Social media is abuzz with productivity gurus who wake at the crack of dawn.
Perhaps they indulge in a spot of yoga or journaling before embarking on an invigorating 5k run, all ahead of their eight-hour workday. It’s a regimen that’s certainly not for the faint-hearted…Read full story…>>
However, experts now claim the much-hyped ‘5am club’ is not everything it’s made out to be – and may even damage your brain health.
Neuroscientist Rachel Barr has weighed in on the debate, taking to TikTok (@drrachelbarr) to discuss the trendy Gen-Z habit. “Is it true that waking up at 5am every morning will help you to get the best out of your brain?”, she asked.
“…We’re often told that the key to productivity and success is early rising, but it’s not just your alarm that decides when you and your brain properly wake up, it’s also your body.”
At the heart of the matter is our personal internal clock, or ‘circadian rhythm’, which governs when we feel hungry, sleepy, and when we’re at our most alert or productive. While light and darkness have the greatest influence on this, a ‘big portion’ is also determined by your genetics.
Rachel continued: “If you have the genetic profile of a night owl it means you sleep and wake a little bit later and 5am is probably not going to cut it. Not only does that mean that night owls tend to be more productive later in the day, it also means that if you’re getting up at 5am, you run the risk of losing most of your REM sleep.”
REM – or rapid eye movement – is one of five stages we experience when hitting the pillow. This phase, in particular, tends to occur later in the night when our brains become a tad more active while participating in the body’s internal processing.
Rosey Davidson, a sleep consultant at Just Chill Baby Sleep also told The Mirror: “Chronic sleep deprivation affects memory, decision-making, and mood. It also increases the risk of mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety, and can diseases.
“Getting a good amount of sleep has amazing benefits for the brain. It enhances memories, improves mood regulation, and supports overall mental health. Sleep also facilitates the brain’s cleansing process, removing toxins that accumulate during waking hours. During sleep, the brain clears out beta-amyloid, a protein associated with Alzheimer’s.”
Consequently, Rosey suggests that the ‘best time of day’ to wake up really varies from person to person. If joining the 5am club feels unattainable and draining for you, then it might be worth considering a different routine.
She continued: “Some people naturally feel more energetic and alert in the morning, while others peak in productivity later in the day. For ‘night owls,’ it is a really bad idea to try to join the ‘5am club.’
“You cannot force yourself to function at your best if you are working against your biology. You will likely continue to stay up later in the evening, and build up a sleep debt, rather than create more hours in the day to be productive. A lack of sleep can have severe consequences for the brain.
“While we can be equipped with the knowledge around how important sleep is, it is important not to stress over it. It will never be ‘perfect,’ and we will always have lifestyle factors affecting it, that may be out of our control.
“What we can do is choose to prioritise the window of sleep that we have – being mindful of wind down times, relaxing and creating an environment and routine that supports our sleep.”
