‘Waking up at 5 am isn’t an achievement’: Gurgaon CEO’s post sparks debate

“Waking up early is not an achievement. Sleeping properly is more important than waking up early,” he added.

According to Singh, this attitude towards sleep is shaped early in life, with parents and teachers repeatedly associating early rising with discipline and success. He recalled hearing phrases such as “Jo sota hai, woh khota hai” while growing up. “Curtains opened. Doors banged. Lights switched on. Someone deliberately making noise because apparently seeing a child sleeping peacefully is unbearable for Indian parents,” he wrote.

Singh argued that the focus is usually on what time someone wakes up rather than whether they have actually had enough rest. “Nobody asks what time the person slept. Nobody asks whether they got enough sleep. Nobody cares about the quality of sleep. Bas subah jaldi uthna chahiye,” he said.

Singh also highlighted the role sleep plays in concentration, memory, mood, recovery, metabolism, and overall health. “Your body has its own sleep clock. Once it has had enough sleep, you naturally wake up. You cannot just keep sleeping because nobody disturbed you,” Singh wrote.

Read the post:

Indian parents have somehow turned sleep into a character flaw and waking up early into an achievement.

Parents see their child sleeping till 9 AM and immediately conclude – lazy, no discipline, no focus, no ambition, etc. Life mein kuch nahi karega.

But if the same person…

— Jasveer Singh (@jasveer10) August 31, 2026

Singh went on to criticise the practice of deliberately waking children. “In Indian households, disturbing someone’s sleep is treated as completely normal. Even today, millions of Indian kids face this every single day,” he wrote, adding that the same attitude can continue into adulthood.

“Indian parents need to stop treating sleep like a crime,” he concluded.

Singh’s post soon drew a range of responses, with some users agreeing that society places too much emphasis on waking up early.

“This is actually very true. I never thought about it: Your body has its own sleep clock. Once it has had enough sleep, you naturally wake up. You cannot just keep sleeping because nobody disturbed you,” an X user commented.

Others, however, felt Singh’s argument overlooked the benefits of an early start. One user said waking up early can provide a quiet window for exercise, studying, meditation, or simply getting work done without distractions.

“I think this argument against waking up early is also incomplete. Yes, waking up at 5 AM after sleeping for only 5 hours is not discipline. Proper sleep is important. But saying waking up early has no value is also wrong. There is a reason Army people, Gurukul students, monks and athletes traditionally wake up early,” the user wrote.

The commenter added that the issue is not necessarily waking up early, but sacrificing sleep to do so. “Don’t sleep at 1 AM and wake up at 5 AM just to look disciplined. Sleep early, get enough sleep, and then wake up early naturally. That’s the difference,” the user wrote.

Singh pushed back against the idea that there is one ideal schedule for everyone. “If someone is most productive working till 2 AM and sleeping till 10 AM, what exactly is wrong with that? Get enough sleep and structure your day around what works for you,” he replied.

“You can be unsuccessful while sleeping early and waking up early. You can also be unsuccessful while sleeping late and waking up late. The sun’s clock has nothing to do with your success. What works best depends on the person,” he added.

Another user shared a different experience, saying her perspective changed after becoming a mother and adopting an early-to-bed, early-to-rise routine.

“I used to be someone who used to think why waking early should be forced but now when I am a mother myself and have started following early to bed, early to rise routine, I have felt the difference. I am more active, accomplish more, have a fairly productive day,” she wrote.