If you want to know how to wake up at 5am to study, check out these step-by-step guide to start and maintain a 5am study routine for remarkable long term benefits.
If you want to know how to wake up at 5am to study, check out these step-by-step guide to start and maintain a 5am study routine for remarkable long term benefits.

You clicked on this post because you want to start waking up early to study… in fact, you want to wake up at 5 am to study, when the sun has barely risen.

But… you also struggle with sleeping on time and lack the energy to wake up early.

I’ve been in the same place before. All my life, I was a night owl. However, one day, I hardened my resolve and decided to start waking up at 5 am.

It started as a two-week experiment after a few 5 am morning routine videos gave me a sudden surge of inspiration. The results of the experiment were positive (in fact, overwhelmingly so), so waking up at 5 am became a habit, and I haven’t looked back since.

In this post, I’ll be covering:

  • The transformative benefits of waking up at 5 am to study
  • A step-by-step guide to start waking up at 5 am
  • Tips to maintain your 5 am routine
  • And helpful resources to stick to your 5 am routine

Let’s jump in!

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My Experience With Waking Up at 5 am to Study

Before we get into the bulk of this article, I want to cover my experience with switching to a 5 am routine.

The Crisis

I used to sleep super late (like I mentioned, I was a textbook night owl). I would get up half an hour before school started, then hurriedly get ready and eat breakfast in the car.

During the day, I could barely keep my eyes open—even on days that I slept more. By the time afternoon hit, I just wanted to crash but couldn’t, thanks to the piles of homework I had.

By the time 11 pm rolled around, I would still be working, but my brain would feel like mush.

Before waking up at 5am to study, I would frequently feel tired during the day.

The constant cycle of running low on sleep, feeling rushed all day, and not going to bed until my brain felt like it would implode was undeniably hurting the quality of my life. My cognitive function and my mood were severely impaired.

The Solution

I noticed that my productivity in the evening hours was extremely low. I was tired, so I could sit there for hours without getting much accomplished. 

Then, I thought, “What if I move my evening work hours to the morning?” And that’s why I decided to start going to bed earlier and waking up at 5 am. 

At first, waking up at 5 am was rough. However, after the adjustment phase, it became one of the most rewarding decisions I’ve ever made. 

Waking up at 5am to study has improved my well-being significantly.

As someone who would always be tired before, no matter how much sleep I got (which admittedly wasn’t much, most of the time), I’ve never felt more energetic.

I get much more accomplished, sleep more, and have time at the end of the day to do something enjoyable and relaxing. I promise I’m not exaggerating when I say that waking up at 5 am has transformed my life as a student.

Why You Should Wake Up at 5 am to Study

If you only want to wake up at 5 am to study as a one-time thing, you should think about turning it into a long-term habit. 

Here are all the reasons why: 

1. It Improves Mental Health

According to the Sleep Foundation, there is a lower rate of anxiety and depression among early sleepers and risers. In fact, a recent study showed that subjects who slept earlier “reported lower levels of depression and stress”. 

If you wake up just in time for school, you have to rush, which leads to forgetfulness and stress. If you wake up early, you start the day in a more calm and purposeful way.

2. It Improves Cognitive Function

According to EachNight, waking up early improves your mental clarity. In fact, people who wake up earlier tend to get better grades.

3. It Improves Productivity

Technically, you still have the same amount of hours in a day. However, productivity is not about how much time you work. It’s about your level of focus when you work. 

Mornings are my favorite time to do focused work because: 

  • There are few distractions
  • I have the greatest willpower then
  • I’m not exhausted after a full day 
I'm more productive when I wake up at 5am to study.

Since shifting the bulk of my work time to the first half of the day, I’ve been able to accomplish much more. 

Imagine this: even if you got one extra task accomplished each day by waking up at 5 am, that’s 365 tasks in a year. Small daily progress compounds into remarkable long-term results. 

Waking up earlier can make you healthier, improve your grades, and enable you to start that personal project you’ve been delaying forever. 

4. It Makes You More Energetic

If you study until your eyelids are drooping at night, you’ll wake up exhausted, no matter how much sleep you get.

Instead, if you shift night work hours to the morning, you’ll have time to wind down at night. In doing so, you’ll experience higher sleep quality. This will make you feel more energetic during the day.

