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Getting up at 5am, doing a workout, then heading to work is not a one-size-fits-all recipe for using time effectively, sleep experts say, noting that not everyone is a morning type.
Countless Instagram and TikTok posts and coaching books have been telling us that early rising leads to a more efficient and successful life.
Canadian leadership expert Robin Sharma’s book The 5am Club is an example. It has sold more than 15 million copies worldwide since it was published in 2018. It describes the hour from 5am to 6am as the “Victory Hour” to prime your day – spending 20 minutes on intense exercise to boost focus, 20 minutes on reflection such as through journaling or meditation, and 20 minutes learning to sharpen your skills.
Should you also join the so-called 5am club?












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Sleep experts believe this approach overlooks important factors.
“This whole movement actually rests on the assumption that getting up earlier creates discipline and that discipline automatically leads to success,” says sleep psychologist Günther Amann-Jennson from Frastanz in the Austrian state of Vorarlberg.
He says the mistake is to put discipline above biology. He adds that sleep clearly follows biological laws, and everyone has a genetic internal clock that cannot be changed.
Lark or owl?
“In general, research distinguishes between day people and night people,” says neurologist Birgit Högl of the Medical University of Innsbruck in Austria. “Larks like getting up in the morning, they have an appetite straight after waking and they are mentally and physically capable in the morning.
“Owls prefer to sleep a bit longer and reach their mental peak in the afternoon.”

Högl says early rising is not always compatible with everyday life and the recommended sleep duration of seven to nine hours. If you want to get up at 5am, you would need to go to bed around 9pm.
“For early chronotypes who like going to bed early, that may be an option if the total sleep duration can be maintained, but not for evening types,” she says.
Amann-Jennson estimates that about 20 to 25 per cent of people are larks and around 20 to 30 per cent are owls. The largest share of the population, about 50 per cent, lies in between and is classed as an intermediate chronotype – doves. For many people, the early-riser formula for success is unsuitable.

Instead of fighting sleep needs, there are other paths to success.
“Those who understand sleep as the basis of health, performance and contentment will naturally find a much better long-term path than via simple success formulas,” says Amann-Jennson.
He says this path does not start with getting up earlier, but with being willing to take one’s own biological and psychological limits seriously.
“I would say that with a limited lifespan and a limited 24-hour day, you should think carefully about what you prioritise,” Högl says.
To stay healthy in the long term, sufficient sleep belongs alongside a healthy diet, exercise and a social environment.
How to achieve restful sleep
An expensive mattress is not the secret to good sleep, according to Amann-Jennson. Högl cites four prerequisites for a restorative night’s rest.

Darkness The bedroom should be as dark as possible. Blinds, blackout curtains and a sleep mask can all help. If you want to shorten the time it takes to fall asleep or make it earlier, you can dim the lights one to two hours before bed.


Quiet For a well-rested sleep it should be as quiet as possible. Even small noises that do not wake you can subtly disturb sleep.


Temperature The bedroom should not be too warm. You fall asleep best when your core body temperature drops, which happens when you can give off heat to the environment, usually via your hands and feet.


Mealtimes The last meal of the day should be aligned with sleep. It should not be too late in the evening or too close to bedtime, but it is also not recommended to go to bed with a completely empty stomach.


Sleep deprivation can harm health in the long term
According to Högl, insufficient sleep risks impairing working memory, fluency, emotion regulation and decision-making. Pain sensitivity is also higher.
She says long-term studies show that people who chronically sleep too little have a higher risk of metabolic disorders, diabetes and high blood pressure.
“From a biological perspective, 95 per cent of people have inadequate sleep, from young to old,” Amann-Jennson says.
Sleep deprivation is also a societal problem. For example, schools start too early, and working hours are not compatible with the internal clock for many people.
Sleep deprivation also affects social interactions.
“Tiredness leads people to be less empathetic and much more aggressive,” Amann-Jennson says. We know this, he says, yet no one seems able to change it.
Additional reporting by a staff reporter


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Wellness

Sleeping and waking up early works for some people, but others are more naturally suited to a later timetable. Photo: Shutterstock

Research distinguishes between day people and night people, says neurologist Birgit Högl of the Medical University of Innsbruck. Photo: experts.i-med.ac.at

Sleep psychologist Günther Amann-Jennson says sleep clearly follows biological laws, and everyone has a genetic internal clock that cannot be changed. Photo: amann-jennson.com

