How can I be more "on" in the morning?
August 19, 2013 12:48 PM Subscribe
In my ideal world, work would start at around 10 and not involve talking to or interacting with anyone until 11 or so. In reality, I need to be at work and "on" at 8 every morning. This coming school year, I will also be reading a book out loud every morning. Help!
If I were to keep my current routine (roll out of bed at the last possible second, throw together caffeinated beverage, rush to school) I would be bleary and froggy-voiced. This was more ok last school year since I wasn't really doing much first thing in the morning. When I worked in a corporate job, my commute on a train really helped me wake up and I could usually retreat into my office and do email first thing, but now my commute is literally a two minute drive or five minute walk, which doesn't really do it.
What are some things I can do to help with this, particularly the froggy voice stuff? How do night owls who need to be productive and "on" only later in the day deal? The morning opening really helps set the tone for the school day and I want to be at my best for it. Thanks!
If I were to keep my current routine (roll out of bed at the last possible second, throw together caffeinated beverage, rush to school) I would be bleary and froggy-voiced. This was more ok last school year since I wasn't really doing much first thing in the morning. When I worked in a corporate job, my commute on a train really helped me wake up and I could usually retreat into my office and do email first thing, but now my commute is literally a two minute drive or five minute walk, which doesn't really do it.
What are some things I can do to help with this, particularly the froggy voice stuff? How do night owls who need to be productive and "on" only later in the day deal? The morning opening really helps set the tone for the school day and I want to be at my best for it. Thanks!
I also hate interacting with people until later in the day. I've found, counter-intuitive as it seems, getting up a few hours earlier than necessary helps, so that I get my alone/waking up time before I have to do anything.
posted by jaguar at 12:56 PM on August 19, 2013 [4 favorites]
posted by jaguar at 12:56 PM on August 19, 2013 [4 favorites]
Listerine totally wakes me up when I have to do mornings.
posted by Mistress at 12:57 PM on August 19, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by Mistress at 12:57 PM on August 19, 2013 [2 favorites]
I get up much, much earlier than I need to, just so I can have that non-interactive time before I have to be human. Like you I used to get some of that on a longer commute, but now my commute is only about 10 minutes. Getting up early, I have coffee in a comfy chair as the dawn light is growing, and although I do things (feed dogs, make people breakfast, etc.) I don't talk to anyone for at least two hours. There's a lot to be said for a warm coffee mug in your hands, with no protective plastic cover over the top, so you get to feel it and smell it as well as taste it, and time enough to enjoy it.
posted by headnsouth at 12:57 PM on August 19, 2013 [4 favorites]
posted by headnsouth at 12:57 PM on August 19, 2013 [4 favorites]
To be honest, I sometimes just narrate stuff out loud in the morning (news stories or something similar.) Bring an extra water bottle along with your tea or coffee. I thankfully usually have a thirty-five minute walk in the morning, but I have a similar problem when I take the (five minute) train ride and don't talk to anyone.
Working on getting up earlier is probably the best long-term solution, even if you're a night owl by nature. I'm much better at work at eight when I've been there since seven thirty to kind of warm up to it and get some alone time/prep time in, and I'm much better on normal mornings when I've gotten up, done a load of laundry or made breakfast or something manual like that.
posted by jetlagaddict at 12:58 PM on August 19, 2013
Working on getting up earlier is probably the best long-term solution, even if you're a night owl by nature. I'm much better at work at eight when I've been there since seven thirty to kind of warm up to it and get some alone time/prep time in, and I'm much better on normal mornings when I've gotten up, done a load of laundry or made breakfast or something manual like that.
posted by jetlagaddict at 12:58 PM on August 19, 2013
May I ask when you go to bed? Because I am SO NOT A MORNING PERSON, but what I've figured out is, I can be. If I go to bed at like 10pm. Because it turns out I need like 9 hours of sleep a night (curse my biology)
Now, I can and do show up to work late, so I basically never do this, because I like staying up late. But if you HAVE to be on at 8am... worth a shot.
