Is the 5 am club worth getting out of bed for?

When we hear 9 to 5 we can’t help but think of the famous Dolly Parton song, but it’s actually when some experts think it’s best to sleep. And that’s 9 pm to 5 am…

Robin Sharma, lifestyle guru and author of ‘The Monk that Sold His Ferrari’ came up with the idea of The 5 am club and wrote a book of the same title, which has the catchy tagline of ‘own your morning, elevate your life.’ Sharma developed the 20/20/20 rule which is 20 minutes of movement, followed by 20 of reflection and finally 20 minutes of learning. The plan is to help you to get a head start on the day and whiz through your to-do list. What you do need to do with this regime though is make sure you go to bed early enough. If you don’t go to bed until midnight and wake up at 5 am then the lack of sleep will outweigh the advantages of getting up early.

Some of the upsides of joining the 5 am club include:

• most of us are more creative and productive in the morning

• there are no emails and calls to be distracted by

• you’ll feel less stressed and rushed in the morning as you’ll have more time to get everything done

• kicking off the day with some exercise is ideal for your body and mind

• the 20 minutes of reflection can be journalling or goal setting which is great for productivity levels

Healthy habits

Dr Andrew Weil also recommends following the traditional pattern of our ancestors of going to bed at 9 pm and waking up at 5 am. Another interesting fact? If you decide to join the 5 am club you’ll be in good company: ‘Vogue’ legend Anna Wintour wakes up between 4 am and 5.30 am every morning and entrepreneur Richard Branson starts his day at 5.45 am.

Sleep vs me-time

How easy it is to join the 5 am club will depend on the individual, so for example larks will find this much easier to do than owls. Our advice would be to make gradual changes to your sleep routine. You could start off going to bed half an hour before your usual time and waking up a bit earlier. Take it slow so your body can get used to it. 

We have to be honest: getting out of bed for the 5 am club is much easier to do in the summer, in the depths of January or February it can be tough! But don’t let it stop you. Try a SAD lamp to combat those dark and dreary mornings. If you are intrigued then why not try the 5 am club out and see how you get on? Do keep in mind though that sleep is the cornerstone of health and getting enough shut-eye is always going to be more important than being super productive. Sweet dreams!

Need an extra incentive to get you out of bed? Why not take a peek at our energy and vitality 7-day meal plan and set yourself up for a day of delicious food for day 1 of your new 5 am club life?