A study shows that there
are actually a lot more people
in the country,
in the world, who wake up early.
These natural risers,
people who don't set an alarm and
typically wake up naturally before
5:30 in the morning.
These people exist, okay,
I'm not the only one >> It did,
I knew it,
a confession right there on air.
Okay, so how often do you wake up
before 5:30?
>> I don't set an alarm.
And I wake up before 5:30,
I would say, 95% of the time.
>> Wow.
>> Yeah, yeah, and I don't like it.
In fact, I never get to sleep in
during the weekends, which I
really want to be able to do.
>> So you wake up at 5.30
on the weekends?
>> Always, I'm always awake.
Not always,
because there's 5% of the time,
maybe I got lucky and I was able to
sleep a little bit longer, right?
>> Mm-hm.
>> But, I wake up naturally.
And, in fact, I usually wake up
once in the middle of the night.
And when I do that,
I usually have my fingers crossed
that it's time to get up.
Because if it's like 1:30 in
the morning, it means I have to try
to go back to sleep, and
I don't want to go back to sleep.
I want to get up and start the day.
>> At 1:30, wow.
>> Yeah, but
luckily more often than not,
I'm able to go back to sleep and
then I'll wake up before 5:30.
>> Yeah. >> Yeah, but I like
reading the science into this and
the studies into this.
So I want to share the.
I thought you were an early riser?
>> No, I'm forced into being
an early riser, and I hate it.
So, normally, when I was a kid I
used to, like in the summers,
I'd sleep 12 hours on the regular.
And I'd go sleep in the basement
where there's no sunlight.
And I'd just comatose.
Those were some of
my favorite moments of my life,
was when I was not conscious.
Okay, [LAUGH] so, I love sleeping.
But because I have to work so much,
like when I used to do the MSNBC
show and The Current show at
the same time, I had get up at five
in the morning to have a prayer of
getting both shows ready?
>> Mm-hm. >> By showtime, right?
>> Mm-hm. >> And so, now,
I got kids and
I'm waking up early to spend time
with them in the mornings.
But never have I enjoyed it.
I have always woken up with like.
And so- >> Yeah.
>> And now because I've done it so
much, I'm beginning to wake up
naturally at a much earlier time.
Which I generally despise, and
I hope I can beat out of my body,
as soon as I'm able to.
>> The worst part about being
a morning person, which I am,
is that most people are not morning
people, right?
>> True. >> So, even though there
are more morning people out there
than I even expected, obviously,
the vast majority of people want to
sleep in and
they're not morning people.
So, I remember when I used to go
traveling with Christian, in
the beginning of our relationship,
now we're married and
I don't care what he thinks.
But in the beginning of our
relationship, we were like- >> Of
course, by the way that's the most
true thing that you'll hear in
the whole video.
>> [LAUGH] Totally.
>> Okay, and it has nothing to do
with Christian or Ana.
It's just blanket, you know it.
>> It used to stress me out when we
would travel together because,
obviously, we're in a hotel room,
and it's like 5:25 and I'm up,
I'm ready to go, and he's asleep.
And so, I don't want to wake
him up, but
I also don't know what to do.
Do I just lay there in
the dark, right?
It's awkward, and I'm bored, and
I want him to wake up already.
And I can't turn on the TV.
It was the worst.
And so,
when we finally got married,
I'm like, thank God,
now I'm going to turn the TV on.
I already got the ring, I'm good.
>> My God. [LAUGH] >> Look, on
the one hand, shame, shame, okay.
>> I'm actually kidding,
I don't do that.
>> On the other hand.
>> No, no, I don't, I don't. >> On
the other hand,
hashtag truth- [LAUGH] >> Okay?
>> No, now, I'm actually a lot
better about like, okay, I'm just
going to put my clothes on and
go for a walk.
So I'll go out for a while.
>> Yeah, it's called leaving.
>> Totally. >> Yeah, because I get
up now we're on vacation.
