By Michael Normandin

Many people are often told that being the early bird is a good thing, but is it?

Scientifically speaking, it may not be according to SCMP, the University of Westminster. They found that individuals who got up between 5:30 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. actually had higher amounts of the stress hormone cortisol, which is basically a combination of both nerve and hormonal signals. It also found that people who got out of bed before 7:30 a.m. reported having more muscle aches, cold symptoms, headaches, and even lower moods.

Although, this might not be your fault. Biotechnology company 23andMe actually realized that around fifteen regions of the human genome were linked to being a morning person. What this could mean is that our bodies might just be hardwired to wake up at a certain time.

Despite all of that, there are still a few reasons why someone might want to wake up at four in the morning. In short, there’s nothing stopping them from getting a lot done and out of the way while everyone is asleep. For example, if someone needed to work out, it’s probably better to do it in the early morning since there would be fewer cars and people on the road, ultimately making it safer. On top of all that, your body might just prefer waking up later on in the day and there could be little you can do about that.

What this new information could do is technically change how people plan their days. If someone can probably be far more productive in the long by not being slowed down with a head or muscle ache then it would be a good idea to consider. This is especially true for high school students who often complain of not getting enough sleep, although, this is probably due to them not going to bed early enough.

The bottom line here is that it really depends on who you are as a person and what you’re going to be doing at that hour in the first place. You might not even have a choice in the matter considering how the human body operates.