Getting up early is often a concept met with a cringe. As college students, the snooze button tends to be our best friend, and morning classes are often dreaded. But something changes as classes finish and summer finally shows itself— along with bright sunny mornings, warm weather, and beach days.

Besides the sunrise being so early, summer mornings just have a sort of magic to them. The world is quiet at 6 a.m., only the soft chirping of birds and cool morning breeze to break the silence. It's the perfect time to enjoy a cup of coffee outside or take a walk along the beach.

It's easier to wake up early in the summer because of the brightness.

5:30 a.m. in July looks just like noon does in April, not to mention it's a heck of a lot warmer. During a heatwave, you'll find those early mornings have a cooler, much more enjoyable temperature. You can enjoy the outdoors without melting or burning within five minutes of stepping outside. The hardest part is crawling out of bed. But if you force yourself to do it, I promise you won't be disappointed!

This isn't to say that you have to wake up early every single day— it's definitely nice to sleep in sometimes, especially if you have a clear schedule or if it's rainy and gross out. But getting in the habit of waking up early will not only improve your mood, it'll make you more productive, more relaxed, and give you more time to enjoy summer before the dreaded first week of school in August or September.

If you have work during the day, waking up early will give you an extra few hours of free time. You can catch up on that book you've been trying to read, squeeze in an invigorating morning workout, or even have a morning swim at the beach (which will be amazing because there will only be, like, ten other people there. And no screaming children. Major bonus.)

Not convinced?

HealthAmbition.com lists 7 benefits of waking up early.

LifestyleUpdated.com tells you how to become a morning person (and even more benefits!)

And here's a fellow Odyssey article with just some of many reasons to love summer!