As The Happiness Warrior, I have had more than my share of relentlessly sleepless nights. As an entrepreneur my natural instinct is to take risks and accept challenges. There were days when I thought I couldn’t work any harder and I’d find myself on a natural high. There were always problems and predicaments that needed to be faced head on. But my thoughts would race late all through the night and I’d wake up without any regularity. This up and down feeling continued for years and I’d find myself feeling periods of anxiety and unease. I was rising early, not sleeping very well, and burning myself out with my drive to succeed at all costs. I hadn’t yet discovered how to change my mindset and feel at peace with myself.

There was a point when I knew this lifestyle must end and I rediscovered the pleasure of self-discipline and self-awareness. I set new goals for my future beyond my previous expectations. I felt a sense of renewal and my businesses became successful. I followed life with a new rhythm and woke up early every day with gratitude and a feeling of anticipation and adventure for the day ahead. It was through this self-discipline that I felt my vibration rise. Mornings became my most powerful time of day when things were still quiet, and I could create. I became one of those morning people some love to hate.

I still struggled with processed past traumas and began to research how to sleep better. I found that most of what I learned resonated with how I was feeling. I needed to learn how to quiet my mind and heal my body and spirit with quality sleep. A deep sleep without any fears or regrets. A feeling that we can set our minds in the present vow to be better tomorrow. Making a checklist of any of our fears or concerns and thereby making them smaller. Call it a prayer or affirmation, but a few quiet words to ourselves at night can make all the difference.

A quiet mind is a peaceful state where we know that our truth and authenticity can provide us with a sort of super-power. An ability to forgive ourselves and be happy in the now. A break in the cycle of unhealthy self-defeating thoughts and emotions. Nothing is easy unless we are brutally honest and ready to live in our own authenticity.

In these times, when everything seems to be spinning faster we are urged to be more productive and get more out of our days. There are so many things eating up our time every day that too often we forget how important it is to sleep. We have too much to do and have too little incentive to get to bed early and get a better jump on life. This is what the powers that control us desire. A more subservient and frustrated mindset that’s more easily controlled with mindless conspiracies and panic-stricken misinformation.

It keeps our minds from focusing on what’s real and what’s important to our survival. It keeps us from sleeping with our thoughts always racing. A lack of sleep and self-awareness is also dividing us and keeping us from uniting. It’s crippling our sense of humanity and connection.

BENEFITS OF WAKING UP EARLY

1.       Improved cognitive function and alertness. Early risers tend to be able to concentrate and have more energy throughout the day. Waking up early also tends to predict greater success throughout life. Studies have shown that morning people are more proactive, goal oriented and better able to solve life’s problems. Getting up later in the day has been related to worsened cognitive performance, earlier onset of dementia, mood swings, overeating, and trouble concentrating.

2.       Better sleep quality is obtainable when we go to sleep at the same time consistently and wake up in a rested state at the same time every morning. This sets us up for greater momentum and a conscious state of self-discipline. More consistent sleeping and waking times also help us to be in synchronization with our circadian rhythm and leads to deeper and more restful sleep. This is when our hormonal system is active and helps us to maintain hormonal and adrenal balance. This helps us to feel less sleepy during the day and less likely to require sleeping aids. Sleeping aids can be dangerous and although widely used they’re not recommended. They will never provide a true solution, use only when absolutely necessary for general or mental health.

3.       Sleeping late can cause us to skip breakfast and go into scarcity/starvation mode for the rest of the day. This causes us to go into hunger mode and grab something convenient and flavorful no matter the cost to our body and mind. Late sleepers have been shown to eat 248 more calories per day and eat half as many fruits and vegetables. They’re also likely to eat twice as many fast-food meals and soda each day compared to early risers.

4.       Rising early helps to find time to stretch, breathe, and get back in touch with our bodies. It’s a time to meditate and create a sense of excitement and joy for the day ahead. It gives us time to examine our choices and make a plan for the day. Remember that a flexible body produces a more flexible mind!

5.       Affirmations are an awesome way to start every morning. It can be short and to the point or more elaborate and promise driven. Either way affirmations are a way to shine in our authentic being. They raise our vibration and lighten the path for the day ahead.

6.       Mornings are a good time to work out and exercise before the distractions of the day begin. We are all differently abled. There are no rules except that it should make us feel good. Whatever our activity level, exercise helps to improve our mental and physical connection. This creates more body/mind awareness to help create healthier lives. Studies have shown that even moderate exercise has a big impact on reducing the risk of heart disease, improves mood, regulates blood sugar levels, controls weight, and improves cognitive function.

7.       When we wake up early we tend to have more positive thoughts and improved choices. It’s been found that morning people are more optimistic, agreeable, conscientious, productive, and satisfied with life. The impact is even more profound in females who are much less likely to experience depression, alcoholism, and other mental illnesses.

8.       Waking up early helps us reduce stress and have time for unexpected events and obstacles. It allows us to remain more in control of our outcomes by giving us more time to solve our problems. It helps us to gain more balance and clarity in our lives.

9.       Most early risers take advantage of mornings to set goals and plan their day and week ahead. This improves productivity and causes us to need to work less and have more time for things that are important to us. It helps to remember, be on time, and take advantage of every opportunity. I set aside time each morning to write before phones and emails can interrupt my thought processing. A quiet morning gives us a great ability to focus and connect with our intention.

10.   A quiet early morning can bring a sense of peace into our lives. Waking up before others can be a private time to reflect and search for more meaning. The first sunbeam can be a new idea revelation that can change our lives for the better.

HAPPINESS IS A SUNRISE

As someone who survived a very long period of darkness in my life, happiness has a deeper resonation. I live for happiness and creating happiness for others. It gives me strength to help others find their way through times of confusion and frustration. It’s like watching a sunrise that gradually warms us. Seeing others break through the fog and see themselves in a new light. We can rise each day with a feeling of gratitude and purpose. A change of mindset, that comes when we are caring for our bodies with intention. So much of our lives happen when we sleep with a regular pattern.

Waking up early isn’t for everyone and there are plenty of good reasons for many of us to have varied hours. There are plenty of benefits that come with maintaining a regular schedule with healthy habits in mind. Late hours or early mornings it’s what we do with our lives that takes precedence. What matters most is that we are happy and make good choices!

Eric North

IG  @TheHappinessWarrior1
www.thehappinesswarrior1.com