I need a wake up boost!! HELP!

theatregoddess

First off, I wasn't sure where to post this seeing as it's more of a general well-being question, thus I thought "Nutrition" would work best. Mreh. >_>

Ok so here's the deal. I'm always tired in the morning. Always. And I'm not talking about just RIGHT when you get up, this lasts throughout the majority of the morning - sometimes until 11am or later, or lasting the entire day. I have been working over the summer with a 7am-5pm job, so I go to bed at 10pm and get up at 5:30am. I know it's not a full 8 hours of sleep, but come on. I know some people who get on with barely 4hours!! x_x

I do take medication for my Tourette Syndrome: Clonidine and Prozac. I know for a fact that one of the main symptoms of Clonidine is drowsiness, and I believe Prozac can occasionally cause this, as well. Point being, yes, I'm aware that this is most likely the main cause my problem, BUT is there anything I can do that might help.

I've tried eating a well balanced breakfast when I can (which is not often because I don't have a lot of time), but even so I at least try to eat something in the morning. Once college start back up again this fall I'm going to have less time, more stress, and therefore, less energy in the mornings. Is there anything I can do that might act as a wake up boost for me? Are certain foods better than others for waking you up in the morning? Do you take medication(s) that have this effect? If so, how do you cope? I've been on this medicine for about 13 years now, and it's always been an issue. And it sucks. A lot. So any help and/or advise would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

~Nicole

April0815

What do you eat for breakfast? I was eating instant oatmeal in the morning and I would get so sleepy after. My trainer told me that the sugar in the oatmeal was causing it. I stopped and the problem stopped. I read that an apple is suppose to be like drinking a cup of coffee as far as getting you going in the morning.

zebras

How are you timing your meds? My husband had once tried Paxil and it kept him tired all the time, and when he needed to switch meds again, the doctor put him back on Paxil, but had him take it right before bedtime, so he's not tired during the day now.

adopt4

If you eat high carbs or processed sugar in the morning, it can make it much worse. Although you do need some carbs in order to have energy. What are you eating in the mornings? Like someone said, can you time the meds differently? I take an "energy" multi vitamin and it may be in my head but it seems to help me be alert sooner in the morning.. I am not a morning person...

gemiwing

I take medicine that makes me drowsy as well. Best bet is to take it a few hours before you go to bed if you can. Or see if you can split the dose in half and separate the times you take them by about ten hours. Some pills/doses can't be split tho, so best to check on that one.

Something I do is to drink water first thing in the morning. Several studies have shown that people who are properly hydrated are up to 10% more alert throughout the day. Taking a COMPLEX B vitamin can help wake you up as well. Make sure there is no interactions between vitamin B and your meds.

Other tips- peppermint can give you a little boost. As well as the smell of pine. Odd but true

When you do eat breakfast- skip the carbs and go for the protien until lunch time. Small serving of complex carbs is fine- but if you're as tired as you seem to be- I would skip the carbs alltogether for breakfast. Plus it's easy to grab a slice or two of ham out of the fridge and eat it in the car. Ditto with cooked bacon. Just grab and go.

Another question- on days you can sleep in and get a full eight to ten hours of sleep- are you still tired when you wake up? If so, it's probably time to call your doctor and let them know that your meds are interfering with your life. Chances are there are extended release options that could make you a lot less drowsy.

theatregoddess

What do you eat for breakfast? I was eating instant oatmeal in the morning and I would get so sleepy after. My trainer told me that the sugar in the oatmeal was causing it. I stopped and the problem stopped. I read that an apple is suppose to be like drinking a cup of coffee as far as getting you going in the morning.

Well as of late, I've either been having a bowl of healthy cereal (Cheerios and what not) with Fat-free milk, or (when I'm lucky) an egg with some toast, and maybe a small bowl of oatmeal/cream of wheat. Sometimes I'll drink those Equate Ultra weight loss shakes, but not often as they tend to be kindof expensive. Once I'm back at school it's prolly be more of a cereal based breakfast, unless I get up early (which, in turn, takes away more sleep time x_x) and make something from scratch.

I'll try the apple suggestion and see how that works. And I'll try to get less sugary oatmeal/cereal products. Thanks!

