Not a morning person!

ariannedavis

O.k., I admit it, I am one of those people you should avoid for the first 30 minutes after I wake up! I'm not mean, just not awake or alert enough to be nice :laugh:

So here is where I need help. Please give me suggestions to get me out of bed about 45-minutes to an hour earlier. I usually get up about 7:30, go to bed about 1. I don't sleep really well from about 6am on, so I think if I can just get up and workout, all will be better.

I'm not opposed to going to bed earlier at night, I'm just not tired! Many nights I try about 11pm, and end up getting back up rather than staring at the ceiling. That's why I usually don't workout until 10pm or later.

How do I change my clock?

ariannedavis

O.k., I admit it, I am one of those people you should avoid for the first 30 minutes after I wake up! I'm not mean, just not awake or alert enough to be nice :laugh:

So here is where I need help. Please give me suggestions to get me out of bed about 45-minutes to an hour earlier. I usually get up about 7:30, go to bed about 1. I don't sleep really well from about 6am on, so I think if I can just get up and workout, all will be better.

I'm not opposed to going to bed earlier at night, I'm just not tired! Many nights I try about 11pm, and end up getting back up rather than staring at the ceiling. That's why I usually don't workout until 10pm or later.

How do I change my clock?

zenmama

Sorry I am SOOO he wrong person to ask...I am a terrible sleeper and i sleep here and there...it sucks....but I mov eon..

dd

Eve23

I generally am just the opposite. I am ready for bed as soon as it is dark.

I don't know how these work for you but.....
A hot cup of tea , my personal favorite for night is a spearamint and echnecia mixture.
I also like a hot shower then when I am done I use a massage oil that I find at bed and bath because it takes most of my aches and pains away. Its also nice if I can get the hubby to rub it on my back.

For me caffeine is a definate no no. Not sure how it is for you but you may want to not use any after a certain point in the day.

We are all different so I am not sure if those ideas will help you. But those are things I do like to do at night.

Eve

icandoit

I am up every morning between 4 and 5 am. I don't always get up, but I am awake. When I worked, I had to be a work between 3:30 and 5 am. I did this for 15 years. My husband has to be out the door by 6 am. My kids are also up between 5 and 6.
I have the coffee on a time and it is ready when I get up. Go to bed @9 and when the alarm goes off, get up stretch and wash your face and go. After time you get used to it.
Good luck.

ariannedavis

Thanks. Caffeine is not a issue, I don't consume any (other than in my pms chocolate). Renee, 9pm isn't realistic since I often work later hours and am not eating dinner until then. I will try to set an alarm in another room so I have to get up to shut it off (we don't even own a coffee maker!). That's a good thought!

laxgirl

You have to train yourself so that your body adjusts to going to bed at an earlier time. I would suggest that you get everything you need done and try to get ready for bed around an hour earlier. Do things that would make you relax: take a warm shower, drink some herbal tea, read a book, etc. All of these activities will relax your body and calm your nerves, making it easier for you to fall asleep. hope this helps!

debuckl

I've heard that you should adjust your sleep in 15 minute increments. If you normally go to bed at 1, make sure you are in bed by 12:45 for week or so. Then get out of bed 15 minutes earlier than normal. Slowly move it to the time you feel is more reasonable. Also establish some kind of routine that lets your body know it is bedtime.

ariannedavis

I've heard that you should adjust your sleep in 15 minute increments. If you normally go to bed at 1, make sure you are in bed by 12:45 for week or so. Then get out of bed 15 minutes earlier than normal. Slowly move it to the time you feel is more reasonable. Also establish some kind of routine that lets your body know it is bedtime.

How long before you add another 15min increment? Is this a daily or weekly change?

Nich0le

start setting your alarm to go off 10 - 15 minutes earlier each week and eventually your clock will settle in to a new schedule. I am a morning person but used to have to get up at 3am to get to work and that was hard, I am still done by 8:30 at night, awake but not willing! lol

lizard9800

I am definitely not a morning person either! but here is what I have figured out for me...

A. I like A LOT of sleep!

B. When I'm home alone, or up later than my boyfriend, I am usually watching tv or on the computer. Both things keep my mind going and I don't get tired until close to midnight. When I read, or we just sit on the couch and listen to soft music, I get tired easier. I usually have a drink with dinner but then switch to decaf tea which has helped a lot (but if I finish my tea just before bedtime I end up having to pee in the middle of the night which annoys me to no end!) We usually hit the hay between 9:30 and 10:30pm.

I cannot help you with getting up in the morning. I live in government housing for work and find myself getting out of bed at 7:50am, throw on my uniform, grab some hard boiled eggs and fruit and head next door to the office just at 8! If you find a surefire way to get up earlier let me know :laugh: :laugh:

*I once went from being a bartender working until 3 am to having a morning job that started at 6am. Man, was that rough for about 2 weeks but eventually my body adjusted. Give it time.

filergirl

I have terrible sleep problems.

