Becoming a morning person
Discussion
XJ75 said:
Currently we watch TV until about 11pm then go to sleep,
Stop doing that for a start.I do no screens past 8pm other than a Kindle for reading, and in bed for 9. Bed is for sleeping (and that other thing if my wife lets me), so I’m usually asleep by 9.30.
Always up around 5, 6 at the latest without needing an alarm now because the evening routine is sorted.
Vasco said:
Blimey, I'd assumed you were much older.
It's quite simple really, just go to bed earlier (not watching TV) and get up as soon as the alarm goes off.
It really is this.It's quite simple really, just go to bed earlier (not watching TV) and get up as soon as the alarm goes off.
Modify your routine so you go to bed an hour earlier (my pattern is 10pm - 6.30/7).
Also take it you don’t have kids!
I'm the same OP! Six alarms on my phone and one in the hall that I have to get out of bed to turn off! Wasn't aways like this though. From the age of 13 to 16 I had a early morning paper round. Up at 6am every day.
Now getting up before 10am is early! Thankfully I do shifts so not too bad, although on a new shift pattern now. Used to do two earlies, two lates and then two nights. Now I don't do nights (which is good!) but do more earlies. It's also further away so up at 5am to leave just before 6am to get there for 7am.
I'm currently on a course and its Monday to Friday 8am to 4pm. I'm on week three of four. I'm shattered each day I get home. Falling asleep from 5pm onwards. I'll be in bed at 7:30pm tonight hopefully and will sleep through until 6am. I'll still wake up tired in the morning though.
It seems no matter how much sleep I get, I'll still be tired.
Now getting up before 10am is early! Thankfully I do shifts so not too bad, although on a new shift pattern now. Used to do two earlies, two lates and then two nights. Now I don't do nights (which is good!) but do more earlies. It's also further away so up at 5am to leave just before 6am to get there for 7am.
I'm currently on a course and its Monday to Friday 8am to 4pm. I'm on week three of four. I'm shattered each day I get home. Falling asleep from 5pm onwards. I'll be in bed at 7:30pm tonight hopefully and will sleep through until 6am. I'll still wake up tired in the morning though.
It seems no matter how much sleep I get, I'll still be tired.
I've never been a 'morning person'.
Back in the day when I had to get up at 5:45 to make the commute it was literally get everything lined up the night before: coffee ready, appropriate amount of water in the kettle, all to be done on autopilot in the morning.
Plus two alarms. First Farming Today, and then the annoying beeper.
I did it, but was psychotic with tiredness the entire time, and the worst of it was not being able to sleep in on weekends as my body had adjusted to the schedule.
I don't think I did my best work in those years either.
Back in the day when I had to get up at 5:45 to make the commute it was literally get everything lined up the night before: coffee ready, appropriate amount of water in the kettle, all to be done on autopilot in the morning.
Plus two alarms. First Farming Today, and then the annoying beeper.
I did it, but was psychotic with tiredness the entire time, and the worst of it was not being able to sleep in on weekends as my body had adjusted to the schedule.
I don't think I did my best work in those years either.
I was on rotating shifts and used to have to get for work for 6am, which meant dragging myself out of bed before 4.30. I hated it. Lates and nights were no problem. Earlies were death.
I was walking towards the car park with one of my staff and it suddenly occurred to me that not only could I not remember where I parked my car, but I couldn't remember which I'd driven in. I surreptitiously checked the keys in my pocket, only to discover both of them. I had to make out I'd forgotten something and returned to my office.
As it was, I was parked near the pedestrian entrance.
I once got to work first thing and could not remember any part of the drive in. I changed to cycling in whenever I could and that at least meant I was awake when I started work.
I was walking towards the car park with one of my staff and it suddenly occurred to me that not only could I not remember where I parked my car, but I couldn't remember which I'd driven in. I surreptitiously checked the keys in my pocket, only to discover both of them. I had to make out I'd forgotten something and returned to my office.
As it was, I was parked near the pedestrian entrance.