Step-by-Step Guide to Wake Up at 5 am to Study

Now, we’ve finally reached the section you’ve all been waiting for: how to wake up at 5 am to study.

Step #1: Go to Bed When You Feel Tired and Set Your Alarm for 5 am

On the first night, go to bed only when you feel tired. Then, set your alarm for 5 am and force yourself to get up then.

The first night, set your alarm for 5am. It will be painful, but it is necessary for adjusting to a 5am routine quickly.

I know the first day is the most painful. However, this is critical to adjusting your sleep schedule quickly. 

I’ve seen other people recommend a gradual adjustment, such as waking up 15-30 minutes earlier each day. However, this was what worked for me. 

Since I felt very sleep-deprived the first day, I went to bed earlier at night. Remember, you should only go to bed when you start feeling tired. 

The adjustment phase will be difficult, but within a week or less, your body will get used to your new routine.

Step #2: Plan a Morning Routine

A morning routine—a series of activities you always do in the same order—is essential to making the most of your mornings.

Following a morning routine will make you feel calm and purposeful. Also, it will help you start studying, even on days you don’t feel motivated.

Since you’re waking up at 5 am, you can afford to take time for more leisurely activities. If I feel rushed in the morning, I feel rushed during the rest of the day. However, by waking up at 5 am, I can take my time to get ready. This makes me feel calmer and more prepared.

Here are some activities that can be part of your morning routine:

  • Getting ready (make bed, brush teeth, wash face, change, etc.), even on days you’re not going anywhere
  • Journaling (link)
  • Meditation, yoga, or breathing exercises
  • Drinking a big glass of water
  • Eating a nutritious breakfast
Eating a nutritious breakfast should be part of your morning routine.

Whatever you do, make sure you know exactly what you’ll be doing and in which order. The rigid structure of routines is what makes them so effective.

Imagine this: one day, you wake up and don’t feel like studying. However, studying is the next step of your routine, right after breathing exercises. Since you’re used to studying right after breathing exercises, the breathing exercises will get you into the mood to study, even if you didn’t feel like studying before.

The magic of routines is that each activity leads into the next, as though by automation.

Step #3: Plan Something You Look Forward To

Unfortunately, the temptation of hitting the snooze button—especially at 5 am when the sun has barely risen—is all too strong. 

Fortunately, you can prevent this by planning something you look forward to. Something that makes you want to get out of bed. 

This could be: 

  • Going on a 15-minute jog
  • Working on a hobby
  • Reading for a few minutes
  • Playing upbeat music while getting ready 
  • Going to a coffee shop to study 

Add this activity to your morning routine.

Step #4: Create a Study Plan the Night Before

The night before, make a list of everything you need to study. Be specific and rank the topics by priority.

For example, say you need to study for a biology test and a calculus test. Don’t just write down: “study for biology and study for physics”. Instead, make a list like this:

  • Cellular respiration
    • Glycolysis
    • Krebs cycle
    • Electron transport chain and oxidative phosphorylation
    • Aerobic vs. anaerobic respiration
  • Gauss’ Law
    • How to use Gauss’ Law to calculate electric field values
    • Gaussian surfaces
    • Spherical symmetry
    • Cylindrical symmetry
    • Planar symmetry

Put the hardest topic—the one that you want to study least—at the top of your list. This is a good idea because we tend to have the greatest willpower in the morning.

Once you get that first difficult task done, everything else will seem easier.

Step #5: Make It Easy to Get High-Quality Sleep

The quality of your sleep is just as important as the amount of sleep you get. Therefore, it’s essential to practice good sleep hygiene.

Practicing good sleep hygiene is essential for feeling well-rested.

Here’s how:

Put Away Electronics

At least half an hour before bed, put away all electronics. Electronic screens emit blue light, which disrupts the production of melatonin, a hormone that regulates our sleep cycle. 

If you own an Apple tablet or phone, I also recommend turning on Night Shift mode in Settings.

You can turn on night shift mode in the Settings if you own an Apple tablet or phone.

This causes your screen to display a warmer light, which may improve your sleep quality. 

Also, check out these apps you can install to reduce blue light exposure on desktop devices. 

Exercise During the Day

According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, “moderate aerobic exercise increases the amount of slow wave sleep you get.” Slow wave sleep refers to deep sleep, which is when your body repairs muscles, bones, tissues, and your immune system. 

