WAKE UP CALL NEEDED

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KIZGNARR
KIZGNARR Posts: 28 Member
in Motivation and Support
I have been using MFP for some time now and I feel comfortable with my success on here... I appreciate all the topics and advice I have read about various plateaus, what has worked for others, etc...

I need some help. I go through periods of time where I feel like I CANNOT get out of bed in the morning! Please tell me what you all do to force yourself to get up (what do you tell yourself? What kind of alarm clock do you use?) I don't drink caffiene after noon, I try not to work out too late into the evening, and I really want to get back to getting up early and working out first thing in the morning..... ideas please?

Replies

  • pinkaeryse
    pinkaeryse Posts: 25 Member
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    perhaps youre cortisol levels are up? are you working out too much?
  • freakhazerd2424
    freakhazerd2424 Posts: 611 Member
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    I sleep 7 to 7 and a half hours. Anything more or less than that and my body will stay in a deep sleep and I can't wake up. My alarm clock is an app on my phone called xterme alarm clock. You have to enter a random generated letters or it won't unlock your phone. Super hard when you are out of it I have to fully wake up to do it. Another option is an alarm clock called screaming meanie. It's what truckers use so they don't over sleep. It's slogan is loud enough to raise the dead. OMG you better put it on the other side of the room. But it makes it impossible to not get up.
  • ximenia
    ximenia Posts: 62 Member
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    Some people just aren't morning people, it's not that big of a deal if you can force yourself to work out later in the day to make up for the mornings you sleep in.
  • Curleycue0314
    Curleycue0314 Posts: 245 Member
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    What time are you going to bed? You may be getting what your body needs for sleep! If you're having issues sleeping maybe try some melatonin. It takes a few days and you have to be stick to what time you take it, but it works great for me to get a schedule going.
  • josieami
    josieami Posts: 6
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    Best help for me- put my alarm to where I have to get up to get to it.
    Once you're up- it's a mental thing to keep yourself up, so think of something that makes it a positive.... build a routine and stick to it.
    Don't think of it as punishment.

    Final note- If you don't HAVE to get up early, and you just absolutely cannot force it to happen, try shifting your goal "to do" to a later time schedule...(no caffeine 8 hours before bed, etc) instead of focusing on times that fit morning people. I tend to shift my schedule during the summer. Only have to get up in the mornings during the school season!
  • KIZGNARR
    KIZGNARR Posts: 28 Member
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    I haven't checked that... I have been increasing my activity, but I don't think it is too much...

    perhaps youre cortisol levels are up? are you working out too much?
    [/quote]
  • jchite84
    jchite84 Posts: 467 Member
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    Your circadian rhythm can be altered a few ways, the quickest and easiest way that I've found is through diet. Don't eat anything 8-12 hours prior to the time that you want to get up. So, if you want to get up at 6 am, your last meal of the day should be 6 pm, you will wake up out of hunger. Get some natural light in your sleeping space, open up those curtains. Try limiting screen time before bed, or try a computer filter like F.lux, which filters out the harsh blues from your computer as the sun goes down, you can get similar apps for phones. You can also try a sleep cycle alarm clock (available for iPhone, and you can buy ones that are regular alarm clocks, you can probably find one for android also). Basically they use motion sensors (or the accelerometer on your phone) to determine when you are moving into stage 1 NREM sleep (the closest to awake), and will slowly wake you up then, so that you wake up more "naturally" instead of being jolted out of a deep sleep by a loud noise.
  • KIZGNARR
    KIZGNARR Posts: 28 Member
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    I don't have a problem going to sleep or staying asleep, it is the waking up and getting going part! lol... Perhaps I am getting too much sleep... I will look at the trucker alarm! Sounds like that may do the trick. Sometimes, I start to wake up and then can't make myself get up... I need better internal communications... :yawn:
  • anissa333
    anissa333 Posts: 175 Member
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    Put the alarm on the other side of the room. This will force your feet to hit the floor and once they have, you are more likey to stay up. Good Luck!! I am trying to get back to the morning workouts too. I feel so amazing when I do...
  • jchite84
    jchite84 Posts: 467 Member
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    I don't have a problem going to sleep or staying asleep, it is the waking up and getting going part! lol... Perhaps I am getting too much sleep... I will look at the trucker alarm! Sounds like that may do the trick. Sometimes, I start to wake up and then can't make myself get up... I need better internal communications... :yawn:

    Well the issue might be that once you are asleep you aren't getting into deep sleep, which can be caused by overexposure to UV and violet light patterns through the day. Or your circadian rhythm might be off, so instead of reaching deep sleep in the middle of the night, it is coming closer to morning, which will make it very difficult to wake up. Sleeping too much/not being able to wake up might not be the problem, it might be the symptom of a problem, and you'll probably be better off in the long run to determine the actual problem and solve it, rather than just treating the symptom.
  • AllOutof_Bubblegum
    AllOutof_Bubblegum Posts: 3,646 Member
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    I hear ya, I have NEVER been a morning person. I keep a bottle of 5 hr energy, or a can of Rock Star, or a fat burner, or caffeine pill sitting next to my alarm clock. When it goes off at 4:50 am, I hit snooze, slam whatever I have ready, and by the time the snooze is up, I'm awake and ready to hit the gym.
  • Veil5577
    Veil5577 Posts: 868 Member
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    Wish I could help, but I have the best alarm clock in the world... hungry cats.
  • Naughty_ZOOT
    Naughty_ZOOT Posts: 4,311 Member
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    I was exactly like this until 6 months ago when I changed my dietary routine. I eliminated ALL grains and most dairy because I am a diabetic and they spiked my blood glucose readings. The grain elimination, however, was the cure for feeling horrible. I was a confirmed night owl who couldn't sleep until 3-4 am and woke groggy and feeling completely exhausted around noon-1 pm the next day and many days I would stay in bed except to go to the bathroom. My family was very worried about me and rightfully so. I could not function AT ALL, I could not work, I could not plan for anything not knowing how I would feel, I felt stupid and couldn't think clearly. It was truly horrible.

    After eliminating all grain products, I promptly dropped 20 lbs, I now am an early bird, something I have NEVER been, and it is natural. I wake bright eyed, full of energy, I have great sleep, in short, I have amazed my family and myself. I learned that I could be quite grain sensitive despite a negative Celiac test. I now no longer have IBS or GERD and I do not live on simethicone gas caplets anymore. I also modified my diet to low carb,moderate protein and high fat to help with my blood glucose control which gives me crazy energy and I am off my meds with nearly normal readings (which are still trending down over time).

    Try it and see if it helps you. If it doesn't work you can always add them back; no harm, no foul. Read Wheat Belly by Dr. William Davis and Grain Brain by Dr. David Perlmutter for a good basic understanding about why whole grains are NOT healthy food. It certainly has proven true for me!

    The only other thing I changed in the last 6 months was to change my alarm clock to a Phillips one like this: http://www.usa.philips.com/c-m-pe/light-therapy/#2
    That is a very pleasant way to wake up but it is the grain elimination that worked first and quickly. It is astounding how grains can really bog you down and completely wreck your system.

    That is my experience and if you want any other book recommendations on grains or low carb/high fat protocols, message me and I will give you a list of what I have been reading and researching. In a nutshell, we are duped consumers reaping bad health because of the system. I eat only whole real foods now and it shows.

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