Sometime around 9:30 in the morning, ten trucks begin to back up behind Hales Hall, waking up hundreds of residents. Three hours earlier, sometime around 6:30, a family of birds begin chirping at the sun as it rises in the east, and the trees began whispering “good morning” to one another. The earth is peaceful, and, for a moment in time, you can actually feel it. 

Waking up early in the morning has its benefits. You can enjoy your breakfast, exercise, get a head start on your to-do list for that day, etc. The list is endless. If you plan on waking up early one morning, you might decide to go to sleep at a reasonable time the night prior, creating healthy sleeping habits. Days that once seemed short will feel timeless.  

Getting up early in the morning is not only about elongating your days; –  it is also about waking up to a calm and peaceful atmosphere. Your rising is parallel to that of the sun’s, and your mood aligns with the morning’s calm ambience. Rather than waking up to the sounds of car mufflers and slamming doors, you are waking up to subtle sounds of silence. Even if it’s only for a second, you feel tranquil. In the first few moments of your early rising, you can lay in bed and think, “What do I want to accomplish today? How am I going to accomplish these things?”  

Life is hard and time does not wait for anyone—this is no secret. Finding a time in which you are primarily focusing on yourself is necessary and should be seen as an obligation. The perfect time for self-reflection is early in the morning when very little distractions are present, and the majority of the country is still asleep. Making this a habit will guarantee alone time at least once a day. 

At first, waking up early may seem stressful, but according to Healthline.com, “Once you get used to going to bed and waking up at the same time each day, your brain adapts to this schedule.” This is because of something called the Circadian rhythm. So, it won’t be long before your body adjusts to your new lifestyle as an early riser.  

Now, if you are an active college student with a part-time job that dorms with three or more roommates, you still might be wondering: “Why on earth would I wake up so early?” And to truthfully answer that question, you will continue asking that until you decide to see the sun rise yourself—whether that be during a morning walk, or through the windows of your dorm room.   

At 7 in the morning, the streets of North Ave constantly appear dewy, the crosswalks are empty, and there is not a truck backing up in sight or earshot. The majority of the sounds you hear are the ones you’ve made. The elevators are vacant. Fellow early risers are delicately charismatic. The streets are…calm. Wake up early and give yourself a chance to see North Ave at 7 a.m.  

Sources: 

Best Time to Sleep for Different Age Groups: Benefits and Side Effects (healthline.com)