Instant Alert: 21 successful people who wake up incredibly early

MANAGE SUBSCRIPTIONS   |   UNSUBSCRIBE   |   VIEW ONLINE   21 successful people who wake up incredibly early by Gus Lubin and Rachel Gillett on Apr 30, 2016, 8:00 AM Advertisement They say the early bird catches the worm, and research suggests there might be some truth to the old adage. Waking up with (or before) the sun allows executives like Apple CEO Tim Cook and "Shark Tank" investor Kevin O'Leary to get a head start on the day, knocking out tasks before the rest of the world has rolled out of bed. Those "extra" hours with less distractions and fresh energy also give them a chance to do some creative thinking, fit in a workout, and spend time with family. And it should be noted that waking up early doesn't necessarily mean losing sleep.  Here are 21 early risers who may convince you never to hit snooze again. Max Nisen, Aaron Taube, and Rachel Sugar contributed to earlier versions of this article. SEE ALSO: From napping at work to clearing your mind before bed, Arianna Huffington just answered all our questions about sleep Apple CEO Tim Cook wakes up at 3:45 a.m. and gets a head start on email. The tech titan is known for getting up early. According to a Time profile, "He wakes up at 3:45 every morning ('Yes, every morning'), does email for an hour, stealing a march on those lazy East Coasters three time zones ahead of him, then goes to the gym, then Starbucks (for more e-mail), then work. 'The thing about it is, when you love what you do, you don't really think of it as work. It's what you do. And that's the good fortune of where I find myself.'" FLOTUS Michelle Obama is working out by 4:30 a.m. While the president is known for getting very little sleep, he's got nothing on the first lady, who tells Oprah she starts her days with a 4:30 a.m. workout before her kids wake up.  "If I don't exercise, I won't feel good. I'll get depressed," she says, noting that it's easier to pull that off at the White House, where she has "much more support" than the average person.   AOL CEO Tim Armstrong starts his day at 5:00 a.m. but tries not to send too many early-morning e-mails. The former Google executive tells The Guardian that he's "not a big sleeper" and wakes up at 5 a.m. or 5:15 a.m. every day to work out, read, tinker with the site, and hang out with his middle daughter, who is also an early riser. Armstrong says he tries to hold off on sending emails until around 7:00 a.m. See the rest of the story at Business Insider   Share the latest business news with your network: Email sent to:   |   Manage your email preferences   |   Unsubscribe Terms of Service   |   Privacy Policy Business Insider. 150 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10011