Calling all NON morning people....

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tauny78
tauny78 Posts: 180 Member
in Motivation and Support
So, if you're a night owl like me, but have to get up early for work, kids, etc, how do you do it? I've never been a morning person (although, I admit, I'd like to be) and no matter how many days in a row I get up at 6:30 or earlier, my body does not seem to want to get used to it! I'm always dragging myself out of bed and I hate the feeling of not wanting to get up and going! Most days lately once I can get up and moving I feel great and more energetic, but I still have to struggle to get started....I so want to just lay in bed and hide for a couple more hours! LOL I have to say that I've already adjusted to getting to bed earlier (except weekends) and I'm trying to get up a little earlier everyday. I just can't say no to that snooze! LOL Any suggestions or have any of you managed to turn yourselves from night owl to early bird?
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Replies

  • tabinmaine
    tabinmaine Posts: 965 Member
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    I work out around 5pm each day after working all day, afterwards I go home, eat, clean kitchen, check homework, laundry, check my emails, organize for the next day and get my kids into bed, I am DONE by 9pm.....

    I have no problem going to sleep at night, not a night owl at all, in fact, on weekends, if I know I am going to be up past 10pm I HAVE to have a nap that afternoon or I can't do it. lol

    What do you do all day to make yourself tired ?? Do you nap when you get home from work ? I have to keep myself going all day to secure a good nights sleep.
  • cabaray
    cabaray Posts: 971 Member
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    I don't think I will ever convert to a morning person, but I do my workout in the morning because I won't get it done in the evening (no motivation). I set my alarm for 4:30. My alarm clock is all the way on the other side of the room. I hit snooze probably 3 times. By that time, I am up at 5:00, but I'm really just sleep walking I think. I get a glass of water and jump (I should probably say fall) on the stationary bike and start pedaling. After about a minute or two of pedaling, I find I am finally awake. I ride the bike from 5:00 to 6:00 (usually), get the girls out of bed half way through (I hate having to stop my ride for a couple of minutes, but I have to get the girls up). Getting done at 6:00 leaves me 50 minutes to make sure the girls are ready for the bus, then it's a shower and off to work for me!

    Even after all of that, I find that I get tired about 9:30 and have trouble staying awake at my desk. I've been doing this about 7 months and can still honestly say I am not a morning person. I don't usually ride on the weekends and don't set my alarm. I don't wake up until about noon.

    You don't have to say no to the snooze, just set your alarm earlier than you really want to get up and hit it a couple of times.
  • CoryIda
    CoryIda Posts: 7,887 Member
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    One word, six letters: COFFEE
  • newman84
    newman84 Posts: 234 Member
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    I agree i am not a morning person in the least bit. I would reather stay up late and sleep in. I don't have much of a choice though.
  • newman84
    newman84 Posts: 234 Member
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    One word, six letters: COFFEE
    I can't drink coffee it doesn't agree with me and It just makes me hyper for about 2 hours then i wanna crash again.
  • TopazCarey
    TopazCarey Posts: 263
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    I'm not a morning person either. I've just kinda accepted it as fact at this point. Lol.
  • luvnthenewme
    luvnthenewme Posts: 121 Member
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    All the non-morning people in my part of the world are still sleeping :) You will have to wait until later to get replies!!!
  • amymeenieminymo
    amymeenieminymo Posts: 2,394 Member
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    I don't think I will ever convert to a morning person, but I do my workout in the morning because I won't get it done in the evening (no motivation). I set my alarm for 4:30. My alarm clock is all the way on the other side of the room. I hit snooze probably 3 times. By that time, I am up at 5:00, but I'm really just sleep walking I think. I get a glass of water and jump (I should probably say fall) on the stationary bike and start pedaling. After about a minute or two of pedaling, I find I am finally awake. I ride the bike from 5:00 to 6:00 (usually), get the girls out of bed half way through (I hate having to stop my ride for a couple of minutes, but I have to get the girls up). Getting done at 6:00 leaves me 50 minutes to make sure the girls are ready for the bus, then it's a shower and off to work for me!

    Even after all of that, I find that I get tired about 9:30 and have trouble staying awake at my desk. I've been doing this about 7 months and can still honestly say I am not a morning person. I don't usually ride on the weekends and don't set my alarm. I don't wake up until about noon.

    You don't have to say no to the snooze, just set your alarm earlier than you really want to get up and hit it a couple of times.

    This is me. The few times I've gotten on a routine to work out in the morning, I am falling asleep at my desk around 9 or 9:30. Many people say a morning workout energizes them for the day but not me....I need a mid-morning nap after an AM workout. As much as I love getting it done and out of the way, I've went back to PM workouts.

    As for making yourself be a morning person, I'm not sure it's possible. I have to be to work at 8, so of course I make myself get up, but I will never really enjoy getting up early. I do try to get up around 8:30 or 9 on weekends so I don't feel like I've wasted the whole day away, but if I cannot wake up naturally then I am not happy. Waking by an alarm sucks. I think like some people just cannot stay awake late at night, others like us wake up early because we have to but we'll never wake up excited and bouncing and happy.
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
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    The human body sleeps in 3 hour cycles. So if you time your rest for 3, 6, 9 hours and wake up while NOT in REM sleep youll be wide awake.

