Unpopular Opinion - Waking up at the Break of Dawn is Better than Staying up Late - Jason Baldanza

         Many people in society have a habit of staying up late instead of going to sleep early to wake up at the break of dawn. Many adults have to wake up early to commute to their job so they don't have an option but many teenagers have an option on weekends and in the summer and they decide to sleep for as long as they can. Although I find myself staying up very late quite often, I believe that if there is motivation and enjoyable plans to one's day, waking up early in the morning will let that person utilize the time in their day to the fullest. Waking up early requires an increased amount of determination and a decreased amount of laziness. Many teenagers fall into this cycle of laziness and decide to rest for a few extra hours to fulfill their desired amount of sleep. Personally, I fall under this category most times and I realize that I'm missing a lot of time out of my days. The days of sleeping in add up but if I were determined, I could be very productive with the extra hours I would be supplementing to my day by waking up early. If I have something to look forward to that will occupy me for the day, I will gladly wake up at sunrise but if I don't, it is hard to find motivation to wake up.         

           Many teenagers don't enjoy waking up so early to go school so they relate that feeling into waking up early in general. They feel forced into a learning environment right after waking up daily. Many teenagers  enjoy staying up late in order to have more free time in their day alone and to prolong their current day before they have to wake up for school the next morning. Waking up early would mean going to bed early in order to be energized the next day. Many people don't want to take the sacrifice of going to sleep early to wake up early. It may be an annoying sacrifice to many teenagers, however, if there is something productive to do the next day, waking up early is fully worth it. For example, in the summertime, I go deep sea fishing on a commercial boat but my family and I have to drive to Point Pleasant which is almost two hours away. In order to get there on time, my family wakes up at 4:30 AM and since there is something to look forward to, everyone gets up with no problem because we know that our day is going to be productive. Not every daily activity creates this motivation and that is why many teenagers fall into this endless cycle of staying up late and sleeping in. I have fallen into this trap and have adapted to it but sometimes, I have minimal energy to function the next day since I stayed up late. My sleep schedule is very inconsistent because of this but if I woke up at the break of dawn every day, my sleep schedule would be replenished and I would be more energized and productive daily.

        Although the night owl lifestyle of staying up after midnight daily is fun, the way of living has nowhere near as much potential productivity as the early bird lifestyle. Teenagers should find motivation to wake up early and not complain about it for the best usage of their days. It is a very challenging task in order to rise at the wake of dawn consistently over a period of time but if one builds the strength to maintain this lifestyle, their productivity throughout the day will be enhanced. I need to get into the habit of waking up early in the summer to enjoy my free time. I recommend trying to wake up early consistently in a week where you are available to make fun plans and experience this feeling of productivity.