~Nicole

theatregoddess

How are you timing your meds? My husband had once tried Paxil and it kept him tired all the time, and when he needed to switch meds again, the doctor put him back on Paxil, but had him take it right before bedtime, so he's not tired during the day now.

Yea, I had that problem when I was alittle kid because I was taking 3 a day. It was much more severe then. Now I only take one, and I take it about an hour or two before I go to bed. That way it has time to kick in, which not only helps me sleep, but also won't be in effect as long in the morning (at least that's what I was hoping for -__-;)

theatregoddess

If you eat high carbs or processed sugar in the morning, it can make it much worse. Although you do need some carbs in order to have energy. What are you eating in the mornings? Like someone said, can you time the meds differently? I take an "energy" multi vitamin and it may be in my head but it seems to help me be alert sooner in the morning.. I am not a morning person...

I wish I knew how to quote multiple ppl in one post, this would be a lot easier lol.

Anyway, you cna see what I said in the other post about my eating habits in the morning, and my medication timing at night. I do take a mutivitamin every now and then, when I remember. It's one of those big fricken horse pills right? That's the one I take.

And yes. I believe the term "Good morning" to be an oxymoron.

leavinglasvegas

Often changing the time of day you take the meds can help. Of course you may need to discuss that with your doctor. I used to take Prozac and I had the same problem. My doc recommended taking it a few hours before bedtime, that way it would help me sleep and the major drowsiness would wear off by morning.

theatregoddess

I take medicine that makes me drowsy as well. Best bet is to take it a few hours before you go to bed if you can. Or see if you can split the dose in half and separate the times you take them by about ten hours. Some pills/doses can't be split tho, so best to check on that one.

Something I do is to drink water first thing in the morning. Several studies have shown that people who are properly hydrated are up to 10% more alert throughout the day. Taking a COMPLEX B vitamin can help wake you up as well. Make sure there is no interactions between vitamin B and your meds.

Other tips- peppermint can give you a little boost. As well as the smell of pine. Odd but true

When you do eat breakfast- skip the carbs and go for the protien until lunch time. Small serving of complex carbs is fine- but if you're as tired as you seem to be- I would skip the carbs alltogether for breakfast. Plus it's easy to grab a slice or two of ham out of the fridge and eat it in the car. Ditto with cooked bacon. Just grab and go.

Another question- on days you can sleep in and get a full eight to ten hours of sleep- are you still tired when you wake up? If so, it's probably time to call your doctor and let them know that your meds are interfering with your life. Chances are there are extended release options that could make you a lot less drowsy.

Ok, so what are some other types of foods that are low/carb free? Just so I can have a better idea of what I need to get.

As for the days I sleep in: yes and no. Sometimes after a good rest I'm up and ready to go, I won't even want to lay down anymore. other times, I could sleep an entire day, waking up at various hours, and just rolling over and going back to sleep. I'll sleep well into the afternoon/evening somedays and still be tired. It all depends on the day.

As for talking to my doctor, yea. I tried that. Not really much I can do when it comes to medication for Tourettes. There are a limited number of options, many of which I refuse to try, as they are extremely risky health-wise. Clonidine is probably your best bet: proven one of the most effective with minimun side effects (aside from the drowsiness). Sucks, but there's not much I can do. And I've tried going off of them completely - yea, never again. I'll try talking to another doctor when I return to Seattle (I'm in AK right now) and seek another opinion though.

Thanks! And yes, if you have more carb-free/low carbs food dieas lemme know!

~Nicole

theatregoddess

Often changing the time of day you take the meds can help. Of course you may need to discuss that with your doctor. I used to take Prozac and I had the same problem. My doc recommended taking it a few hours before bedtime, that way it would help me sleep and the major drowsiness would wear off by morning.

Yea, I take my before bed too. The thing is it's not just Prozac, it's Clonidine too. Which is double the drowsiness, and not double the fun.

gemiwing

Stinks about your med options. Bah.

I would google, or look in the MFP recipe section, for low carb breakfast ideas. Best is to find ones you can make the night before and stick in the fridge. Then you can either toss it in the microwave or eat it cold. I like making egg dishes with bacon for breakfast. You can make an omlet the night before, but don't fold it, just make it flat and round. Put it in a container then in the AM fill it with what you want- and nuke it. Instant food.

I like keeping cooked ham and bacon on hand because I can just grab a few slices and go.