I once got to work first thing and could not remember any part of the drive in. I changed to cycling in whenever I could and that at least meant I was awake when I started work.
Don't snooze.
I get 5.15 each weekday and jump out of bed to start a routine of morning checks which need to be complete by 6am, so no chance of snoozing.. I feel more alert throughout the day compared to the weekends where I wake up, lay in bed and drift in and out of sleep until around 8am.
I noticed that if I snooze my alarm more than once, I will feel knackered the whole day compared to jumping out of bed the minute it goes off.
Obviously you need to adjust your bed time part accordingly. I'm usually asleep by 9.30-10pm which suits me.
I get 5.15 each weekday and jump out of bed to start a routine of morning checks which need to be complete by 6am, so no chance of snoozing.. I feel more alert throughout the day compared to the weekends where I wake up, lay in bed and drift in and out of sleep until around 8am.
I noticed that if I snooze my alarm more than once, I will feel knackered the whole day compared to jumping out of bed the minute it goes off.
Obviously you need to adjust your bed time part accordingly. I'm usually asleep by 9.30-10pm which suits me.
Put your alarm clock out of arms reach... then you have to physically get out of bed to switch it off.
If you decide to hit snooze & return to your pit...then that’s another issue.
Have a shower one hour before your bedtime... this will kickstart your body into its relax mode too.
If you decide to hit snooze & return to your pit...then that’s another issue.
Have a shower one hour before your bedtime... this will kickstart your body into its relax mode too.
Edited by Milkyway on Wednesday 25th May 22:07
Hoofy said:
Try going to bed at 9pm and see how you get on.
Exactly this...I used to be the same as the OP, really struggling to get out of bed in the morning, but happy going to bed at 11.
A change of job where I had no choice but to be up for 7:15 meant that I soon changed the bedtime too. 15 years later and though that job is long in the past, I'm still normally in bed at 9, asleep by 9:30. Mornings still aren't pleasant but I'm at least able to wake up at 7 when the alarm goes off.
K50 DEL said:
Hoofy said:
Try going to bed at 9pm and see how you get on.
Exactly this...I used to be the same as the OP, really struggling to get out of bed in the morning, but happy going to bed at 11.
A change of job where I had no choice but to be up for 7:15 meant that I soon changed the bedtime too. 15 years later and though that job is long in the past, I'm still normally in bed at 9, asleep by 9:30. Mornings still aren't pleasant but I'm at least able to wake up at 7 when the alarm goes off.
Hoofy said:
K50 DEL said:
Hoofy said:
Try going to bed at 9pm and see how you get on.
Exactly this...I used to be the same as the OP, really struggling to get out of bed in the morning, but happy going to bed at 11.
A change of job where I had no choice but to be up for 7:15 meant that I soon changed the bedtime too. 15 years later and though that job is long in the past, I'm still normally in bed at 9, asleep by 9:30. Mornings still aren't pleasant but I'm at least able to wake up at 7 when the alarm goes off.
I get home from work around 5:30, have dinner then a few hours of evening before hitting the sack, I don't do anything that runs late as I know that I need to be asleep by 9:30 in order to function properly the next day.
Even then it takes a couple of times of snoozing the alarm before I actually wake up at all - it seems I can walk across my room in my sleep to hit the snooze button lol! How people simply get up and go when the alarm goes off is beyond me!
Hitting snooze is the worst thing you can do. I generally wake up at 6.30 on the alarm feeling fresh. If I allow myself to hit snooze I can easily be there another hour, maybe two, and feel like crap.
Move your alarm away from your bed, other end of the room. It forces you to get up out of bed as opposed to hitting snooze and rolling over.
Move your alarm away from your bed, other end of the room. It forces you to get up out of bed as opposed to hitting snooze and rolling over.
K50 DEL said:
Hoofy said:
K50 DEL said:
Hoofy said:
Try going to bed at 9pm and see how you get on.
Exactly this...I used to be the same as the OP, really struggling to get out of bed in the morning, but happy going to bed at 11.
