This Is the First Thing Most People Think About When They Wake Up

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Research shows that most people reach for their phones as soon as they wake up. But what motivates you to finally take the plunge and get out of bed? If you rise and shine with money on your mind, you’re not the only one.

A new survey reports that most Americans first think of money and work when they wake up in the morning—56 percent of men and 48 percent of women, respectively. And those thoughts might be influencing more than just your sleep schedule. According to the survey, people who woke up thinking about work and money were less likely to hit snooze on their alarms. What’s more, the peak salary ($46,000) was associated with a 5 a.m. wake-up time, while those who woke up at 6 a.m. reported higher job satisfaction and an average salary of about $41,000. (Here’s how to wake up without a struggle next time, no alarm necessary.)

That doesn’t necessarily mean that people who wake up thinking about work and resisting the urge to snooze are more successful, though. In fact, the real reason you hit snooze in the morning might have to do with your line of work. The survey found that government and public administration employees were the most likely wake up thinking about their careers (76 percent reported thinking about work first thing in the a.m.; 52 percent don’t hit snooze), followed by people in the finance and insurance industries (70 percent think about their jobs upon rising and 45 percent don’t snooze). Meanwhile, whose who think the least about work in the morning are people in the legal professions, where 50 percent think first thing of their jobs and only 28 percent resist the snooze button.

Conclusion: This bad bedroom habit may have less to do with one’s success and more to do with their work schedule and hours; those who work late in to the evening might rise later, as well. These are the worst jobs for sleep, according to science.

“People in finance may need to get up earlier thinking about work because they have to see what the stock market in Singapore is doing in order to succeed,” Dr. Richard Castriotta, medical director of the Sleep Disorders Center at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center, told NBC News. “It really depends on the person, but also on their line of work.”

Truth be told, this is the very first thing you should do when you wake up. And trust us, it’s way better than thinking about work.

[Source: NBC News]