Waking up at 5 a.m. has become a kind of badge of honor in recent years, especially online. The idea is simple and seductive, set your alarm before sunrise, win the morning, and the rest of the day supposedly falls into place. On TikTok and Instagram, early alarms are often framed as proof of discipline, ambition, and mental toughness. The “5 a.m. club” mindset has turned into a full lifestyle, not just a personal preference.
A big part of the hype traces back to Robin Sharma and the routine he popularized with a neat formula. His well known 20 20 20 approach encourages movement first, then a period of calm, and finally some learning or planning. People love it because it promises protected time before messages, commutes, and everyone else’s needs start piling up. In a quiet house, those early minutes can genuinely feel like a secret advantage. The problem starts when the routine is sold like a universal rule that should work for everyone.
There are real upsides to getting up early if it fits your life and you still protect your sleep. Many early risers say the biggest benefit is the silence before the day’s “chaos” begins. With fewer distractions, it can be easier to focus, think clearly, and actually finish something without interruptions. There is also a psychological lift that comes from starting strong, a sense that you are steering the day rather than chasing it. Even a short walk or light workout can raise alertness in a way that feels smoother than relying on multiple coffees.
But the health question usually comes down to one thing, how much sleep you are sacrificing to make the alarm happen. Waking at 5 a.m. is not automatically harmful, yet waking at 5 a.m. after too little sleep often is. When bedtime stays late and the alarm moves earlier, the promised productivity can turn into fog, irritability, and poor concentration. The article describes one woman who tried the routine and felt her days were spent in “a haze,” with her journal reduced to one line, “I want to go back to bed, please.” That kind of reaction is not a personal failure, it is a predictable response to chronic sleep loss.
The piece also points to a blunt reality that gets lost in motivational content. Russell Foster, who leads the Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute at the University of Oxford, argues that there is “nothing special about 5 a.m.” His central message is that the clock time matters far less than the consistency of your rhythm and the total sleep you get. Many people cannot simply decide to fall asleep at 9 p.m. because they have children, household responsibilities, shift work, or long evenings that are not optional. If the routine forces you into a constant sleep deficit, the long term trade off is not worth a tidy morning checklist.
Another point the article highlights is that early rising is often wrapped in moral language, as if it is purely about willpower. In practice, it can also be about circumstance and support. People who promote extreme morning routines often have flexibility that others do not, whether that means remote work, fewer caregiving duties, or someone else helping carry the load at home. That is why “just get up earlier” can land as unrealistic advice for anyone whose evenings are already packed. When a trend ignores those realities, it starts to feel less like health guidance and more like performance.
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♬ original sound – Mel Robbins
So how do you tell if a 5 a.m. wake up is right for you. The simplest test is how you feel across the full day, not how impressive your alarm time looks. It can be a good fit if you can go to bed earlier, consistently get enough sleep, and find that mornings are when you naturally have the most energy. It is probably a bad idea if you are sleeping under seven hours, feeling wired and tired, crashing on weekends to catch up, or reaching for sweets and snacks because exhaustion is driving your appetite. If the whole day feels like punishment, the routine is not serving you.
If you want to experiment, the article recommends a gradual shift rather than an overnight reset. Move your wake up time earlier by about 10 to 15 minutes every couple of days, and move bedtime earlier by the same amount. Pair the early start with one meaningful action that actually helps, like a walk, a workout, or planning your day, so the time feels valuable. It also suggests avoiding your phone for the first 20 minutes so the morning stays calm instead of instantly reactive. Done slowly, the habit is more likely to stick and less likely to drain you.
Beyond trends, it helps to remember how sleep timing works in general. Your circadian rhythm is your internal clock that coordinates sleepiness and alertness across the day, and it responds strongly to light and consistent routines. People also differ by chronotype, meaning some naturally feel sharper early while others peak later, and neither is inherently superior. Sleep itself cycles through stages, including deep sleep and REM sleep, and cutting nights short repeatedly can interfere with how restored you feel. That is why a routine that looks disciplined can still backfire if it constantly trims the sleep your brain and body are trying to complete.
Healthy morning habits do not need a heroic alarm time to be effective. Consistent bed and wake times, morning daylight exposure, regular movement, and a wind down routine in the evening are often more important than chasing a specific hour. If you like early mornings, build them on a foundation of sufficient sleep rather than forcing them on top of exhaustion. And if you are not an early bird, you can still create a quiet personal window by protecting a small block of time whenever it fits your schedule. Share your thoughts on whether the 5 a.m. routine has helped you or drained you, and what actually works for your sleep and energy, in the comments.
