Waking up is hard. Honestly, for some of us, it’s a daily battle against the snooze button that feels more like a heavyweight boxing match than a peaceful transition into a new day. You’ve likely heard the phrase good morning good morning it's time to rise and shine chirped at you by an overly enthusiastic parent, a digital alarm clock, or even a catchy song from a classic movie. It’s a string of words that carries a surprising amount of weight in our cultural lexicon. But where did it actually come from, and why do we keep saying it even when we feel like a zombie before our first cup of coffee?
The phrase isn't just a random assortment of cheerful words. It’s a psychological trigger. It signals a shift in state. We move from the unconscious world of REM sleep into the high-stakes reality of our daily lives. While the repetition of "good morning" might feel redundant, it serves a rhythmic purpose. It mimics the natural cadence of a heartbeat or a drum, designed to pull the brain out of its delta-wave slumber.
The Origins of the Shine
We can't talk about this phrase without acknowledging the 1952 masterpiece Singin' in the Rain. You know the scene. Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, and Donald O’Connor are dancing around a living room at 1:30 in the morning after a long night of brainstorming. They burst into the song "Good Morning," which heavily features the "rise and shine" sentiment. Interestingly, that song wasn't even written for that movie; it was originally used in the 1939 film Babes in Arms with Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney.
But "Rise and Shine" has much deeper roots than Hollywood. It’s actually a biblical reference. Isaiah 60:1 says, "Arise, shine; for thy light is come." It was a call to action, a command to be present and radiant. By the time it hit the military barracks of the 19th and 20th centuries, it had lost its religious weight and became a literal order to get out of bed and get to work.
Why Your Brain Hates Rising and Shining
Most people think they’re just "not a morning person," but the science is a bit more nuanced. Dr. Matthew Walker, a renowned neuroscientist and author of Why We Sleep, talks extensively about "sleep inertia." This is that heavy, fog-like feeling that coats your brain the moment you wake up. When you hear good morning good morning it's time to rise and shine, your prefrontal cortex—the part of the brain responsible for logic and decision-making—isn't even fully online yet.
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It takes about 20 to 30 minutes for the brain to clear out adenosine, the chemical that builds up throughout the day to make you feel sleepy. If you’re being jolted awake by a loud alarm or a cheerful shout, your body experiences a spike in cortisol and adrenaline. It’s a "fight or flight" response to a "rise and shine" world.
Some people are genetically predisposed to struggle with early starts. This is known as your chronotype. If you’re a "Night Owl," your circadian rhythm is naturally shifted later. Telling a Night Owl to "rise and shine" at 6:00 AM is like asking a fish to climb a tree. It’s not a lack of willpower; it’s biology.
Cultural Variations of the Wake-Up Call
Every culture has its own version of this morning greeting. In many Spanish-speaking households, you’ll hear "¡Arriba!" which literally means "Up!" It’s short, punchy, and leaves no room for negotiation. In Japan, the greeting "Ohayō gozaimasu" is rooted in an observation that it is "early."
The Americanized good morning good morning it's time to rise and shine is uniquely optimistic, almost aggressively so. It’s rooted in the Protestant work ethic—the idea that the early bird truly does get the worm and that laziness is a moral failing. We’ve turned waking up into a performance of productivity.
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The Problem With Toxic Positivity in the AM
Let’s be real. Sometimes, being told to "rise and shine" feels like an insult. If you’ve stayed up late with a sick child, finished a grueling work shift, or are struggling with burnout, that forced cheerfulness can be grating.
Psychologists often point to this as a form of "toxic positivity." It’s the insistence that no matter how you feel, you must project a "shining" exterior. It’s okay to not be "shining" at 7:00 AM. In fact, many high-performers prefer a "low-dopamine morning." This means avoiding the phone, avoiding loud noises, and slowly letting the body acclimate to being awake.
Modern Interpretations and the Digital Alarm
In the era of TikTok and Instagram, the "Rise and Shine" phrase took on a whole new life when Kylie Jenner sang it to her daughter, Stormi, in a viral video. It became a meme instantly. It showed that even in the most curated, wealthy environments, the basic human act of waking someone up is a universal (and sometimes awkward) experience.
But beyond the memes, we’ve seen a shift in how we use technology to "shine." We now have "sunrise alarms" that mimic natural light. These gadgets gradually brighten the room, slowly suppressing melatonin and boosting cortisol in a way that feels way more natural than a screaming alarm or a repeated phrase.
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How to Actually Rise and Shine Without Feeling Like Death
If you want to live up to the mantra without the misery, you have to play the long game. It’s not about what you do at 7:00 AM; it’s about what you do at 10:00 PM.
- Light exposure is everything. The moment you wake up, get some sunlight. Even 10 minutes of natural light tells your suprachiasmatic nucleus (the brain's internal clock) that the day has started.
- Hydrate before you caffeinate. You lose a significant amount of water through respiration while you sleep. Being dehydrated makes sleep inertia feel ten times worse. Drink 16 ounces of water before you touch the coffee pot.
- Don't check your email. Seriously. Jumping into work stress the moment you "rise" is a recipe for a mid-day crash.
- Move, even a little. You don't need a CrossFit session. Just stretching or walking to the kitchen helps circulate blood and clear that brain fog.
The Power of Routine
Consistency is the secret sauce. If you wake up at 6:00 AM on weekdays but sleep in until 11:00 AM on weekends, you’re giving yourself "social jetlag." Your body never knows when it’s actually time to rise and shine.
The most successful people don't necessarily wake up early; they wake up consistently. Whether it’s 5:00 AM or 9:00 AM, having a predictable rhythm allows the brain to begin the waking process before you even open your eyes. This is why you sometimes wake up a minute or two before your alarm goes off. Your body has learned the pattern.
Actionable Steps for a Better Morning
Stop treating "rise and shine" as a chore. Treat it as a biological process.
- Audit your sleep environment. Is your room too warm? Is there blue light from a TV? Fix the environment to make the "rise" easier.
- Change your alarm sound. If your current alarm makes you jump out of your skin, replace it with something melodic. A song like "Good Morning" might be too much, but a gradual swell of sound works wonders.
- Forgive the bad mornings. Some days, you’re going to rise, but you aren’t going to shine. That’s fine. Don’t let a slow start ruin the next 16 hours of your life.
- Use the 5-Second Rule. Mel Robbins famously suggests counting down from 5-4-3-2-1 and then physically moving. It bypasses the brain’s tendency to overthink and make excuses for staying under the covers.
Waking up is the first "win" of the day. It’s a small, quiet victory. When you hear good morning good morning it's time to rise and shine, try to see it as an invitation rather than a demand. You’ve got another day to figure things out, even if you do it while squinting at the sun.
Practical Next Steps
To turn these insights into reality, start tonight. Set your phone to "Do Not Disturb" an hour before bed and place a glass of water on your nightstand. Tomorrow morning, instead of scrolling through social media the second you wake up, try to get five minutes of direct sunlight. These small shifts in your morning physiology will do more for your energy levels than any catchy phrase or caffeine hit ever could.