{"id":11368,"date":"2026-10-16T08:42:37","date_gmt":"2026-10-16T00:42:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/?p=11368"},"modified":"2026-10-16T08:42:40","modified_gmt":"2026-10-16T00:42:40","slug":"mens-health-expert-issues-warning-to-fans-copying-mark-wahlbergs-early-starts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/mens-health-expert-issues-warning-to-fans-copying-mark-wahlbergs-early-starts\/","title":{"rendered":"Men\u2019s health expert issues warning to fans copying Mark Wahlberg\u2019s early starts"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A men\u2019s health expert explains why copying an early alarm without changing your bedtime could leave you tired, unfocused and less productive<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting up at 3 a.m. might look like a head start in a social media morning routine. But for men tempted to copy it, there is an important question to answer before setting the alarm: what time will you actually be asleep?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anneliese Cadena, a board-certified nurse practitioner and clinical consultant at Feel30<\/a>, is encouraging men to protect their sleep when adopting an earlier routine. Moving the alarm forward without bringing bedtime forward can reduce the rest needed to function well during the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cIf you normally wake up at 7 a.m., suddenly setting your alarm for 3 a.m. while keeping the same bedtime cuts four hours from your opportunity to sleep. That can leave you feeling worse during the day, even if you manage to get out of bed.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The consequences can undermine the very reason for getting up early. According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, insufficient sleep can affect concentration, decision-making and reaction times, leaving people taking longer to finish tasks and making more mistakes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For someone who needs eight hours of sleep, a 3 a.m. alarm means being asleep by 7 p.m. the previous evening. That also requires time beforehand to wind down and fall asleep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Start with a smaller change<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For men who want an earlier start, a more manageable approach is to adjust the evening routine gradually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cleveland Clinic recommends moving bedtime earlier by 15 or 20 minutes for a few days, then making another small adjustment. Its guidance advises seven to nine hours of sleep each night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Someone who usually wakes at 7 a.m. could start by working toward 6:45 a.m., alongside an earlier bedtime. Further changes should leave enough time for sleep. Moving the alarm forward by a full hour every day can quickly eat into rest if bedtime does not keep pace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If falling asleep earlier proves difficult, or daytime sleepiness increases, pause further changes and reconsider whether the target wake-up time fits your needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anneliese adds: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cChoose a wake-up time that fits your responsibilities and still gives you enough sleep. Getting up at 6 a.m. and feeling rested may serve you much better than forcing a 3 a.m. start that leaves you struggling through the afternoon.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

An earlier morning starts the evening before<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Changing the alarm may also mean reconsidering an afternoon coffee or a late evening spent scrolling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The NHLBI recommends keeping a consistent sleep schedule and using the hour before bed for quiet time, while avoiding bright artificial light. It also notes that caffeine\u2019s effects can last up to eight hours, which matters when bedtime moves earlier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Morning daylight can help support an earlier sleep schedule. Spending time outside once it is light is one practical step, although people differ in when they naturally feel sleepy and alert.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What does sleep loss mean for testosterone?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Testosterone is one area researchers have investigated, although the findings do not justify claiming that a 3 a.m. alarm causes low testosterone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A small University of Chicago study published in 2011, involving 10 healthy young men, found daytime testosterone levels were approximately 10% to 15% lower after about a week of sleep restricted to five hours a night, compared with a longer sleep condition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, two randomized studies published together in 2019 did not find an adverse effect on testosterone under the sleep-restriction conditions they tested. The studies used different schedules and measurements, and neither paper tested the social media trend itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The evidence supports taking sleep seriously without assuming that tiredness automatically signals a hormone problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wyoming, Alaska and Montana lead searches for testosterone therapy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Separately, Feel30\u2019s analysis of 312 testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) search terms recorded a combined estimated U.S. search volume of 3.37 million between September 2025 and August 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wyoming had the highest estimated search rate relative to population, followed by Alaska and Montana.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rank<\/td>State<\/td>Estimated annual searches per 100,000 residents<\/td><\/tr>
1<\/td>Wyoming<\/td>3,093.0<\/td><\/tr>
2<\/td>Alaska<\/td>2,575.7<\/td><\/tr>
3<\/td>Montana<\/td>2,336.9<\/td><\/tr>
4<\/td>North Dakota<\/td>2,298.1<\/td><\/tr>
5<\/td>Hawaii<\/td>2,174.0<\/td><\/tr>
6<\/td>South Dakota<\/td>2,091.8<\/td><\/tr>
7<\/td>Delaware<\/td>2,056.7<\/td><\/tr>
8<\/td>New Hampshire<\/td>2,041.2<\/td><\/tr>
9<\/td>Vermont<\/td>2,029.0<\/td><\/tr>
10<\/td>Rhode Island<\/td>2,011.6<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Rates use total state populations. Figures estimate searches, not individual searchers, patients or diagnoses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wyoming\u2019s rate was almost three times California\u2019s 1,045.7 searches per 100,000 residents. California recorded the largest total estimated volume, at 411,520, but ranked 41st once population was taken into account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rankings show geographic differences in search activity. They do not identify the states with the lowest testosterone, and the analysis did not measure sleep habits or establish any connection with early waking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When tiredness needs checking<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Persistent tiredness deserves a medical assessment, especially alongside loud snoring, gasping during sleep or breathing that stops and starts. These can be signs of sleep apnea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tiredness alone cannot diagnose low testosterone. The Endocrine Society recommends diagnosis only when compatible symptoms and signs are accompanied by consistently low testosterone levels, confirmed through repeat morning fasting blood tests. Treatment decisions require an appropriate clinical assessment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Getting up at 3 a.m. might look like a head start in a social media morning routine. But for men tempted to copy it, there is an important question to answer before setting the alarm: what time will you actually be asleep?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":6930,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[802,19,20],"class_list":["post-11368","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wellness-2","tag-exercise","tag-health","tag-wellness"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11368","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11368"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11368\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11369,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11368\/revisions\/11369"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6930"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11368"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11368"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11368"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}