Tips for getting out of bed in the AM!

msliu7911

Hi everyone, for a while now I've been trying to get on a schedule of waking up at 5am (not just for working out, but studying before work). It seems that even when I get 5-7 hours of sleep.. I still cannot wake up by 5. I'll set multiple alarm clocks and snooze them all without realizing it, then wake up a couple hours later .

I'm recovering from a severe cold, so maybe thats why its been so hard lately... but this was happening even before I caught my cold.

Any ideas on how to reset my internal clock and get on this new schedule? Or just how to get out of bed in general?

Thanks!

Live4theLift

I have to force myself to get up. I have been getting up at 4:30 every day for the past year and all I can say is once your up and about your glad your up. So kinda just roll out of bed regardless lol

MorgueBabe

I wish I could have this problem. I have two dogs and a cat. If I'm not up early to feed and walk them you'd think the house was burning down.

bergpa

Get a cat and refresh its food dish in the morning. You'll never sleep past 5 again.

Calliope610

Instead of setting the alarm an hour or two earlier and hitting the alarm, set your alarm 10-15 minutes earlier each day. As you gradually wake up earlier, it is likely you will be more successful. You will be re-setting your internal clock gradually.

redhead1910

I used to sleep in my running clothes and put my shoes right by my bed so that when the alarm went off I would feel too guilty to go back to sleep. :P But now I have a pretty set sleeping schedule so I don't have much advice to offer.

bergpa

I wish I could have this problem. I have two dogs and a cat. If I'm not up early to feed and walk them you'd think the house was burning down.

Our pets even have us posting at the same time!

MorgueBabe

I wish I could have this problem. I have two dogs and a cat. If I'm not up early to feed and walk them you'd think the house was burning down.

Our pets even have us posting at the same time!

LOL seriously; cats have an amazing internal alarm. I'm so confident in it I don't even bother setting a real alarm.

rose228822

Good afternoon,
Maybe you need more than 5 to 7 hours sleep...maybe 8? Also, are you drinking any caffeine or eating right before you sleep? I used to do this and could not fall asleep and struggled to get out of bed in the morning. I have been getting up at 5am for the last several weeks or even as early as 4:30am and getting to the gym by 5:30 for an hour work out...the first several days were hard but now I have so much more energy and feel the day hasn't slipped away. In the morning I usually have a 3/4 cup of Special K and a cup of coffee to get my day started and the Special K has 10 grams of protein...I wish you all the best and good luck with your studies:)

JWat2020

I have been trying to wake up 45 minutes early (4:30am) so I can stretch and do the elliptical before work. I have a TON of extra energy at night when I exercise and I would like to have that during the day instead.

But every time my alarm goes off my brain tells me I can exercise later.

msliu7911

Good afternoon,
Maybe you need more than 5 to 7 hours sleep...maybe 8? Also, are you drinking any caffeine or eating right before you sleep? I used to do this and could not fall asleep and struggled to get out of bed in the morning. I have been getting up at 5am for the last several weeks or even as early as 4:30am and getting to the gym by 5:30 for an hour work out...the first several days were hard but now I have so much more energy and feel the day hasn't slipped away. In the morning I usually have a 3/4 cup of Special K and a cup of coffee to get my day started and the Special K has 10 grams of protein...I wish you all the best and good luck with your studies:)

Thank you! I don't have caffeine before bed but I do have a habit of having a snack before bed (less than an hour or so before). Maybe I'll try cutting back on that.

sarahg148

I've been a night person my whole life. Even when I was little I was never one to jump out of bed. My parents would have to knock on my door a few times before I got going. Early for me is 8am to get up. 10am for the gym is early for me and I also have less energy to workout harder at that time.

GoldspursX3

I place one alarm clock across the room on the dresser so I have to get out of bed to turn it off.

M______

Instead of setting the alarm an hour or two earlier and hitting the alarm, set your alarm 10-15 minutes earlier each day. As you gradually wake up earlier, it is likely you will be more successful. You will be re-setting your internal clock gradually.

I like this advice

I used to hate getting up earlier than 5am. I tried and tried but also snoozed my alarm and ended up rushing around like a crazy man in the mornings. Personally I would swear it was because half asleep and confused I'd forgotten that I wanted to be up this early. I never had the problem when I needed to be up early to catch flights, but to do exercise or work - it was like I had amnesia come the morning.

I used the above advice myself and it got me used to 'buying' that I had to be up early

msliu7911

I wish I could have this problem. I have two dogs and a cat. If I'm not up early to feed and walk them you'd think the house was burning down.

Our pets even have us posting at the same time!

LOL seriously; cats have an amazing internal alarm. I'm so confident in it I don't even bother setting a real alarm.

LOL. Wow, I wish my dog would be that way. I can't get a cat though... semi-allergic. HOWEVER maybe a rooster?!! Not sure if there are any code/ HOA restrictions on that though, being that I live in a residential neighborhood. :P

pestopoli

I agree - 5-7 is NOT for everybody, and probably not for most people. It was batted around as a news story not too long ago that only about 10% of people can function adequately on 6 hours of sleep.

