Squeezing in your 5-9 before your 9-5 is sold as the ultimate wellness and productivity hack. But is rising before dawn all it’s cracked up to be? Health writer Rosie Underwood finds out…
Welcome to the 5am club: an exclusive tribe filled with A-listers, including JLo and the Kardashians, tech CEOs and hordes of influencers. But what exactly is it? The movement, gaining traction on TikTok, is fuelled by a desire to be more productive, whether that’s in our career, fitness, self-improvement or wellness, in an increasingly time-poor and time-pressured world, where if often feels like there’s not enough hours in the day.
Leadership expert Robin Sharma was one of the first to introduce the concept of waking up at 5am – when the rest of the world is asleep – so that you’re free from distraction to move your body, journal and study (what he calls move, reflect and grow). But why 5am and not 8am? ‘There’s a magic in the air,’ said Robin when he launched his book, The 5am Club. ‘It’s the time of great quietude and creativity, because you’ve just been rested, your brain is fresh, you have a full well of mental focus.’
The strapline to his book, ‘Own your morning, elevate your life’ was what grabbed my attention initially (and others, if the 2.3 billion views the #morningroutine hashtag has amassed on TikTok are anything to go by). And when I first tried it a few years ago, it definitely made me more productive. I gained momentum in my work as a health coach and yoga teacher, because it felt like time had expanded. I could get so much done during those early hours, and it had a positive ripple effect on the rest of my day.
Rising before dawn means you’re less likely to have distractions: it’s unlikely anyone else in the house is awake yet and your phone isn’t buzzing with WhatsApps and emails. Plus, those who rise early are more likely to be proactive in other aspects of their life, according to a study in the Journal of Applied Social Psychology.
Marketing director, Katy, 42, found it was a way to make time for self-care in between a busy job and family life. ‘I was struggling to find any time to exercise, as I worked all day before putting the kids to bed in the evening,’ she says. ‘Getting up early, although it’s 6am not 5am, gives me a child-free hour to squeeze in a walk, or do a fitness video.’
But is it worth it?
The 5am club isn’t for everyone. When I didn’t maintain the habit at the weekend (who wants to be up at 5am on a Sunday?) my body started showing me signs it wasn’t managing. I struggled with afternoon sugar cravings and developed dark circles under my eyes.
Turns out, some of us are biologically more likely to feel more alert in the morning, while others are at their best at night, and importantly, this can change throughout our lives. ‘Early birds and night owls are the names we give to what is called your “chronotype”, your genetic predisposition to a particular sleep/wake rhythm,’ explains sleep scientist, Dr Sophie Bostock. She says around 25% of us are early birds, 25% night owls and the rest of us are somewhere in-between.
‘Many people’s body clocks don’t want them to get up at 5am, which is incredibly early for most, because it’s before their physiology is really ready for it,’ adds Dr Bostock. ‘Everyone has a peak in cortisol to get them out of bed, that’s a good thing, but if it’s too early for your body, it’s more of a stressor.’
Find your own rhythm
If you’re keen to give it a go, Dr Bostock says there are ways to ‘re-train’ your body clock. She suggests using a Lumie light, such as Lumie Bodyclock Glow 150 Wake-up Alarm, to wake you up as the light lands on receptors in the back of the eye and sends a message to the brain that it’s time to stay awake. ‘This will have the impact of advancing your internal rhythm, getting you to behave more like an early bird,’ she says.
Moving your wake-up time by small increments, such as 15 minutes, can also help you readjust gradually.
But by rising early in the name of productivity, are we simply glorifying hustle culture in a climate where burnout is already rife?
Emily Austen, author of Smarter, agrees it’s not for everyone and that there are other ways to be productive. ‘The 5am club is a “one size fits all” concept. The reality is that, in 2025, we are far more in tune with our own rhythms,’ she says. ‘I spent years trying to get up at 5am because I had been told that is what successful people did. The cult of busyness has led us to extremes – described either as lazy or burnout. There is quite a lot in the middle. There are lots of successful people living in smarter ways that don’t sacrifice their wellbeing.’
An adaptation could still make an impact. Robin’s theory is to spend 20 minutes each on movement, reflecting and growth during your early-morning routine, but are there other times in your day you can set aside for these?
During these moments, recreate the distraction-free early hours as much as possible by putting your phone on silent or taking yourself to another room. Ultimately, your wellness and productivity will thrive best when you do what’s authentically right for you: whether that’s your genetics, your current life stage, or your personal energy peaks.
Get up and go
Emily Austen is an advocate of the 8am club and has these suggestions for getting a head start on your day, without rising with the lark:
- Replicate realistic routines: influencers promoting extreme morning rituals often have unique circumstances (gym in the basement, a cleaner etc). Starting with achievable tasks, like making your bed or drinking a glass of water directly after waking, can set a positive tone for the day.
- Prepare the night before: alleviate the morning rush by selecting your outfit, prepping breakfast options, or planning your tasks the night before. By minimising morning decisions, we can conserve mental energy and start our days with a clearer mind.
- Don’t hit snooze: place your alarm out of reach to encourage you to get out of bed immediately, or set your alarm for the latest possible time you need to rise, to wake up feeling more refreshed.
- Track energy, not time: conduct a week-long evaluation to identify when you feel most energised, creative or productive. Then adjust your schedule to align important tasks with your peak energy periods.
Morning diary
H&B’s editor Andrea Leebody spends her mornings chasing after two toddlers, but could joining the 5am club make her days less chaotic and more productive? She tries the trend for a week
Monday
When my smartphone alarm sounds at 5am, I wake up with an anticipatory ‘getting on a flight to somewhere sunny’ feeling, which motivates me to get up. I enjoy a rare hour to myself, getting my admin done in silence, without the usual sensory overwhelm of cries for snacks or to put Bluey on the TV.
Tuesday
So far, so good: the extra hour to myself before the kids get up is a godsend, a rare bit of me-time. But showering without interruptions isn’t what I’m really going for, so I open the journal I received for Christmas, and it feels good to fill out a few pages.
Wednesday
After laying out my leggings and jumper the night before, this morning I continue with my journal prompts before heading out for a 20-minute walk. I’m back before the kids wake up. I get a buzz from feeling like I’m up-and-out before everyone else, and the feeling lasts all day.
Thursday
I listen to a podcast while I eat breakfast. But tiredness is kicking in as the novelty of my early mornings wears off. With little ones, I’m used to surviving on four to six hours of sleep, but I’m craving sugar by the afternoon.
Friday
I’ve noticed myself being less stressed around the kids, as I’m prioritising my own self-care. I’m also enjoying catching up on my WhatsApps (I’m that friend who usually takes a week to reply). I just wish I didn’t have to get up at 5am to do it!
Saturday
Although my body clock has shifted from night owl to early bird after having kids, who wants to get up early on a weekend? Today, without work and school to wake up for, I relish an extra hour of napping, until the littlest one wakes up at 6am.
Sunday
I don’t have the motivation to wake up at 5am on weekends. Instead, I prep for Monday by choosing my clothes the night before, prepping breakfast and applying an overnight hair mask that requires no rinsing out the next day.
The 5am club routine could be the perfect way to revolutionise your mornings – or, you might want to take inspiration from this lifestyle by incorporating an hour of quiet mindfulness, self-care or productivity into your mornings. Ready to set your alarm?
