How to wake up at 6am, and is that early in Spain?
, 3 min read
Your alarm goes off at 06:00 and it's dark outside. In the shower, you think about how half the country is still asleep. Are you right, or is it normal to wake up at 6am and you're the odd one out for complaining?
You're right: it's early. In Spain, on weekdays, only 6.2% of people get up before 6, and more than 7 in 10 get up at 7 or later. On top of that, in Spain it's dark at 6 for almost the whole year, and that matters more than it seems.
What time people in Spain get up
The figures come from the CIS barometer of March 2017 (the CIS is Spain's public sociological research centre), based on 2,487 interviews with people over 18:
| Time you get up | Weekdays | Weekends or public holidays |
|---|---|---|
| Before 6 | 6.2% | 1.8% |
| 6 to 7 | 20.1% | 5.9% |
| 7 to 8 | 35.5% | 16.4% |
| 8 to 9 | 23.3% | 31.6% |
| 9 to 10 | 8.9% | 26.1% |
| 10 or later | 3.5% | 14.0% |
The most common slot on weekdays is 7 to 8. If you're already up at 06:00, only one person in 16 beat you to it. At weekends hardly anyone gets up that early: fewer than 8% are up before 7.
Why 6am is so hard in Spain
Because of the clock. In March 1940, an order published in the BOE, Spain's official state gazette, put the clocks forward 60 minutes to be "in line with" other European countries. The same text said a date to return to normal time would be set later. That date never came.
The result is that the sun rises late. In Madrid, in early January it rises at around 08:36, and even in June it never rises before 06:42 (sunrise times in Madrid). In A Coruña, in January, it's after 09:00. In other words, in Madrid it's still before sunrise at 06:00 on every day of the year.
And you feel it when you wake up. What to do with those first groggy minutes is covered in how to wake up early.
How to wake up at 6am without feeling tired all the time
- Count backwards. The recommendation from the US sleep medicine societies is that adults sleep 7 hours or more. To be up at 06:00, that means being asleep by 23:00 at the latest.
- Switch on plenty of light. In winter there's none outside until after 8, so turn the kitchen or bathroom light up full as soon as you get up.
- Get there in steps. If you get up at 07:30 today, try 07:15 for a few days and keep moving it earlier.
- Give that hour a reason. Running, studying, reading without interruptions. Getting up at 6 to scroll your phone on the sofa doesn't last.
When it isn't worth it
If you leave home at 08:30 and go to bed at 1am, getting up at 6 doesn't give you more hours. It takes away hours of sleep. In that case, bring your bedtime forward first, or set 07:00 and make good use of it.
6am, for real and every day
The hard part of 06:00 is repeating it on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. With Ultimatum you commit to that time: you leave a small guarantee and, when you get up, you take a photo there and then as proof, and if you keep your word you get your money back. If the photo check is unsure, a person reviews it and nothing is charged automatically. The app isn't out yet, but you can already join the beta.