Reasons to Wake Up Early

With life's many responsibilities, there are often not enough hours in the day to complete all of the tasks at hand. Waking up and starting your day early gives you more time to get things done. The National Sleep Foundation recommends adults get at least seven hours of sleep every night to be fully functional and productive during their waking hours. Go to bed at a time that allows you to get your seven hours of sleep and still rise early to start your day.

Work

• Work is one of the main reasons people wake up early in the morning. Some people start their job early in the day while others rise early just to avoid heavy morning traffic during their to work. Traffic before the morning rush hour is lighter and less stressful. You can get to work early and take your time settling in. Starting early often means you get to leave early, and most likely, you will be able to avoid after-work rush-hour traffic.

Exercise

• Many people get up early to go to the gym or for a jog outdoors. If you exercise in the morning, you are less likely to skip it. Excuses not to exercise often come into play if you exercise after work or at night when tiredness and fatigue set in. Exercising in the morning energizes you for the day ahead. According to WebMD, if you exercise in the morning, you sleep better at night and are less likely to have trouble falling asleep.

Breakfast

• If having a breakfast means waking up earlier, so be it. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day because it kick starts your metabolism, which slowed down during the night. Breaking the fast also allows you to concentrate better in school or at work. According to WebMD, skipping breakfast is linked to obesity and weight problems. Your body, which hasn't receive any nourishment since the day before, goes into starvation mode. It decides to hold onto fat, instead of getting rid of it, because it doesn't know when to expect the next meal. If you skip breakfast, you also are more likely to binge on diet-sabotaging foods later on in the day.

Children

• If you have children, waking up early is almost inevitable. Making breakfast for your children, getting them washed up, dressed and ready for school is part of most parents' daily morning routine. Instead of dreading getting up early on most mornings of the week, look at it as quality family time. Get breakfast ready so the whole family can gather and eat before the day starts.