For a good night’s sleep your bedroom should be as dark as possible, says Birgit Högl of the Medical University of Innsbruck, in Austria. Photo: Shutterstock

8 hot wellness trends in 2026, from women’s longevity and sports to ‘health raves’

One of the top wellness trends expected in 2026 is a rise of wearables designed to help quiet the brain’s neural activity, such as EEG sensor headbands like this one from Muse. Photo: choosemuse.com

Women do not age the same way as men, and the role of the ovaries in ageing will be a focus of research in 2026. Photo: Shutterstock

Overuse of wearable health trackers can cause anxiety and “betterment burnout”. Photo: Shutterstock

Vagus nerve stimulators can help flip the body from stress mode to recovery mode. Photo: Shutterstock

Hong Kong’s women’s rugby sevens team (in white) plays Shanghai (in red) at Kai Tak Stadium, in Hong Kong, in 2025. Photo: Dickson Lee

Microplastics will be in the spotlight in 2026, with research looking at possible therapies to remove them from our bodies. Photo: Shutterstock

The interior of a unit of the senior housing project Ventria Residence in Happy Valley, Hong Kong. Photo: Olga Wong

Why poor sleep is not unavoidable as we get older

In our 60s and beyond, a lot of factors increase vulnerability to poor sleep – such as illnesses and medications – but sleeping worse is not inevitable as we age. Photo: Shutterstock

People tend to put on weight as they get older and that increases vulnerability to breathing problems at night, which can affect sleep. Photo: Shutterstock

Professor Jason Ellis is the director of the Northumbria Centre for Sleep Research at Northumbria University. Photo: researchgate.net

People who work will often have fairly regular times when they get up, eat, exercise and socialise. In retirement, there is less need for such structure. Photo: Shutterstock

"Retired people may nap more during the day,” says Lisa Artis, deputy chief executive of The Sleep Charity in the UK. Photo: Shutterstock

If someone’s sleep is being disturbed because of sleep apnoea, then continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) may be suggested. Photo: Shutterstock

Why wild health raves will be one of 2026’s biggest wellness trends

Luuk Melisse, a former dancer and founder of mindful movement community Sanctum, leads the Sanctum Frequency festival in Amsterdam in 2024. A new chapter is opening for the wellness industry, one that owes a lot to the euphoric rave culture of the 80s and 90s.
Photo: Sanctum

Sanctum founder Luuk Melisse leads a mindful movement session outdoors as part of a retreat at Six Senses in Rome. Photo: Instagram/luukmelisse

Participants at a Love Supreme Projects event in London’s Notting Hill give each other hugs. Photo: Instagram/lovesupremeprojects

People take part in a guangchang wu performance in Luannan county, Hebei province, China. Photo: Shutterstock

Do you have insomnia? Why your heart health depends on getting a good night’s rest, and 5 expert tips to help you end sleepless nights

New studies give another reason to get enough good-quality sleep: your heart health is affected by the length and quality of your rest. Photo: Shutterstock

Sleep is the foundation of wellness, says Hong Kong sleep and functional medicine health coach Cavan Chan. Photo: Cavan Chan

Not everyone finds it easy to get a good night’s sleep. Photo: Shutterstock

Frequent travellers including pilots and flight attendants, who often experience jet lag from being in different time zones, have a particularly difficult time getting good-quality sleep. Photo: Shutterstock

Problems such as obstructive sleep apnoea and heart failure are associated with sleep disruptions. Photo: Shutterstock

The ideal temperature range for sleeping is 16 to 21 degrees Celsius. Photo: Shutterstock

If you can’t sleep, get out of bed, sit in a dark, quiet corner and try to relax. Photo: Shutterstock

Lifestyle

Health & Wellness

Health

Ahead of World Sleep Day, we look at how to get the best night’s sleep and why getting up early isn’t always as productive as you may think


Ahead of World Sleep Day, we look at how to get the best night’s sleep and why getting up early isn’t always as productive as you may think.


How to age well

Why waking up early is not for everyone, and what sleep experts say about rising early

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Ahead of World Sleep Day, we look at how to get the best night’s sleep and why getting up early isn’t always as productive as you may think

Ahead of World Sleep Day, we look at how to get the best night’s sleep and why getting up early isn’t always as productive as you may think