Also, try melatonin if you do this. Melatonin plus a 10pm bedtime, and plenty of water before bed. Just for a week. See if it makes a difference.
posted by showbiz_liz at 12:59 PM on August 19, 2013 [3 favorites]
Now, I can and do show up to work late, so I basically never do this, because I like staying up late. But if you HAVE to be on at 8am... worth a shot.
Also, try melatonin if you do this. Melatonin plus a 10pm bedtime, and plenty of water before bed. Just for a week. See if it makes a difference.
posted by showbiz_liz at 12:59 PM on August 19, 2013 [3 favorites]
Best answer: I wholeheartedly agree with you - work should begin late (but still end early) and interaction with others should be entirely optional before lunch.
Some things that have helped me in the past - lay out everything you need the night before. You can still get out of bed at the same time, but you get to skip the "what should I wear" routine which gives you extra time to fully wake up before you have to leave. Same goes for your coffee if you drink it - use a coffeemaker with a clock timer so it's already brewed when you get up. Any other routines you can shift to the night instead?
Just don't use that extra time to snooze three more times. That defeats the purpose. Or you could wake up earlier, but we all know that can be a losing battle if you don't HAVE to be up. Stick with your current wake up time but find ways to give yourself extra time to just wake up before you leave the house.
For your voice - part of that comes with actually using your voice. Sing in the shower. Sing or talk on your way to work.
If your commute really is only a five minute walk - take advantage! The exercise will make you much more alert than if you jump in the car and drive.
posted by trivia genius at 1:00 PM on August 19, 2013 [2 favorites]
Some things that have helped me in the past - lay out everything you need the night before. You can still get out of bed at the same time, but you get to skip the "what should I wear" routine which gives you extra time to fully wake up before you have to leave. Same goes for your coffee if you drink it - use a coffeemaker with a clock timer so it's already brewed when you get up. Any other routines you can shift to the night instead?
Just don't use that extra time to snooze three more times. That defeats the purpose. Or you could wake up earlier, but we all know that can be a losing battle if you don't HAVE to be up. Stick with your current wake up time but find ways to give yourself extra time to just wake up before you leave the house.
For your voice - part of that comes with actually using your voice. Sing in the shower. Sing or talk on your way to work.
If your commute really is only a five minute walk - take advantage! The exercise will make you much more alert than if you jump in the car and drive.
posted by trivia genius at 1:00 PM on August 19, 2013 [2 favorites]
Best answer: I'm a night owl (actually, even worse, I have DSPS) and I have to teach in the mornings some of the time. Here's what gets me through:
- PROTEIN AT BREAKFAST. This makes the biggest difference. Oatmeal with nut butter, cereal and a microwaved sausage patty, whatever. Yes, you'll have to get up earlier. It's worth it. (Frozen breakfast burrito if you have to.) Hot foods might help your voice, too.
- Water.
- Go outside in the sun, even if it's just for 5 minutes. Stroll or stand around while you drink your coffee.
- Ration the coffee so that you don't just slam a lot first thing. Have a little closer to when you arrive at school.
- Use a dry-mouth rinse before you go to bed if this is part of the problem. Biotene is one option.
- Favorite, upbeat music on the way in to work.
Finally, if you are groggy and whatnot an hour after you get up, or if you wake up feeling tired every morning, ask your doctor to send you to a sleep specialist. You could have a problem that needs to be treated.
Good luck!
posted by wintersweet at 1:00 PM on August 19, 2013 [2 favorites]
- PROTEIN AT BREAKFAST. This makes the biggest difference. Oatmeal with nut butter, cereal and a microwaved sausage patty, whatever. Yes, you'll have to get up earlier. It's worth it. (Frozen breakfast burrito if you have to.) Hot foods might help your voice, too.
- Water.
- Go outside in the sun, even if it's just for 5 minutes. Stroll or stand around while you drink your coffee.