Therefore, you should try to get at least half an hour of moderate-intensity exercise a day.

Cut Caffeine

Before you come at me, I’m not saying you have to cut caffeine entirely. As a caffeine fiend myself, I know how difficult it is to stay away from the substance. 

To sleep on time and wake up at 5am, you need to cut caffeine after 12pm.

However, you should stop caffeine intake after noon. 

Here’s the thing: caffeine has a half-life of 6 hours. That means that if you drink a cup of coffee at 4 pm, half of that coffee is in your system when you go to bed, and a quarter of it remains when you wake up in the morning

Whether or not you know it, caffeine in your system will disrupt your sleep quality. 

Therefore, it’s essential to limit caffeine intake to the first half of the day and avoid it after 12 pm.

Get Ear Plugs

If you live in a noisy household or dorm, it might be a good idea to get ear plugs. As a light sleeper, I’m easily awakened by environmental stimuli, like voices talking. 

Therefore, using ear plugs has been a must for me.

Get an Eye Mask or Blackout Curtains

Whether or not you notice it, light—even small amounts of it—stimulates regions of your brain that shouldn’t be stimulated when you’re sleeping. Thus, exposure to light while sleeping can have “adverse effects on cardiovascular and metabolic health”.

To reduce light exposure, you should consider getting an eye mask.

Or, an even better choice would be blackout curtains, if possible.

Do Something Relaxing Before Bed

To transition into a state of reduced alertness, you should do something relaxing before bed.

This could be:

And Finally, the Golden Rule

As I mentioned but would like to stress again, only go to bed when you feel tired and right when you start feeling tired. 

I’ve discovered that if I stay up half an hour or more after I start feeling really tired, the amount of time I sleep doesn’t matter. Whether I sleep 6 hours or 9 hours, I wake up feeling exhausted. 

Therefore, it’s important to turn off the lights right when you start feeling tired.

Step 6: Use the Two-Minute Procrastination Rule

A consistent morning routine makes it significantly easier to wake up at 5 am to study. However, there may be mornings when you need to study something difficult that you don’t want to.

In such cases, you should use the two-minute procrastination rule. This is where you force yourself to start working for two minutes. Set a timer for two minutes and start studying once you start it.

If you're feeling unmotivated to get started on work, use the two-minute procrastination rule.

More often than not, you’ll find that you’ve gained study momentum after the two minutes are up and won’t want to stop.

How to Maintain a 5am Study Routine Without Feeling Tired

If you want to make waking up at 5 am to study a habit, follow these tips to feel consistently energetic.

Tip #1: Drink a Big Glass of Water

After a night of sleep, your body is dehydrated, so it’s important to drink water. 

I always set a big glass of water on my nightstand. In the morning, drinking water helps wake me up.

Tip #2: Get Moving

Movement boosts energy levels. While you can do a full workout in the morning (if you have time), it’s not necessary to experience an energy boost. 

By including a full-body stretch, some yoga, or a brief 10-minute walk in your morning routine, you’ll feel refreshed and energized.

Tip #3: Get Sunlight Exposure

It may be hard in some places and during certain times of the year to get sunlight exposure around 5 am. However, if possible, step outside and just absorb the sunlight for a few minutes.

Exposure to sunlight early in the morning can improve your mood and energy levels.

You can do certain parts of your morning routine outside, like journaling, eating breakfast, or stretching. 

Sunlight exposure increases serotonin, also known as the “feel-good hormone”. According to the CDC, sunlight exposure within an hour of waking up may increase your alertness and help you fall asleep earlier at night. 

Tip #4: Romanticize Studying

To make waking up at 5 am to study a consistent routine, you need to make it something you enjoy and even look forward to.

Romanticizing studying is one of the best ways to accomplish this.

Here are some ways you can romanticize studying:

To maintain a 5am study routine, practice romanticizing studying.

Tip #5: Have a Dedicated Study Space

Switching up your study space every once in a while is nice. However, I find that if you have one space where you study most of the time, you automatically associate that space with studying. As a result, it’s easier to get into a state of flow. 

It’s important to note that a dedicated study space should be somewhere where you don’t do anything but study. If it’s the same place you watch Netflix, scroll on social media, or doze off, you’ll be tempted to do those things while studying.

