Why Does Waking Up Earlier Give You a Sense of Control?

TL;DR

Getting up a little earlier than you do now, and using that time on purpose, gives you a sense of control that makes daily stress easier to handle. The exact hour matters less than the intention. Skipping the snooze button, email, social media and news first thing in the morning avoids micro stress doses that push you toward your personal stress threshold.

Transcript

we see the world through the lens of our own stress state if you feel the world is out of control it's going to impact you you're going to feel stressed you're going to feel anxious you're going to struggle to focus on the important things that you need to focus on giving yourself that time in the morning makes you feel better equipped to deal with... Read More

Key Insights

• The value of waking up early comes from intentionality, not the clock time. Dr. Rangan Chatterjee says 5am, 4:30am, 6am or 7am can all work, because what matters is the deliberate decision and what that time gives you.
• A sense of control is the key benefit of an early, intentional start. According to the research he cites, people with a strong sense of control are happier, less stressed, less anxious, more productive, earn more money and live longer.
• Many people feel like passengers in their own lives. His patients often say they feel out of control, and he describes getting up earlier on purpose as one way to put yourself back in the driver's seat.
• A micro stress dose is a small dose of stress that you can handle easily on its own. When these doses build up one after another, they bring you closer and closer to your personal stress threshold.
• Each person has their own stress threshold, and it can change from day to day. Far from the threshold you have plenty of headroom and resilience, but living close to it leaves you little room to cope with obstacles.
• A typical reactive morning can stack up about 10 micro stress doses before getting out of bed. Being jolted awake, hitting snooze, checking work emails, reading social media comments and scanning the news each add one.
• Checking Instagram, email or the news first thing fills your brain with other people's agendas. Since much of the day is spent reacting to the world, the early morning may be the only time you can set your own tone.
• Getting up early does not make obligations disappear. Emails, school runs, errands and traffic remain, but intentional morning time makes you better equipped to deal with them and less likely to be knocked off balance.

Questions & Answers

Q: Do you have to wake up at exactly 5am to benefit from an early morning?

No. Dr. Rangan Chatterjee says 5am is what works for him, with his job, his two children and his wife, but it does not need to be 5am for you. Whether it is 4:30am, 6am or 7am, the clock time is not what matters. What matters is getting up a little earlier than you do now, deciding to do it on purpose, and what that time gives you.

Q: Why does waking up earlier give you a sense of control?

The world and the future are largely out of your control, and much of the day is spent reacting to children, work and events. Early morning time before anyone else is up may be the only part of the day you can fully direct. Using it to do things that nourish your body, mind and soul gives you a feeling of control, which makes the rest of the day's stresses easier to handle.

Q: What are the benefits of having a strong sense of control?

According to the scientific research Dr. Chatterjee refers to, people with a strong sense of control are happier, less stressed and less anxious. They also earn more money, are more productive and live longer. When people feel the world is out of control, they become stressed and anxious and struggle to focus on what matters, so building a sense of control each day has wide effects.

Q: What is a micro stress dose?

A micro stress dose is a small dose of stress that you could handle easily in isolation. The problem is accumulation: when these doses keep building up one by one, they move you closer and closer to your personal stress threshold. Dr. Chatterjee calls this one of the most useful concepts he discusses with patients, many of whom say it finally helps them understand their stress.

Q: What is a personal stress threshold?

A personal stress threshold is the point at which stress becomes a real problem. Everyone has one, it differs between people, and it can change from day to day. When you are far from your threshold you have plenty of headroom and resilience to deal with obstacles. When you live close to it, there is little room left, so even small problems can push you over.

Q: How does a typical morning routine create stress before the day starts?

In the example of Alexandra, a late night leads to being jolted out of deep sleep by the alarm, which is one micro stress dose. Snoozing and waking again is a second. Checking unanswered work emails is a third, a snarky social media comment a fourth, and negative news a fifth. Dr. Chatterjee estimates she may reach about 10 doses before getting out of bed and 15 or 20 before leaving for work.

Q: Why should you avoid checking your phone first thing in the morning?

Going straight to Instagram, email or the news fills your brain with other people's agendas and adds micro stress doses before your day has started. Since most of the day is already spent reacting to what is happening in the world, Dr. Chatterjee asks why you would also start it by reacting. Using that early time intentionally lets you set the tone of the day instead.

Q: Will getting up early make daily stresses go away?

No. Dr. Chatterjee is clear that getting up at 5am will not make emails, school runs, errands or traffic disappear, and he still deals with a busy job, two kids and sometimes running late. What changes is how you experience those stresses. With intentional time in the morning, you feel better equipped to deal with them, and they are less likely to knock you off balance or leave you overly stressed.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Dr. Rangan Chatterjee describes a patient, Alexandra, who watched Netflix past midnight, snoozed her 6am alarm, and then checked email, Facebook and the news in bed. Like many of his patients, she felt her whole day was out of control from the moment she woke up.

• Becoming a father with a son who always woke early led him to start getting up at 5am to have time for himself. He says this made him a more patient father and a more attentive husband. He stresses that the exact time matters less than the intention behind it.

• He explains personal stress thresholds and micro stress doses: small stresses that are easy to handle alone but build up. A reactive morning can add 10 doses before getting out of bed and 15 or 20 before leaving home, leaving little headroom for the rest of the day.