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Emiliano Cruz

English 1302

Professor Oscar Martinez

05 May 2023

Sleep to Leap

The English department at Texas A&M decided to test a student to see if the experiment

would be successful. Nineteen-year-old male student who is a participant in the investigation.

The student, who had been lacking motivation and finding it difficult to stay productive, made

the decision to wake up for three days to see if his mental health would improve. The student

committed to rising at five in the morning to keep a digital journal of his deepest and most

sincere emotions. The experiment's goal is to determine whether the students' performance,

well-being, and self-esteem will increase.

The student's first entry was made on January 26, 2023, to describe the research. This

would be the experiment's first full day. He declares, "It takes strength to get up at five in the

morning. Despite the fact that I am sleep deprived, I had the worst headache of the day." This

might result from an extreme sleep pattern. The Journal of Headache and Pain co-author Seong

Hoon Kim writes, "Disrupted sleep is associated with a reciprocal influence on headaches." The

student experienced tension in his head on the first day of the experiment because there is a

connection between sleep and headaches. The experiment proved to be quickly effective. Besides

the headaches, the student claims, "Because I woke up so early, I went to sleep earlier. This is

usually hard for me because I am an insomniac." The student noticed physical changes and

realized that rising at five in the morning made him develop better sleeping habits, which

benefited his mental health. Another researcher and author, Grzegorz Gruba, stated,
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"Respondents who declared sadness and depression in the mental health section were more than

five times more likely to suffer from insomnia than those who did not feel sad or depressed." The

experiment is proven to impact the student's mental well-being positively. Since the student is

waking up early and not suffering from insomnia by the first completed day, his mental health is

improving. Physiological benefits occur by the first day, so imagine what benefits the next days

bring.

For more information, keep in mind that while the experiment has been shown to be

intellectually beneficial, the children's entries on the second day show an improvement in their

health. On day two of the experiment, the student claims he "Finally had time to exercise my

body." He was up at five, exercising, eating breakfast, taking a shower, and even finishing some

extra homework before his first lesson at ten in the morning. The student's ability to exercise

allowed him to feel better physically, which increased dopamine levels. The student was more

energetic and looked forward to "going to class." According to Gary Cooney, author of Exercise

for Depression, "Exercise is moderately more effective than a control intervention for reducing

symptoms of depression." On just day two, the student is reaping physiological and physical

benefits from the experiment. However, the student indicated that he was exhausted and needed

to nap after his first class. After his thirty-minute nap, the student's entry at the end of the day

writes, "I am enjoying waking up early because my day is long, and it feels like I have all the

time in the world to get things done." At the start of the experiment, the student dreaded the idea

of waking up early, but by day two, he had adapted so much that he was looking forward to it.

By day three, the student felt upbeat, confident, and enthusiastic about participating in the

experiment. The kids stated, "I believe that getting up at five should be promoted more. I have

accomplished more, leading to a generally better lifestyle. The student found it simpler to stick to
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his schedule on day three. He had to nap on day two since he was sleepy halfway through, but he

managed to get through the entire day without napping this time. The student wrote. "I finally

completed day three of the experiment, and even though it was tough at the beginning, I think I

will continue waking up at five. My energy is off the charts throughout the day. I go to sleep by 9

pm, making me feel like a grandpa. I like it, in any case. I do not procrastinate as much because I

start my homework right after my work shift at 6 when I usually start homework by 10 pm." The

student elaborates that waking up at five in the morning allowed him to be more productive and

get a recommended eight hours of sleep. To support this, author Tim Brady wrote, "Past sleep

research proves a rested brain performs better across the board. You're more creative, you can

control your emotions, and your short- and long-term memory function far better. You're less

tired and safer in everything you do, as you can think more clearly." This research supports the

claim that waking up early has physical and psychological benefits for an individual.

The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that making a male student, age 19,

wake up at 5 a.m. for three days would result in an increase in energy, health, and self-esteem.

The student realized after the third day that he could adopt a healthier lifestyle in a short period

of time. With a straightforward modification to his sleeping behavior, he altered his motivation

and enhanced his academic drive. As William Camden said, "the early bird gets the worm." The

student resonated with this and honestly thought that he was able to get more school and personal

work done. The student could also work out, which he "did not have time for" before. The

correlation between early rising and an increase in productivity and mental and physical health

was proven positive.

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Works Cited

Brady , T. (2015, August). ProQuest | Better Research, Better Learning, better insights. ProQuest.

Retrieved February 6, 2023, from https://www.proquest.com

Cabrera, J. (2020, September 29). Learn English idioms: The early bird gets the Worm.

International Bears. Retrieved February 6, 2023, from blogs. Missouri state.edung

Cooney, G. M. (2013, September 13). Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews: All Issues:

Cochrane Library. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews: all issues | Cochrane

Library. Retrieved February 6, 2023, from www.cochranelibrary.com

Gruba , G. (2020, March). ProQuest | Better Research, Better Learning, better insights. ProQuest

TAMIU. Retrieved February 6, 2023, from www.proquest.com

Kim, S. H. (2019). The Journal of Headache and Pain. EBSCOHost. Retrieved February 6, 2023,

from web.s.ebscohost.com