Have one dedicated space for studying.

If you live in a small space (like a dorm), you can still assign certain activities to certain locations. For example, you can designate your desk for studying and get a beanie bag where you indulge in digital entertainment. 

This way, when you sit at your desk, you won’t be as tempted to reach for your phone.

Tip #6: Get Up and Move Frequently

As you’re studying, you should get up and move every once in a while. As counterintuitive as it sounds, lack of movement is often the cause of lack of energy. 

The longer you sit at your desk, the more tired you get. To combat this, you need to get up and move. 

I use a standing desk, which I alternate between standing and sitting regularly. I find that switching up my position helps me maintain my energy. 

However, even if you don’t own a standing desk, you can stand up and stretch in between studying. For example, if you use the Pomodoro method, you can stand up and stretch during the 5-minute breaks.

While you're studying, make sure to get up and move every once in a while.

FAQs

Before we get into the final section of this article—resources that have helped me maintain my 5 am study routine—I want to answer some FAQs I saw floating around online.

FAQ #1: What time should I go to bed if I wake up at 5 am?

In general, we need 7-9 hours of sleep per night. The optimal amount varies from person to person. 

Personally, I find that 7 hours is my sweet spot. Any more or any less leaves me feeling groggy during the day. 

Therefore, to wake up at 5 am, I usually go to bed around 9:45 pm. This gives me a window to fall asleep and get my full 7 hours.

FAQ #2: How can I wake up and focus fast?

You should include activities in your morning routine that get you into a state of focus. 

For me, this includes: 

  • Washing my face with cold water
  • Drinking a big glass of water
  • Getting in some movement
  • Doing mindfulness meditation (there are many short guided meditations online)
Practicing meditation is a good way to induce a state of focus before you study.

FAQ #3: How do I get rid of early morning brain fog?

Unfortunately, sleep inertia—the feeling of grogginess you experience after first waking up—is quite common. 

To overcome sleep inertia quickly, I recommend using a sunrise simulator alarm clock (more reasons on why you should use one in the next section). 

Also, I find that listening to upbeat music while getting ready helps.

Resources To Help You Stick to a 5 am Study Routine

Sunrise Simulator Alarm Clock

I’ve used a sunrise simulator for several years now. It’s an alarm clock that begins emitting light about half an hour before your wake-up time. The light intensifies over the half hour, mimicking the rising of the sun. 

Using a sunrise simulator improves your mental clarity upon waking up. It smooths the abrupt transition between complete darkness and piercing brightness. 

According to Verywell Health, light stimulates the part of the brain that controls sleep and wakefulness. Thus, by using a sunrise simulator, you experience a gradual increase in light that helps you transition into a state of wakefulness.

Earplugs

As I mentioned earlier, noise can be disruptive to sleep, so you may want to consider buying earplugs.

Sleep Mask or Blackout Curtains

Light exposure—even a small amount—can disrupt sleep quality. If you live in a situation in which light exposure is an issue, you should consider getting a sleep mask. 

For complete assurance that no light will get through while you’re sleeping, consider purchasing blackout curtains. 

Candles

To make waking up to study at 5am more fun, you can light some candles.

Journal

Journaling is a fantastic tool for self-growth, as well as better sleep.

When I used a physical journal, these were my favorites:

I currently use a digital journal within my all-in-one digital workspace.

Overview of How to Wake Up at 5 am to Study

Waking up at 5 am to study will be difficult at first. However, once you overcome the initial barrier, your life will be transformed.

Waking up earlier improves mental health, enhances cognitive function, boosts productivity, and increases energy levels. While these benefits may seem small on a day-to-day basis, they can compound into remarkable results in the long term.

Just a few weeks down the road, you could be a healthier and happier person. You could make a significant amount of progress in a personal project you’ve been putting off.

Waking up at 5am to study can truly transform your life.

To start waking up at 5 am, it’s important to implement a consistent morning routine and good sleep hygiene. The items I’ve linked in the resources section can help you accomplish this.

All in all, choosing to wake up at 5 am has been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. The initial struggles were totally worth the boost in energy, productivity, and well-being I’ve experienced since.

Did this post inspire you to start waking up at 5 am to study? If so, which tips will you be implementing? Let me know in the comments below!

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