Hello Eva,

Great article! I'm a big fan of all your writing :)

However, after spending 2 years researching this topic in great depth (and writing a book about it – see my profile), there is one crucial fact you left out. Something that should be added to then end of the sentence I highlighted. And that's ... "in alignment with your natural rhythm".

Each of us has a unique chronotype, each one has an ideal time to sleep. This is controlled by the SCN (suprachiasmatic nucleus): the master clock.

It's this master clock that decides what is the best time for you to go to sleep, you don't get to decide that.

It's only when you follow your genetically ingrained rhythm that you can get the most out of your sleep.

If you try to wake up at 6:30 am but you have a late phase chronotype, aka night owl, your entire system is technically still asleep – in rest mode. Meaning that even though you look like you're functioning on the outside, on the inside, every cell in your body is pushing to stay in rest-mode. I could go on, but I already wrote a book about it LOL.

What I'm trying to say is that even if you're not a night owl, 6:30 am is usually too early even for intermediates (the in-betweeners). Waking up that early usually only works for early larks who represent about 30% of the population. It's only them that can benefit from such an early rise and stay productive and in top physical and mental state throughout the working day. For the rest of us, it won't work.