There are two things that work to get me to sleep.

One is having my boyfriend's "paw" around me. I don't stay with him on weeknights so unfortunately that doesn't help.

The other one is booze. Yep, a glass of wine works wonders to stop my brain from churning over and over and just relax. That's probably terrible advice, but I've tried everything else. And there's debate I guess over whether a glass of wine a day is actually *good* for you.

As for waking up? I have three different alarms set: two on my cell phone, one on my clock. A friend of mine swears by keeping her alarm clock in a different room; the act of getting up to turn it off wakes her. Me? I'd just let the damn thing go off for hours as I tossed and turned, wondering what the funny beeping was on the other side of dreamville lane . . .

Nich0le

I used to have three alarm clocks too.

one next to the bed
one on the dresser and
one in the bathroom

by the time the one went off in the bathroom I was like "screw it", plus I usually had to go to the bathroom and the efforts to stay asleep would have been fruitless.

diannholland1965

The statement that you HAVE TO WORK OUT IN THE MORNING IS FALSE!
work out when you feel comfortable. when the best time for you to work out is good for you is completly up to you, as LONG as you do it. I am a night owl myself, and I noticed as I lost weight, I started sleeping better. IIn fact I still work out in the evening, and after I am done and take my shower I am tucked in bed and out go the lights.
--Diann...

debuckl

I've heard that you should adjust your sleep in 15 minute increments. If you normally go to bed at 1, make sure you are in bed by 12:45 for week or so. Then get out of bed 15 minutes earlier than normal. Slowly move it to the time you feel is more reasonable. Also establish some kind of routine that lets your body know it is bedtime.

How long before you add another 15min increment? Is this a daily or weekly change?

I would do it weekly or even every two weeks. Mostly when you are feeling comfortable with the new schedule change it a bit again.

Cheyanne

I had sleeping issues, and my Doctor made the comment that you have to retrain your mind to your bed time. So to do that she said to take benadryl or Tylenol PM, 30 minutes before the time I want to go to bed. The key is to do this at the same time everyday, so your mind starts expecting it, and starts producing seretonin (naturaly made by us to induce sleep ) on its own. Do this for 1 month, and you should be back on track. It takes our mind 28 days to create a habit, so one month should do it. It worked for me. Every so often, maybe every couple of months I have a little trouble. so I take a sleep aid if I havent fallen asleep by 11. I am normally out by 10 now, and ready to get up by 6/6:30. Maybe it would work for you ! Good luck !


Cheyanne

ariannedavis

Well, I'm making it to bed around midnight, but still don't want to get up. The alarms aren't working yet; It makes my husband get annoyed until he turns it off for me! :laugh: I don't have problems sleeping, just crazy hours that need rearranged. I would like to get up around 6 or 6:30 so that i can be productive before the rest of the house gets up!

What else?

julieofthewolves

It's hard for me to get to sleep. So I start lowering all the lights in my house around 8:30-9PM. I also do the chamomile or sleepytime tea and try to really begin to quiet my mind and acitivity. I try to actually get to bed to watch the 10PM news and usually end up actually sleeping by the time it is over. I get up early - like 5:30, sometimes earlier and I don't need the alarm clock at all. I always set it just in case, but I am almost always up before it goes off.

I learned that I just have to 'shut down' and I can get to sleep earlier and then start earlier!

yoginimary

I hate morning, but I sleep like a baby.

I find when I work my *kitten* off, I fall right to sleep - so I would plan a day when you double your workout.

bigjug1967

I have alot of trouble falling to sleep and until recently I was allways tired . I was recently diagnosed with sleep apnia and also had part of my pallot removed to help with my air way. Now I just have trouble going to sleep. I have sleeping pills , but they scare me .

ariannedavis

Don't get me wrong guys, I have no sleep problems, other than that semi-awake stage around 6am. Which is why I want to figure out how to get out of bed rather than lie there tossing & turning until I finally get up around 7:30. I work really hard during the day, chase around my 21 month old, dog & husband, then work out. Trust me, once the adrenaline rush calms down, I sleep really well. In example, I just finished working out for the past hour (11:30 here). I will need at least a half-hour to cool off & unwind. See, I'd rather do this in the morning & be pumped up for the day.

