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title: zzz zzz up! created_at: 2022-04-22T14:52:16.823Z updated_at: 2022-04-22T14:52:16.823Z tldr: Waking up without an alarm! is_published: 1 star: false category: Insights share_type: share

Every day I wake up at around 5:30 in the morning without an alarm. When I tell this people say 'Ain't no way', but its true. My parents wakes up at 5:20.

I used to be terrible at sleeping. Put a lot of effort into fixing this. Sharing my work.

The master clock

All vertebrate animals have a biological clock. This regulates the innate sense of time and controls the circadian rhythms. This is the master clock and for us, it exists in the brain. Like all brain functions the regulation happens through the hormone called melatonin. This hormone is controlled based on the amount of light the eyes receive. In the evening, a person’s master clock tells their brain to make more melatonin, causing sleepiness.

The 21 day rule

It takes 21 days to form a new habit or break an existing one. The first day you wake up at 5:30 it is because of excitement. Nothing too special, the real challenge is to wake up the day after and keep it up for an entire week, month... Consistency is Key.

Scheduling backwards

Stolen straight from a pilot's book. Say you want to wake up at 5:30 and you need a 6-hour sleep, you need to be asleep by 11:30 PM, and you need to be in bed by 11. You can apply this to anything. I schedule my entire day like this.

Distractions and Phones

Melatonin makes you sleepy, and it is regulated by the amount of light the eyes perceive. If you are looking at your phone in bed, you are most likely to be getting a dopamine hit, and a reduced hormone. Your cycle is messed up and you wake up feeling tired!

Light and exercies

Sunlight is healthy, you need to get it on your skin for at least an hour in a day. Exposure to sunlight in the morning can help advance the sleep-wake cycle, making it easier to fall asleep.

Exercise helps your sleep quality. When we exercise we get tired and we need to sleep to recover. The more tired you feel the more quality of sleep you get. It's better to do it in the morning or afternoon so your body gets adequate time to get into relaxation mode. In my experience, I always slept better when I did cardio than weights.

Further reading

• Circadian Rhythms, NHS