'The early bird catches the worm...': Waking up before 7 a.m. could make you happier

Getting up before dawn is, for many, a symbol of discipline and productivity. But how true is it that waking up early improves health? Beyond cultural habits, science has something to say about what happens in the body when you start the day earlier than everyone else.

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Before delving deeper into this topic, it's necessary to introduce a term known as 'social jet lag.' This concept is associated with the imbalance between a person's internal biological clock and their imposed social or work schedules.

For example, a person wakes up at 6:00 a.m. Monday through Friday for work, but sleeps until 10:00 a.m. on weekends. In this situation, the body gets used to a rhythm during the week , but that rhythm changes abruptly on days off.

This conflict can negatively affect both the health and work performance of people who, by nature, tend to stay up late, thus generating a type of jet lag.

According to the Sleep Foundation, moving your bedtime forward can help avoid some of the negative effects of irregular sleep and sleep that's misaligned with your social schedule.

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"Research shows that people who tend to sleep and wake up later are more likely to experience anxiety and depression," the organization notes.

However, it also points out, based on recent studies, that people who prefer to go to bed late could reduce their mental health risks by adjusting their sleep schedule.

"Studies show that those who moved their sleep schedules forward by about two hours reported lower levels of depression and stress compared to those who didn't," he added.

Similarly, research has revealed that changing a night owl's sleep schedule can improve their performance , and shifting their peak hours could help reduce daytime sleepiness.

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