I'll go take my shower & snuggle up with the hubby, then off to dream land. Hope to see you guys nice & early!

blinddogmima

my son is Autistic, so my wake and sleep schedule is disrupted many hours for years(10+). My son only sleep about 3-4 hours a night. Try all the usual sleep/relaxation techniques.ie...soft music, herbal tea, warm milk with cinnamon, etc. Sometimes exercisie late in evening can have the opposite effect and keep you over stimulated so that sleep will be difficult. Try working out earlier or shorter set of time throughout the day. Hope this helps.

lockedcj7

Every summer I get in the habit of sleeping as long as my son will let me. Sometimes that's 7:30, sometimes it's 8:30. Then at night, I can't go to sleep 'till 1:00 am. Every August, I have to re-set my body clock so that I can get up and go to work. Here's how I do it:

I lay out my clothes for the next day and pack my gym bag. I set my coffee maker on 'auto'. I set the alarm for 6:00 am and force myself to get up without hitting the snooze or reset buttons. I go to the bathroom, weigh, brush my teeth and put on my gym clothes. Then I pack my lunch, put my coffee in a thermos and head to the gym. By the time I get there, I'm ready to workout. (It also helps if I have a gym buddy that I'm supposed to meet at a certain time. I'm the kind of person that would rather die than be late.)

I get to work about 7:30 and I'm ready to start my day. It's rough the first few mornings but it's easier to fall asleep at 10:00 PM when you've been up since 6:00. After a few days, it doesn't hurt any more.

reluctantdaughter

Thanks! I was really wondering about when I should do my workouts. I have such a busy schedule and I am not a morning person at all. I usually take some time out when I get home to play with my daughter, and I noticed that when I start doing my work out videos, she'll do them with me and then we have all sorts of fun, but I was stuck on the idea that I had to do it in the morning. I am going to try to do it when I get home. Then, I would be able to get my shower in, relax, and work on the homework that is staring at me.
Thank you so much for your help. I am glad I am not the only one who has this problem.
:drinker:

jesusgrl14

Well, I have to say that I have the opposite problem! I don't have any trouble being wide awake the minute I come out of dreamland. I haven't used an alarm clock in my life, except for those crazy days when I have to be up really early for a flight or something, but even then I just set the internal clock and am awake on time! It's at night that I struggle. If I am not doing something interesting or active, I am crashing by 9:30. I think that the slow change should help you adjust. And maybe try making a commitment to letting the dog out from the moment you blink back into the real world. Being forced to think about someone/something other than yourself may make it easier. You know you won't hurt your own feelings but if you are accountable to Fido you might make more effort! Check out this funny alarm clock I found in a catalog one time:
http://www.turbogadgets.com/2007/02/11/the-alarm-clock-that-you-have-to-chase/

Good luck!! :flowerforyou:

ariannedavis

Well, I have to say that I have the opposite problem! I don't have any trouble being wide awake the minute I come out of dreamland. I haven't used an alarm clock in my life, except for those crazy days when I have to be up really early for a flight or something, but even then I just set the internal clock and am awake on time! It's at night that I struggle. If I am not doing something interesting or active, I am crashing by 9:30. I think that the slow change should help you adjust. And maybe try making a commitment to letting the dog out from the moment you blink back into the real world. Being forced to think about someone/something other than yourself may make it easier. You know you won't hurt your own feelings but if you are accountable to Fido you might make more effort! Check out this funny alarm clock I found in a catalog one time:
http://www.turbogadgets.com/2007/02/11/the-alarm-clock-that-you-have-to-chase/

Good luck!! :flowerforyou:

So what do you do if the dog likes to sleep in too>!?!?!:laugh: He'll be mad at me putting him out so early, but it's worth a try! :drinker:

jesusgrl14

Well, I have to say that I have the opposite problem! I don't have any trouble being wide awake the minute I come out of dreamland. I haven't used an alarm clock in my life, except for those crazy days when I have to be up really early for a flight or something, but even then I just set the internal clock and am awake on time! It's at night that I struggle. If I am not doing something interesting or active, I am crashing by 9:30. I think that the slow change should help you adjust. And maybe try making a commitment to letting the dog out from the moment you blink back into the real world. Being forced to think about someone/something other than yourself may make it easier. You know you won't hurt your own feelings but if you are accountable to Fido you might make more effort! Check out this funny alarm clock I found in a catalog one time:
http://www.turbogadgets.com/2007/02/11/the-alarm-clock-that-you-have-to-chase/

Good luck!! :flowerforyou:

So what do you do if the dog likes to sleep in too>!?!?!:laugh: He'll be mad at me putting him out so early, but it's worth a try! :drinker:

Drag his sleepy butt out of bed! At least he can't complain like the hubby!! :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

pam0206

I'm not good about getting up in the morning and working out either (esp after being up with the baby at night.) I recently saw a print ad for something (Nike?) and it said, "If you had started your run when you first starting thinking about it, you'd be finished by now." That definitely resonated with me. I hate doing it first thing in the morning, but when I do manage to get up, I feel energized and good for the rest of the day. Good luck.

rebasmart

I am not a morning person either but if when my alarm goes off I get up and turn on the lights and then get back in bed I will get up for good the next time it goes off. I read somewhere that lights wake our body up. I don't know if that is true but it seems to work.