Sometimes I get up before the kids
and certainly before Wendy,
who is a very late sleeper.
And so, yeah, I love it.
I go outside, and
I go chill and stuff.
I don't turn on the TV full blast,
like I already got the ring.
[INAUDIBLE] I got it.
I got it.
Okay, I used to date face stroker.
[LAUGH] >> So, she didn't want to
wake me up, right?
because that seemed rude.
So she'd just start stroking my
face in the morning,
like theoretically affectionately.
And I'd go like what is on my face
come on.
Okay, it's better to just wake me
up, it's okay, right?
>> God, that is the funniest and
also the creepiest thing I've ever
heard.
How does that- >> She was a good
person, she didn't mean harm by it.
We don't know what we're doing.
>> Yeah, she was stroking
your face while you were sleeping.
>> I know don't stroke
people awake?
Just don't, that's okay.
It's just a public
service announcement.
>> [LAUGH] Okay, so, let's finally
get to what the research shows.
>> We're doing a new story, right?
>> Yeah, yeah, that's right.
All right, so
professor of Neurology at
the University of California at
San Francisco teamed up with this
guy named Christopher Jones.
He's a neurologist
at the University of Utah.
And what they did,
is they ran the sleep clinic for
ten years.
So you know, there's
some interesting
information here, right?
>> Mm-hm. >> So, here's
what we know.
Over the course of ten years,
Jones asked 2,422 patients
questions such as, if you had to
take a test tomorrow what would
the best time to take the test be?
And when would be the best time to
exercise?
Those who had answered with some of
the earliest times were then asked
whether they typically woke up by
5:30 AM.
It turned out that the 8 patients,
or one out of every 300, did so.
For five of those patients,
this so-called advanced sleep
phase was genetic, thanks mom and
dad, meaning that they had multiple
relatives who woke up extremely
early too.
>> Mm-hm. >> Actually,
neither one of my parents wake up
extremely early.
I don't know where I got it from.
Now, let's get to the actual
interesting part.
I wanted to give you the context
of the study that they did.
So, are there advantages to being
an early riser?
>> Now, finally, let's get to it.
>> Okay.
>> So, can I just say,
I know because, obviously,
I read the story, but before I read
the story, my guess was no they
always lord that over us the early
riser, so I'm getting a lot done.
The early bird gets the worm.
I'm like, yeah, unless you're
the early worm, in which case you
got eaten by the bird.
And so it depends, doesn't it?
And Bill Clinton, for example,
used to stay up till 2, 3,
I used to stay up till 2, 3,
back in the day.
So, then they're like, no,
it's better by definition to get up
in the morning.
Why? Maybe I'm putting in more time
working than you are, I'm just
doing it in a different time.
No, no, being early is always good.
So, let's find out, is it or not?
>> All right well, it turns out
that there are some advantages to
being a natural early riser.
>> Extreme larks,
The Atlantic writes, wake up more
easily than others, and they
don't tend to sleep in on weekends,
which is true, as many others do.
Early hours are cherished, filled
with self-improving activities such
as exercise, true, and meditation,
true, I can totally relate to that.
They might even be healthier than
people who are night owls.
Late bedtimes are associated with
some negative health consequences
such as Type 2 diabetes and
heart disease.
>> That last part's nonsense.
It's true, but it doesn't mean
anything with your sleep pattern.
So, if you go to bed late,
it's because a lot of times you're
going to get a late night snack.
You're having late dinner.
You're going to the clubs,
you're drinking.
That's what's leading to
the bad health.
>> Yeah.
>> Not the amount of sleep you got
or when you got to sleep, right?
A lot of the larks,
which is a very- >> He's getting
real defensive.
Everything's going to be okay.
>> Okay, all right, I mean, so,
these extreme larks,
is a new word I did not know,
which is hilarious already.
[LAUGH] >> They go to
bed around 8:30 AM.
Yeah, of course, you're not
going to have any health problems.
You didn't live life.
>> We don't go to bed at 8:30 AM.
