Overview
- A social-media “5 a.m. club” encourages very early wake-ups with promises of greater productivity and success.
- Celebrity sleep doctor Michael Breus, speaking to the Wall Street Journal, called the 5 a.m. push one of the dumbest ideas he has heard and warned night owls could become self-destructive and depressed.
- Researchers link chronic sleep restriction and misaligned schedules to higher cardiovascular risk, metabolic problems, weakened immunity, depression and possibly dementia.
- Only a minority are true early risers, with experts estimating roughly 15–20% larks, 55–65% bears and about 15–20% owls, so a fixed 5 a.m. wake time fits few people.
- Guidance from specialists stresses consistent sleep and wake times, morning light exposure, limiting caffeine after early afternoon, avoiding alcohol before bed and planning activity to one’s chronotype.