🔋ATP#14: Why Joining the 5 AM Club Might Be Your Worst Decision

Since the publication of Sharma’s book* in 2018, more and more people are joining the 5 AM Club and celebrate it like a cult. Just take a look at social media and search for the hashtag “#5amclub”.

People there seem to be winning the day before others even get up.

It all looks impressive, and I would be lying to you if I said I never considered joining this elite club of high performers. I’ve always been an ambitious person seeking ways to optimize my performance and productivity.

But after giving it some thought and deep diving into the science, I’m convinced that the 5 AM Club isn’t for me, and it isn’t for most other people either.

Forcing yourself to join the 5 AM Club might sabotage your health, productivity, and happiness.

Let me explain.

What sleep science says

Most people need between 7 and 9 hours of sleep each night to achieve optimal recovery.

If you join the 5 AM Club, getting 8 hours of sleep means that you must be asleep by 9 pm.

That’s unrealistic for most, and it certainly is for me. I’m lucky if my youngest kid is in bed by 9 pm, and then I usually still have a few household tasks to do, or I just want to spend some me-time or time with my husband.

For people who can’t go to bed very early, joining the 5 am club comes with sleep deprivation, with all its negative consequences.

Dr. Matthew Walker, a world-famous sleep scientist and author of the book "Why We Sleep,"* says: "We know that the number of people who can survive on less than six hours of sleep and show no impairment in either the brain or the body, rounded to a whole number and expressed as a per cent of the population, is actually zero."

Recent research has debunked the idea that we can "train" ourselves to need less sleep:

A 2017 review study published in Nature Reviews Neuroscience analyzed the evidence from many different studies. It concluded that sleep deprivation leads to a “set of disruptions in human behaviour across nearly all domains of cognition and affect.”

A comprehensive 2022 review analyzed the results from many different studies on the relationship between sleep duration and various health outcomes. The authors concluded that chronic sleep deprivation is linked to increased risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, depression, and dementia.

Sleep is vital for any function you can think of:

• Memory

• Reaction times

• Appetite control

• Decision-making

• Emotion regulation

• Immune system function

• Cleaning out toxic proteins

… and a lot more.

Depriving yourself of sleep is a bad idea. But if you get up at 5 am and can’t go to bed early, you WILL be sleep-deprived.

That’s the main problem with the 5 AM Club.

Another aspect to consider: chronotypes

Another issue with the 5 AM Club is its one-size-fits-all approach, which overlooks the science of chronotypes. That’s your body's natural preference for sleeping and waking times, and it also affects when you’re most alert and productive.

Your chronotype is genetically determined, and you can’t just decide to switch to a different one. You would be fighting against your biology.

There are at least three different chronotypes: early birds (morning types), middle birds, and night owls (evening types).

For night owls or middle birds, forcing an early wake time doesn't just feel uncomfortable. It creates a condition known as "social jetlag," where your biological clock and social clock are misaligned.

Night owls who are affected by social jetlag are more likely to feel exhausted in the evening, have higher depression scores, and use more stimulants compared to those living in alignment with their chronotype.

Another study focused on metabolic parameters and reported higher body mass index, higher fasting blood glucose level, and lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, as well as larger waist circumference, in evening types with social jetlag compared to morning types.

Society already forces us into unnatural schedules. For example, I have to get up at 6 am to get the kids to school, but it’s not the time I would naturally wake up. It keeps me in a constant state of jetlag during the week.

Should I force myself to rise even earlier? No thanks.

So: If you’re among the few people who are early bird chronotypes, rising at 5 am might be ideal for you. But it isn’t for most.

The real key to (morning) productivity

This isn't to say that morning routines aren't beneficial or that you shouldn’t optimize your morning hours. You definitely should!

But first, you must ensure adequate sleep quantity and quality. It’s the foundation for everything else.

Cal Newport, author of "Deep Work,"* emphasizes that it's not the specific hour that matters, but instead having uninterrupted time blocks when your energy and focus are naturally highest, and scheduling your most important tasks within these blocks.

For early chronotypes, this might indeed be 5 am. For others, it could be 8 am, 10 am, or evening hours. You must find this out for yourself.

So definitely use your morning hours to get focused work done if your schedule allows you to. But there’s no reason to get up at 5 am for this.

A more sustainable approach

Instead of setting your alarm for 5 am, consider this evidence-based alternative for peak health and productivity:

1. Determine your chronotype through observation, ideally during a vacation. When do you naturally get tired in the evening and wake up in the morning?

2. Set a consistent sleep schedule that allows for 7-9 hours of quality sleep. It’s unlikely that you need less.

3. Identify your peak productive hours.

4. Schedule your most demanding work during those peak hours.

5. Create morning rituals that work with your natural rhythms, not against them.

Of course, it’s all limited by the schedules that society forces upon you. If you have school-aged kids or a fixed school or work schedule, you can’t decide when to wake up or what to do during early morning hours.

But you might still be able to avoid the 5 AM Club.

The bottom line: You probably shouldn’t join the 5 AM Club

For long-term health and productivity, it is essential to understand and respect your body's needs for restoration and recovery.

As Dr. Walker emphasizes: "Sleep is the single most effective thing we can do to reset our brain and body health each day."

Sleep should be your top priority, and you should get as much quality sleep as possible.

So before you set that 5 am alarm, ask yourself:

• Does it match my chronotype?

• Will I get 7 to 9 hours of quality sleep if I get up at 5 am?

If you answered “no” to at least one of these questions, then don’t join the 5 AM Club. You’ll sabotage your health and productivity, and that’s not what you want.

Your best morning routine and your most productive days start with a good night’s sleep.

Some people might thrive in the 5 AM club, but most don’t.

If this newsletter edition helps you make more informed decisions, you can buy me a coffee here. ☕ That’s how I keep this newsletter free.

Until next time!

Best wishes,

Patricia (Dr. Schmidt) from creatorschmidt.com.

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