- Ration the coffee so that you don't just slam a lot first thing. Have a little closer to when you arrive at school.
- Use a dry-mouth rinse before you go to bed if this is part of the problem. Biotene is one option.
- Favorite, upbeat music on the way in to work.
Finally, if you are groggy and whatnot an hour after you get up, or if you wake up feeling tired every morning, ask your doctor to send you to a sleep specialist. You could have a problem that needs to be treated.
Good luck!
posted by wintersweet at 1:00 PM on August 19, 2013 [2 favorites]
You don't make this work the morning of. You make it work the night before. You go to bed earlier. Even on the weekends, keep your bed time consistent. Find ways to treat this as a pleasant lifestyle and not a punishment: start winding down and relaxing in the mid-evening, read those books you've been wanting to read. Start dimming the lights. Install f.lux on your laptop. Get a full-spectrum light and work it into your mornings.
Basically you're going to want to get up in time to actually have your morning in a relaxed way before you have to leave for work. So set yourself up for success with that, getting enough rest every night &c. If you need an hour to do your relaxed routine, that means getting up a little before 7, which means you should probably be getting ready for bed at 10:30 or so. If you make your morning pleasant, it will be something you can look forward to and enjoy rather than hating and fighting.
posted by gauche at 1:01 PM on August 19, 2013
Basically you're going to want to get up in time to actually have your morning in a relaxed way before you have to leave for work. So set yourself up for success with that, getting enough rest every night &c. If you need an hour to do your relaxed routine, that means getting up a little before 7, which means you should probably be getting ready for bed at 10:30 or so. If you make your morning pleasant, it will be something you can look forward to and enjoy rather than hating and fighting.
posted by gauche at 1:01 PM on August 19, 2013
My morning voice goes away more quickly if I talk or sing to myself for a bit. If you only have the two minutes to do that, you'll need more time. Don't know how much time passes between you waking up and leaving for the commute, but try singing or reciting poetry while you are making your beverage.
Rubbing ice on your face will get you out of that bleary morning feeling in a hurry.
Sadly there's no real substitute for just getting up earlier though. Rolling out of bed at the last just doesn't leave you enough time to fully wake up.
posted by yohko at 1:02 PM on August 19, 2013
Rubbing ice on your face will get you out of that bleary morning feeling in a hurry.
Sadly there's no real substitute for just getting up earlier though. Rolling out of bed at the last just doesn't leave you enough time to fully wake up.
posted by yohko at 1:02 PM on August 19, 2013
Response by poster: Just a note that I live in Alaska and in an artificial time zone to boot, so it's always really dark in the mornings (my husband takes his students out for astronomy lessons in the morning!) Probably should have mentioned that in the question, as I'm sure it's a contributing factor. Also the weather is usually incredibly wretched. Things are MUCH better when I walk, but sometimes it's just too wet and windy.
posted by charmcityblues at 1:05 PM on August 19, 2013
posted by charmcityblues at 1:05 PM on August 19, 2013
Best answer: it's always really dark in the mornings
Definitely get a full-spectrum light.
posted by gauche at 1:07 PM on August 19, 2013 [3 favorites]
Definitely get a full-spectrum light.
posted by gauche at 1:07 PM on August 19, 2013 [3 favorites]
Response by poster: Oh, and I try to go to bed by 11 but I have a really hard time falling asleep. Also, my husband is a morning person and he wakes up at 5, which sort of wakes me up but then I fall back asleep and am usually deeply asleep by the time my alarm goes off at 6:45 (after which I hit snooze a million times). I really suck at mornings.
posted by charmcityblues at 1:08 PM on August 19, 2013
posted by charmcityblues at 1:08 PM on August 19, 2013
Oh HELL yeah a full-spectrum light makes a difference. Like, "in a couple days" difference.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 1:08 PM on August 19, 2013
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 1:08 PM on August 19, 2013
Best answer: I second the excellent suggestions of going to bed early enough to get adequate sleep, eating a protein-filled breakfast, and getting organized the night before. In particular, making sure that my next-day outfit is all laid out - down to the earrings and eyeshadow! - saves me so much time. And on preview: where you live, you absolutely need a full-spectrum light.