A change of job where I had no choice but to be up for 7:15 meant that I soon changed the bedtime too. 15 years later and though that job is long in the past, I'm still normally in bed at 9, asleep by 9:30. Mornings still aren't pleasant but I'm at least able to wake up at 7 when the alarm goes off.
I get home from work around 5:30, have dinner then a few hours of evening before hitting the sack, I don't do anything that runs late as I know that I need to be asleep by 9:30 in order to function properly the next day.
Even then it takes a couple of times of snoozing the alarm before I actually wake up at all - it seems I can walk across my room in my sleep to hit the snooze button lol! How people simply get up and go when the alarm goes off is beyond me!
Fair enough. I guess you can't even go to the daytime sessions as you'd be working (or wouldn't need to get up before 9am!). Mind you, if you want the decent games, they'll be in the evening sessions when the younger players get off work.
It's mostly been covered so to try to offer something new...
This time of year, leaving your curtains open may help, the sun coming up will give a natural signal to start your body 'waking up'.
Snooze is definitely the worst thing as has been well covered.
Also, alcohol doesn't help you get decent sleep, despite the fact you may pass out more easily, so that's worth considering.
As you're 36 and so probably still have a functioning bladder, neck a pint of water before going to bed. That'll possibly give you some decent motivation to get up when the alarm goes off. Once your bladder gives out, I suppose it'll still be good motivation as you'll be laying in a puddle of your own piss
This time of year, leaving your curtains open may help, the sun coming up will give a natural signal to start your body 'waking up'.
Snooze is definitely the worst thing as has been well covered.
Also, alcohol doesn't help you get decent sleep, despite the fact you may pass out more easily, so that's worth considering.
As you're 36 and so probably still have a functioning bladder, neck a pint of water before going to bed. That'll possibly give you some decent motivation to get up when the alarm goes off. Once your bladder gives out, I suppose it'll still be good motivation as you'll be laying in a puddle of your own piss
Get a lumie alarm clock that has a sunrise effect that starts 30 minutes before the alarm goes off. Don't use the snooze. Just set it to 10 minutes before you need to get out of bed. This was life changing for me. I was the same as you, hitting snooze 4 or 5 times before getting out of bed. With the lumie alarm I "come to" just as the alarm starts to go off and I am awake enough that I don't fall back asleep so I just daydream for 10 minutes then get up.
Don't buy the cheap imitation ones. Lumie's have proper daylight spectrum LED's while the cheap knock offs just use normal LED bulbs.
Don't buy the cheap imitation ones. Lumie's have proper daylight spectrum LED's while the cheap knock offs just use normal LED bulbs.
I hate morning people.
The world is run by them and they get so uppity and righteous - “early to bed, early to rise”, “the early bird gets the worm”, “an hour before midnight is worth two hours after”.
w
kers.
Matthew Walker has been referenced up the thread. Read him and you’ll know that largely we’re programmed to have a “chronotype” - roughly split into thirds humans are larks/middle/night owls. But the larks will tell you you’re lazy for getting up “late” (ie later than them) but never admit that going to bed in the middle of the evening is equally “lazy”.
So OP you can try but you will probably never be happy. And, if you’re a night owl like me you’ll resent having to start work in the morning when your most productive hours are in the evening, which is long after the bedwetters have gone home for an early night….
The world is run by them and they get so uppity and righteous - “early to bed, early to rise”, “the early bird gets the worm”, “an hour before midnight is worth two hours after”.
w
kers.Matthew Walker has been referenced up the thread. Read him and you’ll know that largely we’re programmed to have a “chronotype” - roughly split into thirds humans are larks/middle/night owls. But the larks will tell you you’re lazy for getting up “late” (ie later than them) but never admit that going to bed in the middle of the evening is equally “lazy”.
So OP you can try but you will probably never be happy. And, if you’re a night owl like me you’ll resent having to start work in the morning when your most productive hours are in the evening, which is long after the bedwetters have gone home for an early night….
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