Even as a busy dad and actor, Mark Walhberg doesn’t let anything get in the way of his famous sleep schedule — even when filming his new movie, “The Family Plan.”
If you weren’t already aware, Wahlberg’s daily schedule generates a few eyebrow raises thanks to his 2:30 a.m. wakeups and 7:30 p.m. bedtimes. We’re not sure which chronotype that makes him, but it sure shows dedication to his routine.
Wahlberg rises early primarily to have breakfast, knock out an early workout, and complete his morning routine by 11 a.m — this allows him to spend quality time with his family and kick-start his daily work responsibilities. (2)
And since this schedule is so important to Wahlberg, he makes it a priority to not let his acting career get in the way of it. He even made some arrangements with film director Simon Cellan Jones to make sure his film schedule didn’t disrupt his unorthodox routine. But that didn’t cause any problems for production — Jones told The Messenger that Wahlberg is one of the most motivated actors who is always working and on the go.
“He’s one of the hardest-working people that I’ve ever met,” Jones says. “I mean, on the weekends, when we’re not shooting, he’s off doing something else, like working on another show, selling tequila. He’s just motivated.”
So could this motivation and productivity be due to his sleep schedule? We will definitely not be replicating this sleep schedule, but what are the perks of waking up this early if there are any? Let’s dive in!
Is Walhberg’s Schedule a Sustainable one?
Even though Wahlberg’s sleep schedule might be insane to us, it might be a healthy and sustainable one for him since he is getting a good amount of sleep each night. Cali Barenfuss, who is certified in Clinical Sleep Health and a Registered Polysomnographic Technologist, tells Sleepopolis that if Walhberg is getting the recommended amount of quality sleep each night, this is something he should be able to do for a while. (2)
“It may not be something everyone can do as work schedules, children’s activities, social calendars etc., may not line up with this type of schedule, but if it works for him and he feels he’s getting good restorative sleep, it may be just fine,” she said.
She also highlighted the potential advantages of getting up this early, emphasizing the increased productivity throughout the day. Nevertheless, there are potential trade-offs that come with hitting the sack that early, like missing out on social engagements and precious evening moments with family. Moreover, despite Wahlberg’s early bedtime, the world remains bustling with activity while he sleeps.
“It may also be difficult at times to fall asleep so early in the evening — our internal clock is usually set to fall asleep later, and the outside world is likely still up and active,” Barenfuss said. “Outside noise and light may be an ongoing issue he must manage in order to fall asleep and stay asleep.”
Barenfuss adds that Wahlberg likely didn’t just adapt to this schedule overnight. Chances are it took time for his internal clock to get adjusted to such an early schedule — but if your body and lifestyle don’t adjust well to this, it can do more harm than good.
“If the body doesn’t adapt well to this schedule, then difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep may occur,” she said. “This can reduce the quality of sleep and lead to increased daytime fatigue.”
More power to Wahlberg for finding a sleep routine that works for him, but we think we’ll be skipping this one — we’ll stick to snoozing after the sun goes down.