Melatonin is a godsend for me in putting me to sleep. Get the liquid kind so you can titrate the dosage - most people don't need 3 or 5 milligrams; you might just need 1 milligram or less, and liquid melatonin enables you to adjust your dosage.
If you always have a "froggy voice" in the morning, make sure your room is dust and allergen-free. Put the pets out of the room for the night, get an air purifier, and get dust-proof covers for your pillows. Sleep on pristinely clean sheets and pillowcases. You will sleep better and wake up feeling more alive in an allergen-free room.
If you do everything right and still feel like you are "shuffling through syrup" in the morning, get a sleep test. I have severe sleep apnea (and am not a "typical" apnea sufferer, btw!) and getting my CPAP is like night and day. I am pretty much a morning person but I now notice how much more alive I am when I wake up, and I hardly ever get sleepy during the day anymore unless I'm in a stuffy room.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 1:10 PM on August 19, 2013 [2 favorites]
Melatonin is a godsend for me in putting me to sleep. Get the liquid kind so you can titrate the dosage - most people don't need 3 or 5 milligrams; you might just need 1 milligram or less, and liquid melatonin enables you to adjust your dosage.
If you always have a "froggy voice" in the morning, make sure your room is dust and allergen-free. Put the pets out of the room for the night, get an air purifier, and get dust-proof covers for your pillows. Sleep on pristinely clean sheets and pillowcases. You will sleep better and wake up feeling more alive in an allergen-free room.
If you do everything right and still feel like you are "shuffling through syrup" in the morning, get a sleep test. I have severe sleep apnea (and am not a "typical" apnea sufferer, btw!) and getting my CPAP is like night and day. I am pretty much a morning person but I now notice how much more alive I am when I wake up, and I hardly ever get sleepy during the day anymore unless I'm in a stuffy room.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 1:10 PM on August 19, 2013 [2 favorites]
I would say, get up early and squeeze in a workout before you shower. Even just a few minutes of jumping around and getting the heart rate going will help start your day off well.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 1:11 PM on August 19, 2013
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 1:11 PM on August 19, 2013
Best answer: Also, my husband is a morning person and he wakes up at 5, which sort of wakes me up but then I fall back asleep and am usually deeply asleep
Get up when he does. Part of your grogginess is very likely connected to falling back asleep and into REM - occasionally I'm in a REM cycle when my alarm goes off and on those days it always takes me forever to feel really awake.
I'm a natural night owl* but over the years I've trained myself to wake up early. I'm up at 5:30 every morning, and I leave for work a little after seven. Most of that time is spent drinking coffee and reading the internet.
It's totally possible to begin training yourself to go to bed earlier, fall asleep more easily, and wake up earlier. There've been a ton of askmes about sleep hygiene, so poke around in the archives.
*When gingerbeer goes out of town, I revert almost immediately to my night-owly ways, much to the distress of the cats, and myself the next morning.
posted by rtha at 1:16 PM on August 19, 2013 [8 favorites]
Get up when he does. Part of your grogginess is very likely connected to falling back asleep and into REM - occasionally I'm in a REM cycle when my alarm goes off and on those days it always takes me forever to feel really awake.
I'm a natural night owl* but over the years I've trained myself to wake up early. I'm up at 5:30 every morning, and I leave for work a little after seven. Most of that time is spent drinking coffee and reading the internet.
It's totally possible to begin training yourself to go to bed earlier, fall asleep more easily, and wake up earlier. There've been a ton of askmes about sleep hygiene, so poke around in the archives.
*When gingerbeer goes out of town, I revert almost immediately to my night-owly ways, much to the distress of the cats, and myself the next morning.
posted by rtha at 1:16 PM on August 19, 2013 [8 favorites]
I feel you; my partner's alarms start going off at 4:40 AM. It does not make me a happy camper and I get really weird dreams now. Have you tried a gradual set of alarms? I have one set for thirty minutes before I actually get up that isn't that loud-- it's enough to get me to hit the button but not enough to make me insane with the sound. Music alarm with classical music?