>> You'd have a single beer.
>> Yeah, look,
some of that is true.
But, yeah, I don't have
a counterpoint to that.
>> Okay, yes.
>> Okay but look,
there is some good news for people
who don't like to wake up early.
So, a neurologist at
Northwestern University who wasn't
involved with this particular study
explained that some patients might
find that their natural sleep
window happens from 7 PM to 3 AM.
But they are rarely able to go to
bed before 10PM because of work and
family obligations.
I totally agree with this.
They will still not be able to
sleep past 3 AM, but will then be
sleep deprived the following day,
she said.
That's totally true.
>> Yeah. >> That's 100% true,
because it doesn't even matter what
time I go to sleep.
If I go to sleep at 3 in the
morning, I'm waking up before 5:30.
>> Yeah. >> Guaranteed.
>> Now that's super tough.
In all seriousness, guys,
I have tremendous sympathy for
the larks among us.
And so, because
they're going to get up at 5:30,
there's nothing we can do about it.
I eventually can train my body to
get up at a later time, again,
once I get past the kids, and the
extreme work, and all that stuff.
>> Mm-hm. >> And there's some days
you're going to go to bed late.
So, for me,
I gotta have six hours of sleep.
And so that's Arianna Huffington
who's >> Darling.
>> Darling. >> You need a nap,
darling.
>> Eight is not nearly enough.
>> Not enough.
>> I asked her, well, so, how many
hours are we supposed to get?
Ten.
>> Come on.
>> I was like when do we work,
when do we live, when do we- >> No,
no, I find that offensive.
>> [LAUGH] I mean bless your heart
if you can get ten hours every day,
go for it, right?
It sounds amazing.
But, anyways, but I gotta get six.
because if I don't get six,
today I didn't get six,
I got like five hours.
>> Mm-hm. >> I woke up early for
no reason around 5:40.
No, what if I'm a lark?
Okay, I found out what a lark is,
and I'll tell you in a second,
[LAUGH] >> Okay?
But I've been tired the whole day,
except you can't notice because too
much too strong.
[LAUGH] Okay,
toostrongcoffee.com/TYT.
No, but seriously,
I have three cups, for
me three cups is a lot.
>> Mm-hm. >> On three cups
I'm like, let's do this.
But why is it happening on a day
where I didn't get six hours?
Is it around 8, 9?
Definitely 10 o'clock man,
I'm Rocky in Rocky 3.
I've been pummeled for
three movies in a row.
>> Yeah. >> But I'm like, boom,
boom, well, I gotta get sleep.
And I am literally happier when I
get more sleep.
I feel much more refreshed,
energetic, and
ready to tackle the world.
When I don't have enough sleep I'm
like [NOISE].
>> Yeah, I do find it interesting
that you need stimulants to
get through your day at work, but
I guess it is what it is.
>> Interesting, okay.
By the way, just found out through
Brad, that larks are birds that
sing in the morning.
Now I'm not buying it but
[LAUGH] thank you for
reminding me Brad, reminding me.
Of [LAUGH] anyways, so bottom line,
guys, is that, my analysis of that
science is that it doesn't really
matter what your sleep pattern is.
So you can be just as effective as
an early riser.
Of course, when I do rise early,
and no one else is up and
the kids aren't up,
walking outside, exercise is a bit
too much that early in the morning,
but taking a walk.
>> I love it that way.
>> Having coffee in
an empty quiet house by yourself.
Those are wonderful moments-
>> Yes.
>> Right? >> Yes.
>> So, you could enjoy your life so
much if you're an early riser.
But, of course,
you can enjoy your life,
just as much, if not more,
if you're a late riser.
So, don't believe the hype about
the old wives' tales of, no,
the guy who wakes up early is
definitely going to be
more successful, and happier,
and all that stuff.
No, that's garbage,
it's not true at all.
Just wake up whenever you wake up
and you'll be ten times better
off not stressing about it.
There, I solved it.
[LAUGH] You're welcome.