You may need to try a full 8 hours. Getting to bed on time may be a life adjustment, but you have to weigh it against your long term goals and decide if it's worth it. Part of my weight loss strategy has had to be a strict 9:30 PM bedtime. It was tough, and it meant actually changing groups of friends, but I wouldn't go back for the world.

Another tip: for some people, like light sleepers, getting a full 8 hours of sleep requires a full 9 hours IN the bed - time to fall asleep, time to wake up to go to the bathroom, time to wake up, etc. I do 9:30 - 6:30 AM, and wake up fully ready to get out of bed.

msliu7911

Instead of setting the alarm an hour or two earlier and hitting the alarm, set your alarm 10-15 minutes earlier each day. As you gradually wake up earlier, it is likely you will be more successful. You will be re-setting your internal clock gradually.

I like this advice

I used to hate getting up earlier than 5am. I tried and tried but also snoozed my alarm and ended up rushing around like a crazy man in the mornings. Personally I would swear it was because half asleep and confused I'd forgotten that I wanted to be up this early. I never had the problem when I needed to be up early to catch flights, but to do exercise or work - it was like I had amnesia come the morning.

I used the above advice myself and it got me used to 'buying' that I had to be up early

You sound just like me! If I have an early meeting/presentation at work, need to catch a flight, etc... I'll have NO problem getting up! Its like my half-asleep self is personally sabatoging my goals to study and work out before I go to work!

elainecroft

You sound just like me! If I have an early meeting/presentation at work, need to catch a flight, etc... I'll have NO problem getting up! Its like my half-asleep self is personally sabatoging my goals to study and work out before I go to work!

Put it on your calendar, just like a meeting. Make it a date that you can't miss and start to think about it that way.

seths_milf

I put my clock across the room so when it goes off I have to get up to shut it off, then I go straight to the coffee pot.

ironanimal

Try to get an hour more, and put your alarm clock well out of reach - preferably somewhere you'd have to walk over a cold floor.

Bekahmardis

Yup - get a dog or a cat. I am rarely allowed to sleep past 6am, and that's only when I roll over and hide under the covers for another half an hour, pretending the dogs aren't jumping on me...it explains a lot of my bruises...

GorillaNJ

Just have to do it... dig deep into that bag of willpower and desire and do it. I've been getting up 4 days a week between 4 and 4:30 so I can either run or get to the gym and lift. Every morning there is about a 10 minute period where my brain is trying to convince myself to go back to bed. To the point where I will even get a phantom pain in my ankle or knee!

I push through it, and by time I am either through the first song on my running playlist or finishing up the first warm up set in the gym I am glad i did not go back to bed!

I do however get my self to bed pretty early like 9ish

willdob3

Consistently go to bed 8 - 9 hours before you need to get up. If you are getting a lot less sleep than this you may need to work up to it. Do it even if you think you don't need 8 hrs sleep.

If you have a smartphone use a sleep tracking app. Sleep Cycle is the best I've found. I've tried others that give more details but they are very inaccurate & it defeats the purpose. Sleep Cycle will wake you up within a 30 minute period at the best time in your sleep cycle so that you are not jarred out of a deep sleep. Sleep Cycle motivates me to get to bed earlier & it is nice to see how my quality of sleep & amount of sleep are improving over time. It has made a huge difference for me.

I have realized I will have to work at it all my life. I am a natural night owl (even as a child). I never want to go to bed & I never want to get up. The things I've mentioned help me a lot & I find I don't moan & groan & refuse to get up when I follow them. But I'd still rather roll over & be lazy in the morning. lol...

willdob3

Seriously - anyone having sleep problems needs to try Sleep Cycle. It will make a huge difference for you. It is one of the most-used & highest rated apps in existence for a reason.

Straitlover1965

You could do like I saw on the morning news yeterday - this guy rigged up his alarm clock to a paper shredder, and he sitcks a bock in it each night. When the clock goes off the next morning, he has 30 seconds to get up and grab the money or it gets shredded. LOL!!!

StrongerJess

I have a vibrating alarm clock that I put under my pillow. It helps to kind of shake me awake for those days that I would rather press snooze.

msliu7911

Try to get an hour more, and put your alarm clock well out of reach - preferably somewhere you'd have to walk over a cold floor.

Great idea! I currently keep my phone on my nightstand (next to my bed - Alarm #1), and my radio alarm clock on my dresser (across from the foot of the bed - Alarms #2 & 3). I'm seriously thinking I need to place it in the bathroom or something. I hate walking across the cold floor but if it will help me wake up then so be it.

KyliAnne26

This is Clocky. When your alarm goes off, he literally runs away and you have to chase him!!
http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/91f2/?rkgid=275668648&cpg=ogpla&source=google_pla&device=c&network=g&matchtype=&gclid=CJXz_KymhbcCFQE6QgodfhYALA

CyberEd312

I use to be the one to sleep til noon if given the chance but from the first wake up after joining the Army in 1988 I have never been able to sleep past 5 a.m. doesn't matter if i go to bed a 4 in the morning I will be up by 5!!! lol.... But seriously you just have to make this a habit. Eventually over time if you continue to do it, I would think it would get easier. Best of Luck...