    The reason you are tired could be because you are trying to get up in the middle of a delta cycle.
    Brain activity is extremely low at this time and its when the HGH hormone is is running around doing its housekeeping on your body.

    3 hour cycles!

    Your Friend,
    The former insomniac...
  • Shaneekwa
    Shaneekwa Posts: 130 Member
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    I have the same issue. Seems like I'm living the vampire life. At times I wish I had a night job because it will be perfect. Since being consistent with my workouts (going to the gym directly after work...around 4:30 and staying in the gym for 1 - 2 hours) I been waking up with no issues but yet I still can't seem to get my behind out of the bed. I don't wake fully up until around 9 - 930 am...sucks
  • nnylee
    nnylee Posts: 814 Member
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    Mornings are totally not my thing. And coffee does nothing for me! So I work out at night. It's the best time for me!
  • phoenixoncemore
    phoenixoncemore Posts: 202 Member
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    I know exactly what you mean, I seem to naturally wake at about 10:30. Anytime before that my body takes issue with (which is everyday I work!) And anything less than 8 hours leaves me really grouchy and overtired all day.

    I wonder if anybody out there has an answer or if we all just have to accept we are just not morning people and never will be! :yawn:
  • CoryIda
    CoryIda Posts: 7,887 Member
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    Mornings are totally not my thing. And coffee does nothing for me! So I work out at night. It's the best time for me!
    Yeah, I didn't put that in my original post, but I work out at night, too.
  • farmers_daughter
    farmers_daughter Posts: 1,632 Member
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    One word, six letters: COFFEE
    I can't drink coffee it doesn't agree with me and It just makes me hyper for about 2 hours then i wanna crash again.

    Coffee tastes like butt.

    Granted, I don't know what butt tastes like, but if I did, I can imagine it would taste like Coffee. :sick:

    Trust me, I'd love to have some sort of pick me up in the morning, and I wish I liked coffee, I just can't do it. Especially without a dump truck load of sugar, or some sort of dairy creamer or whipped fluffy stuff.....
  • garnet1483
    garnet1483 Posts: 249 Member
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    One word, six letters: COFFEE
    I can't drink coffee it doesn't agree with me and It just makes me hyper for about 2 hours then i wanna crash again.

    Try drinking cool water (or ice water, if you like it) instead. It perks you up without the crash. There are some mornings where I can barely keep my eyes open at work, but the water eases me over the morning hump, into the more wakeful part of my day. Morning is not my best time...
  • KimmieBrie
    KimmieBrie Posts: 825 Member
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    Have never been a morning person... I am up at about 530 every work day and hate it. Been doing it for years, for 5 of them had to be up at 5am because had a longer commute.

    It hasn't gotten better or easier even with coffee. I'm just not a morning person but I force myself to get up. I also don't go to be early enough for when I have to wake up so sleep deprivation is also a factor. I can't make myself go to bed earlier. I'm a night person. I need a new job!
  • phoenixoncemore
    phoenixoncemore Posts: 202 Member
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    Mornings are totally not my thing. And coffee does nothing for me! So I work out at night. It's the best time for me!
    Yeah, I didn't put that in my original post, but I work out at night, too.

    Me too, in the evenings after work and before dinner. I struggle to get up at 7:45 to get to work so there's no way I'd manage to do it before then!
  • aweightymatter
    aweightymatter Posts: 222
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    First -- I have some iced coffee or something already brewed. Haha.

    Second, and I have the luxury of being able to do this (work from home, no kids), I've just adjusted my sleep cycle into two parts. I do creative work and my best stuff comes out at night, so I've decided not to fight it. So I do my thing as I please, go to bed when I naturally feel like doing so (anywhere from midnight - 2 a.m. on a typical weeknight), then sleep for about six hours.

    This means I get up in time for other people's morning stuff -- I can answer emails, do early meetings, whatever. I do whatever I want or need to get done for a while, or keep working if I don't want to work on anything late night, etc. Then, when everyone else has commuting hell to deal with and I know I won't be getting many professional phone calls or emails, I take a "nap" for an hour or two :)

    I understand this isn't practical for most people, but like another poster said, dividing up into intervals or at least scheduling a nap if you can will help.
  • SafireBleu
    SafireBleu Posts: 881 Member
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    I do everything at night. When I go back to work I will still do that. I workout. prepare dinner for the next day or at least plan it, and set out clothes at night. I set the coffee maker on a timer so when I get up it is already brewing. I keep things simple for breakfast. I am miserable in the mornings. I can do it all at night so I just go with it.
  • a_robinson86
    a_robinson86 Posts: 55 Member
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    I HATE mornings, always have done and I always will do! The only thing I hate about having kids is the fact I have to get up early in the mornings and I don't even get a lay in at the weekends, it sucks! It doesn't matter how early I go to bed either, I've tried wearing myself out and going to bed early (like 10ish) but I still don't want to wake up when my alarm goes off! My alarm goes off at 6.45 to get up and get my eldest son ready for school but I don't get up for another 45 minutes because I'm so tired, no amount of coffee makes any difference for me either in fact it can make me feel worse sometimes! I've just had to accept the fact I'll never be a morning person, and look forward to when my boys are teenagers and I'm the one waking them up in the early afternoon! lol

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