The first days of 2026 brought many Romanians real challenges regarding waking up early and arriving on time to work or school. Seasonal problems have scientific explanations related to sleep, light and biological rhythm, but there are also solutions by which their effects can be mitigated.
The beginning of the year hardly gets Romanians moving, and delays at work or school are common.
Delays, charged at work
Some cause inconvenience at work and lead to absurd rules, some of them say. A Romanian reported on the Reddit platform about the rules imposed on employees, at the beginning of the year, by the boss of the company where he works.
“Starting today, the following working hours rules apply: any employee who arrives after 08:45 more than four times in a month will have their target increased by 10% and will be required to take a day off. If the delay exceeds 09:30, it is mandatory to take or apply for leave for that day.” it says, noting that the patron’s message was sent to the company’s WhatsApp group.
Next, the company’s administrator urged employees not to volunteer to work from home, except in unforeseen cases, according to the message that caused numerous reactions on the social media platform.
Problems with waking up early, complained more often in winter
Other Romanians told that, even though they decided at the beginning of the year to become more early risers or they have to do so in order to get to work or school on time, they encounter great difficulties when waking up.
“I can’t stand waking up in the morning, and somehow the Universe made it so that I have a job that I have to get to at 7:30am (which I’m very grateful for, though). I don’t work in the morning, I don’t drink coffee, and I don’t smoke, so I have no habit to help me wake up. The moment my alarm goes off, I’m always fighting an internal battle with myself to get up and get out of bed.”says a 22-year-old young woman.
Many Romanians admit that they have the same problem, especially at the beginning of the year, after the holidays that upset their usual schedule.
“I’ve gotten into the habit of getting out of bed and turning off the phone in my sleep and then going back to bed. It’s funny to wake up around noon and wonder, ‘Why is it so light outside?'”reported another Romanian.
Another says he wakes up at 6:46 a.m. every day, but after the holidays it was extremely difficult for him to stick to his routine.
“These days, after the frost, were real torture. I had to leave the house even earlier to defrost my car. I seriously thought about moving to my grandparents’ house in the country and becoming a farmer, but then I realized that they also woke up at 6 in the morning to feed the animals, go with the cow and to the fields in the summer… quickly abandoned plan.” he claimed.
Other Romanians tell that they too, in the last few days, almost unconsciously, turned off the morning alarm and continued their sleep. Many also offer some solutions for those who want to avoid delays. Some recommend an alarm clock that is set to go off a few minutes earlier than your phone alarm.
“I put my utility bill next to me. When I see them, I remember why I have to go to work.” claims another Romanian.
Someone else thinks it would help to leave the alarm phone as far away from the bed as possible so that those who wake up have to exercise to reach it.
“Go to bed at 10 p.m., eat healthy, hydrate and exercise. You’ll never have these problems again.” someone else thinks.
One user says that setting multiple morning alarms at different intervals of a few minutes (5, 7, 10 minutes, not just every ten minutes) helps. Another Romanian, however, believes that the desire not to wake up in the morning motivates people to work more, so that they no longer have to have this routine.
Winter brings more fatigue and trouble waking up
Scientists show that during winter, long nights, short days and cold temperatures can make many people feel tired and lack energy, and the desire to stay in bed longer in the morning is common during this time.
“The arrival of winter brings with it a number of potential sleep challenges, including reduced exposure to sunlight, cooler temperatures, time changes, and diminished immunity. All of these factors disrupt sleep, making it more difficult to wake up in the morning,” explained Guy Meadows, sleep researcher and co-founder of The Sleep School, an online platform that provides evidence-based support for sleep problems.
The specialist shows that hormonal changes, unhealthy behaviors and certain vitamin deficiencies can also be at the root of seasonal fatigue.
“Studies have shown that in countries with pronounced seasonal variations, people tend to go to bed and wake up slightly later in winter than in summer. The lack of natural light in winter may explain this, as it delays our sleep-wake cycle.” says the scientist, quoted by the Live Science platform.
About a third of Americans say they sleep more in the winter, according to research presented by Live Science. Experts cited by the publication recommend that adults sleep about seven to nine hours a night. These recommendations do not differ by season, suggesting that people do not need more sleep in colder months, even though seasonal factors may influence sleep.
Absenteeism increases in winter
A study conducted in the Netherlands analyzed the frequency of tardiness, sick leave, absenteeism and school performance by period. The data, collected from more than 1,700 high school students over four school years, showed that tardiness and absenteeism peaked in the winter.
“The winter peak in tardiness could have been explained by adverse weather conditions caused by low temperatures, such as ice and snow on the streets. However, our results indicate that day length was more strongly associated with absenteeism than average weekly temperature and weather conditions. Exposure to less light and nighttime light is associated with delayed sleep. During the winter months, students were likely exposed to less natural light, especially in the morning: in December and January, the sunrise occurred later than the start time of the classes”, showed the authors of the study “Delays increase in winter: evidence for the existence of annual rhythms in humans”, published on the platform of the US National Library of Medicine.
One of the researchers’ suggestions was that at high latitudes, schools start later in the winter to see if this would reduce the higher absenteeism rates during this period and improve school performance, given that absenteeism is negatively associated with grades.
Tricks to become a morning person
Andrew Huberman, an American specialist in neuroscience, followed by millions of people on his media platforms, explains the simple steps that should be followed by those who want to stop having problems with morning delays, regardless of the season.
If someone wants to wake up earlier, they need four things, which German scientists call “zeitgeber” or “alarm clocks,” says Dr. Andrew Huberman. A zeitgeber is an environmental event, such as the onset of light or darkness, that stimulates or resets an organism’s biological clock. High or low temperatures, work schedule, school and regular mealtimes can also be such stimuli of the biological clock.
“The first way to regulate this cycle is to see bright light at the time you want to be awake in the morning,” says the specialist.
The second most powerful “alarm clock” that can be combined with light exposure is movement or exercise. The third stimulus that those who want to train their circadian rhythm to be more alert in the morning can use is caffeine (coffee or caffeinated teas). Eating at certain times of the morning can also contribute to forming the habit of waking up early. The fourth element useful for waking up in the morning is interaction with other people.
“Light, exercise, coffee, food, and social interactions align your circadian rhythm with these mechanisms. So if tomorrow you start the process of becoming an early riser and set your alarm for 5, regardless of what time you went to bed the night before, you’ll wake up and do these things. Maybe you’ll cut out food or caffeine if you don’t want it, and it’ll be hard. The first day, around noon, you might feel exhausted. On the second day you’ll find it a little easier to do this morning routine, and on the third day you should wake up a few minutes before your alarm goes off because your circadian rhythm has changed.”explains Dr. Andrew Huberman.