Nthing the full spectrum light and the suggestion to move around. Sometimes I do twenty jumping jacks or ten pushups-- not actually enough to make me balk at them as exercise, but the blood flow very much helps.
posted by jetlagaddict at 1:20 PM on August 19, 2013
Nthing the full spectrum light and the suggestion to move around. Sometimes I do twenty jumping jacks or ten pushups-- not actually enough to make me balk at them as exercise, but the blood flow very much helps.
posted by jetlagaddict at 1:20 PM on August 19, 2013
Maybe too obvious but I don't see it mentioned. Do you shower in the morning? I don't really wake up right without a morning shower. If you have long hair and don't want to deal with washing it every day just use a showercap.
posted by Wretch729 at 1:25 PM on August 19, 2013
posted by Wretch729 at 1:25 PM on August 19, 2013
Best answer: I am a total Night Owl living in a Very Early AM Culture west coast world. I still remember my horror when I discovered 7:30 am meetings are common here!
So, you need to change everything. First, go to be a lot earlier. Like, 9 pm. :( Get up at 5 am with your husband. :((( Move the alarm clock across the room and recruit your husband to make sure this happens.
Now that you have staggered to your feet, make the bed. So you can't get back in it. Brush your teeth and floss. Get in the workout clothes you laid out the night before and do a workout for awhile -- yoga, strength training, running on a treadmill, something, for 30 minutes. Shower. Dress.
Go eat breakfast and drink coffee and check the news. Hopefully this will get you some husband togetherness time too.
Off to work! You will definitely be awake by now.
See, the thing about this is, you just have to pretend and arrange your life like the weird morning people do.
posted by bearwife at 1:29 PM on August 19, 2013 [4 favorites]
So, you need to change everything. First, go to be a lot earlier. Like, 9 pm. :( Get up at 5 am with your husband. :((( Move the alarm clock across the room and recruit your husband to make sure this happens.
Now that you have staggered to your feet, make the bed. So you can't get back in it. Brush your teeth and floss. Get in the workout clothes you laid out the night before and do a workout for awhile -- yoga, strength training, running on a treadmill, something, for 30 minutes. Shower. Dress.
Go eat breakfast and drink coffee and check the news. Hopefully this will get you some husband togetherness time too.
Off to work! You will definitely be awake by now.
See, the thing about this is, you just have to pretend and arrange your life like the weird morning people do.
posted by bearwife at 1:29 PM on August 19, 2013 [4 favorites]
Full-spectrum light! YES GET IT NOW. It changed my life. I used to find it physically painful to get out of bed before the sun was up. I would be in a restless, dazed fog for HOURS. But with the lamp? I ooze out of bed, turn on the lamp, and then feel ready for life just 15 minutes later.
The only other suggestion I can make is that you consider this...What do you do on the weekends? It's extraordinarily tempting to stay up late and sleep in when you can... But, if you're like me, all you'll end up doing is making it worse on those days when you can't. For me to keep a sleep schedule that isn't my natural night-owl schedule, I have to get up at the same time every. single. day. So, if you have to go to bed at 9 and wake up at 5am M-F, force yourself to go to bed at 9 and wake up at 5am Saturday and Sunday too. It lets your body start to recognize that this whole going-to-bed-and-waking-up-ungodly-early thing is a routine to adjust to and accept, rather than some weird anomaly.
posted by meese at 1:42 PM on August 19, 2013
The only other suggestion I can make is that you consider this...What do you do on the weekends? It's extraordinarily tempting to stay up late and sleep in when you can... But, if you're like me, all you'll end up doing is making it worse on those days when you can't. For me to keep a sleep schedule that isn't my natural night-owl schedule, I have to get up at the same time every. single. day. So, if you have to go to bed at 9 and wake up at 5am M-F, force yourself to go to bed at 9 and wake up at 5am Saturday and Sunday too. It lets your body start to recognize that this whole going-to-bed-and-waking-up-ungodly-early thing is a routine to adjust to and accept, rather than some weird anomaly.
posted by meese at 1:42 PM on August 19, 2013
A middle school English teacher of mine would set her alarm 20 minutes earlier than she needed, chug a cup of coffee (which her husband would have waiting for her), and go back to sleep for another 20 minutes while the coffee kicked in. And then she would drink another cup of coffee upon waking.
