Why You Should Wake Up for Sunrise

How could you possibly benefit from waking up hours before the start of your daily routine to watch the sunrise?

The night following my first-ever university exam, I was having a restless night. I repeatedly dreamt that night about watching the sunrise, so when I woke up for the third time at 6:15 AM in my dorm room, I decided to brush off the restlessness and head out to watch the sunrise on campus. Two days later, I still cannot get over the memory of the tranquility I felt on that morning sitting in a hammock, listening to oud music, with my unfixed gaze over the ascending sun.

There is something about sunrises that makes me believe everyone should not only witness it, but also make it a habit of theirs to wake up and watch it. For one, this habit brings with it many psychological benefits. Taking 30 minutes to an hour in harmony with nature counts as meditation. In fact, researchers have proven that exposure to light as in sunrises and sunsets helps reset our internal, or biological, clock. This, in return, helps us sleep better as well as function better throughout the day. Yet, what makes waking up for sunrises special is that it makes you feel as if you have a head start on your day, which you truly do. Being awake when the world isn’t is a bonus to ensure that the day will be a positive one. It is a great way to calm your mind since the period of dawn provides a noiseless environment, and noise is known as a major stress factor in our lives.

With the head start, you will have by waking up for sunrise, you get the benefit of using this spare time doing whatever you want to do. The possibilities are endless; after perhaps meditating for a few minutes, you could exercise, paint, read, write, or even give yourself some time to pause and think about your life. You can also use that spare time planning your day.

Realistically, it’s not easy to do this every day, as waking up a few hours earlier than usual could be somewhat exhausting and could end up feeling more of a chore than a getaway. My recommendation would be to do it twice a week, once to commence the week and once to end it. That way, one can ensure control over the week with a few spare hours to watch the sun rising. All we need sometimes to function better is to not get caught up in the rush of our lives, just for a few minutes.

References:

https://www.rd.com/health/wellness/watching-sunrise-week-lift-mood/