser

You already know that waking up early and going to bed earlier at night allows you to get enough sleep which is needed for overall health and wellbeing. Strong scientific evidence suggests that healthy amount of sleep indicates improved weight loss and better choice of foods you eat. However, these aren’t the only benefits of being an early riser. Below, you can see more of them:

•    Better mental health – the very first hour of your day and how you spend it oftentimes sets the tone for the rest of the die. Waking up early in the morning makes you feel well-rested and energetic which improves your productivity and reduces stress levels. Furthermore, morning people are usually more positive, optimistic, and more likely to experience satisfaction in their lives all of which are necessary for good mental health. According to Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences study, night owls who woke up about 40 minutes later than early birds are more likely to suffer from depression.

•    More exercise – people who wake up late are constantly in the hurry and they often claim they have no time to exercise. Waking up early gives you more time to be physically active which is crucial for overall health.

•    Skin health – healthy sleeping pattern isn’t only beneficial for healthy weight, mental health, etc. it’s also necessary for skin health. Irregular sleeping patterns are associated with dull complexion and formation of bags and dark circles under your eyes.

How to become early riser

•    Go to bed before 11 pm
•    Start small by waking 15 minutes earlier than you usually do and gradually working your way down to desired waking up time
•    Keep alarm clock away from bed so you have to get up to turn it off
•    Wash your face with cold water
•    Have healthy breakfast recipes.
•    Don’t use phone, tablet, or watch TV in bed.

Conclusion

Being an early riser increases your productivity at work, helps you accomplish more goals, and it’s linked with healthier organism. Early risers get enough sleep that our body requires and they are also linked with healthier food choices. Also, waking up early is associated with improved mental health, skin health, and it gives you more time to exercise to maintain healthy weight and prevent a wide array of diseases. If you don’t tend to wake up early, start small, without making drastic changes and work your way up towards your goal.

References:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/jawbone-data-sleep-and-nutrition_us_56e03e9de4b0860f99d74f2b

http://sites.tufts.edu/nutrition/summer-2015/eat-sleep-and-be-healthy/

https://www.glozine.com/lifestyle/health/steps-to-living-longer-life.html