Try the complex B vitamin- check out if it interacts with your meds first but it can really help wake one up. Works for Hubbs and I very well.

leavinglasvegas

Your post has made me think about my own morning troubles. Here is something I just found on the net. Haven't read the whole thing yet, but thought I'd share with you.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0NAH/is_5_32/ai_87854529/

April0815

What do you eat for breakfast? I was eating instant oatmeal in the morning and I would get so sleepy after. My trainer told me that the sugar in the oatmeal was causing it. I stopped and the problem stopped. I read that an apple is suppose to be like drinking a cup of coffee as far as getting you going in the morning.

Well as of late, I've either been having a bowl of healthy cereal (Cheerios and what not) with Fat-free milk, or (when I'm lucky) an egg with some toast, and maybe a small bowl of oatmeal/cream of wheat. Sometimes I'll drink those Equate Ultra weight loss shakes, but not often as they tend to be kindof expensive. Once I'm back at school it's prolly be more of a cereal based breakfast, unless I get up early (which, in turn, takes away more sleep time x_x) and make something from scratch.

I'll try the apple suggestion and see how that works. And I'll try to get less sugary oatmeal/cereal products. Thanks!

~Nicole

You have to watch the sugar in weight loss shakes too. Since you're not getting a full 8 hours sleep (alot of times I don't either) it may be a good idea to take it a couple of hours earlier that way the strongest part of the meds is when you are sleeping if that makes any sense.

theatregoddess

Stinks about your med options. Bah.

I would google, or look in the MFP recipe section, for low carb breakfast ideas. Best is to find ones you can make the night before and stick in the fridge. Then you can either toss it in the microwave or eat it cold. I like making egg dishes with bacon for breakfast. You can make an omlet the night before, but don't fold it, just make it flat and round. Put it in a container then in the AM fill it with what you want- and nuke it. Instant food.

I like keeping cooked ham and bacon on hand because I can just grab a few slices and go.

Try the complex B vitamin- check out if it interacts with your meds first but it can really help wake one up. Works for Hubbs and I very well.

Ooooh, that sounds yummy. Lol. I'll definitely try that out, as well as the complex B vitamin. I take it it's better than a multi-vitamin/B12 then? Or is it the same thing? >.>

theatregoddess

Your post has made me think about my own morning troubles. Here is something I just found on the net. Haven't read the whole thing yet, but thought I'd share with you.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0NAH/is_5_32/ai_87854529/

Oh sweet! These are some great tips! =]

theatregoddess

You have to watch the sugar in weight loss shakes too. Since you're not getting a full 8 hours sleep (alot of times I don't either) it may be a good idea to take it a couple of hours earlier that way the strongest part of the meds is when you are sleeping if that makes any sense.

Yea the sugar in them is mind-boggling. @_@ That's another reason why I tend to stay away from them. And yea, I guess I'm just gonna have to start taking my meds even earlier. Which kinda sucks because they tend to put me out within an hour/half hour. Alas, c'est la vie.

MilaJade

Vitamin B is good but I would drink green tea with a squeeze of lemon or start juicing. I drink carrot/orange juice (fresh) and its gives a natural booste.

stormieweather

I'm a stumble-around-in-a-daze-for-at-least-an-hour-in the morning person. I found that having a high protein breakfast really helps this state a lot. I never have much time so I have ready to eat foods. A favorite is hard boiled egg (I keep a bowl in the fridge), pre-cooked bacon (canadian is low fat), cubed melon (also keep ready in fridge) and possibly a slice of low carb toast with sugar free jam. Within 10 minutes I'm wide awake and good until at least my next snack (3 hours later).

I also have learned through experience that anything less than 6 1/2 hours of sleep and I PAY dearly for it the next day.

July24Lioness

Vitamin B is good but I would drink green tea with a squeeze of lemon or start juicing. I drink carrot/orange juice (fresh) and its gives a natural booste.

Juicing is not that good for you as they make it out to be. Drinking fruit juice strips the fiber out of the fruit or veggie and you are left with the juice - an all out sugar rush.

That is the last thing the original poster needs. To be on a natural sugar high and then crash and feel worse then she idd before.

That natural boost is temporary from a sugar rush..............

It is always better to eat the whole fruit or veggie than to juice.