5 BENEFITS OF BEING AN EARLY RISER

We all have heard Benjamin Franklin's famous saying, that "early to bed, and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise." Why is that so? There is a wide array of reasons. Here are just a few them - 5 benefits early risers enjoy that night owls don't.

1. You can pray and meditate
The Muezzin says during Fajr adhan that 'prayer is better than sleep'. When you wake up early, you have time to pray. No matter which religion or belief system you belong to – waking up early can provide you the time to read up on religious scriptures or anything that gives you peace. You can also improve on your spirituality and mental health through meditation. What better way is there to start your day than by remembering and thanking God and connecting with your spiritual self?

2. You can enjoy an hour of 'me-time'
Before the kids wake up, or before the traffic and the noise kicks in, or before the long working hours begin, you can enjoy a world that is rarely seen or heard of - a quieter, saner one. The first couple of hours of the day are more agreeable and easier. In this hectic world where you have sold your time to others, waking up early can give you an hour of the much-needed 'me-time'.  

3. You can eat breakfast like a king
Most of us wake up groggy with sleep derivation and then hastily get ready and rush to work. Breakfast is the least of our priorities. However, it is said to be a very important meal, one where you should eat generously. Skipping breakfast has many negative consequences, such as overeating later in the day. If you wake up early, you can find that time to make breakfast and sit and eat properly.

4. You can finally get time for exercise
Of course, you can hit the gym in any time of the day. But do you? After office, in the evening, you are tired. And you have to run errands or catch up with friends or attend social events like weddings. Well, there is a perfectly good time for exercise, you if could just wake up an hour earlier!

5. You are more likely to be more proactive
Harvard biologist Christoph Randler has discovered through a research work that there is an interrelation between being proactive and being a morning person. In his study, a higher proportion of morning people had agreed with statements like 'I feel in charge of making things happen'.

So, Benjamin Franklin was not joking when he advised about being an early riser and not a night owl.
But, just to be fair, there are indeed many 'healthy, wealthy and wise' people who disagree with him! As Mark Twain once wrote, "Put no trust in the benefits to accrue from early rising, as set forth by the infatuated Franklin - but stake the last cent of your substance on the judgment of old George Washington, the Father of his Country, who said 'he couldn't see it'."
Who will you support? Some of the most important benefits of being an early riser have been pointed out. Now you decide!