I'm not saying that's the healthiest way to pull it off, but that was her routine for the 35 years or so of her career and she never missed a beat.
She was a great teacher.
posted by phunniemee at 1:46 PM on August 19, 2013
I'm not saying that's the healthiest way to pull it off, but that was her routine for the 35 years or so of her career and she never missed a beat.
She was a great teacher.
posted by phunniemee at 1:46 PM on August 19, 2013
I have found that a dawn simulator alarm clock has really helped me get my mornings started. I set it to go off at the same time every day, even when I don't have to get up.
posted by pickypicky at 1:54 PM on August 19, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by pickypicky at 1:54 PM on August 19, 2013 [2 favorites]
Previously, I asked about a morning ritual got some really helpful responses. Worth checking out!
posted by fantine at 1:56 PM on August 19, 2013
posted by fantine at 1:56 PM on August 19, 2013
Same here, need nine hours of sleep to be fully functional and truly would rather not engage with others before double digits. It's hard to go to bed early, so I stopped trying. But I DO aim to be in bed by 11 and without any glowing technology (e.g. TV, computer, phone). Sometimes I'll read two pages and be out; sometimes I'll read until 1. The no-glowing-tech epiphany made a huge difference for me.
Also, the combination of limiting myself to one caffeinated beverage AND drinking a full quart of water before noon made a difference.
I use a SAD light in winter and work hard to ramp up my vitamin D intake. If you live in Alaska, you surely must know about both of these things. But if not, listen to everyone here. Get a SAD light. Available at Costco and a gazillion places online. If you go to your annual health fair (every fall where I am), there will be info tables about these things. ALSO, if you do the blood draw to check your cholesterol, just once pay the extra 60 bucks to check your D levels. You may find you need to up your dosage.
posted by AnOrigamiLife at 2:15 PM on August 19, 2013 [1 favorite]
Also, the combination of limiting myself to one caffeinated beverage AND drinking a full quart of water before noon made a difference.
I use a SAD light in winter and work hard to ramp up my vitamin D intake. If you live in Alaska, you surely must know about both of these things. But if not, listen to everyone here. Get a SAD light. Available at Costco and a gazillion places online. If you go to your annual health fair (every fall where I am), there will be info tables about these things. ALSO, if you do the blood draw to check your cholesterol, just once pay the extra 60 bucks to check your D levels. You may find you need to up your dosage.
posted by AnOrigamiLife at 2:15 PM on August 19, 2013 [1 favorite]
Best answer: try to go to bed by 11 but I have a really hard time falling asleep
If it's still light out, put aluminum foil on the windows.
Get some yellow lens safety glasses and wear them for an hour before bed, don't take them off until you turn out the lights.
If you have those "daylight" florescent light bulbs (the bluish kind), don't turn those bulbs on at all for a few hours before bed.
he wakes up at 5...deeply asleep by the time my alarm goes off at 6:45
Sleep cycles tend to be around 3 hours, this is the worst possible timing for trying to get up after you've fallen back to sleep. Alternatives to getting up when he does: get him to wake up at 3:45 instead, or if you are having trouble getting proper rest 5 nights a week you might need separate beds or bedrooms.
Set that full spectrum light up on a timer to shine on your face when your alarm goes off.
You can buy blue SAD lights that clip onto a hat and shine in your face, might help with your walk. The blue only ones are not as bright overall as the full spectrum.
posted by yohko at 4:02 PM on August 19, 2013
If it's still light out, put aluminum foil on the windows.
Get some yellow lens safety glasses and wear them for an hour before bed, don't take them off until you turn out the lights.
If you have those "daylight" florescent light bulbs (the bluish kind), don't turn those bulbs on at all for a few hours before bed.
he wakes up at 5...deeply asleep by the time my alarm goes off at 6:45
Sleep cycles tend to be around 3 hours, this is the worst possible timing for trying to get up after you've fallen back to sleep. Alternatives to getting up when he does: get him to wake up at 3:45 instead, or if you are having trouble getting proper rest 5 nights a week you might need separate beds or bedrooms.
Set that full spectrum light up on a timer to shine on your face when your alarm goes off.
You can buy blue SAD lights that clip onto a hat and shine in your face, might help with your walk. The blue only ones are not as bright overall as the full spectrum.
posted by yohko at 4:02 PM on August 19, 2013
Best answer: One more thing I forgot to add in my previous post: Snooze alarms are evil. If I need to be up by a certain time, it's feet on the floor and arms in the bathrobe right away (it helps to have hungry cats). Dozing in bed, while cozy, just makes it worse when you do have to get up. I feel much better when I just "rip the bandaid off" and get up for good.
Vitamin D is also important, especially in northern latitudes. I feel so much better after getting my Vitamin D levels up to normal. Have your doctor do a blood test.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 4:46 PM on August 19, 2013 [1 favorite]
Vitamin D is also important, especially in northern latitudes. I feel so much better after getting my Vitamin D levels up to normal. Have your doctor do a blood test.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 4:46 PM on August 19, 2013 [1 favorite]
Go to sleep earlier. cut caffeine from noon. I do not know why but listening to an audiobook while lying down in a dark room sends me to sleep fast. You need a book narrator who drones a little and subject matter that is less interesting, or something very very familiar. I have a Jane Austen's P&P that I can turn on anywhere and five minute later be happily asleep, good but soft narrator. It's the memory of being read to as a kid kicking in I think.
To get up early and wake up - my husband now makes me coffee to drink in bed. Then I get up and either walk the dog or chase a toddler around. Without the coffee and sleepy 15 minutes in bed first, I resent getting up and will go back to sleep or drag my feet. Showering early makes a big difference, and is so much easier if you've laid out clothes etc the night before so you can just stumble into the shower and autopilot your way to being clean and dressed at the end.
Get a great sleep mask. My shift-working daughter relies on a $15 one that has padding around the edges so it totally blocks all light. We borrowed it so much, we ended up getting two more. Pay more for one with great reviews, cheaper and more convenient than blackout curtains!
posted by viggorlijah at 4:56 PM on August 19, 2013
To get up early and wake up - my husband now makes me coffee to drink in bed. Then I get up and either walk the dog or chase a toddler around. Without the coffee and sleepy 15 minutes in bed first, I resent getting up and will go back to sleep or drag my feet. Showering early makes a big difference, and is so much easier if you've laid out clothes etc the night before so you can just stumble into the shower and autopilot your way to being clean and dressed at the end.
Get a great sleep mask. My shift-working daughter relies on a $15 one that has padding around the edges so it totally blocks all light. We borrowed it so much, we ended up getting two more. Pay more for one with great reviews, cheaper and more convenient than blackout curtains!
posted by viggorlijah at 4:56 PM on August 19, 2013
This might be totally bizarre, but would it work to invert your schedule so that you come home from work and go to bed? So it feels like you're working an evening shift instead of a morning one.
Also, I switched to decaf recently and man, I feel much more "on" in the mornings.
posted by hishtafel at 9:54 PM on August 19, 2013
Also, I switched to decaf recently and man, I feel much more "on" in the mornings.
posted by hishtafel at 9:54 PM on August 19, 2013
Best answer: I'm a night owl too. I tried various different hacks to get myself going in the morning, but the thing that worked best for me was having a specific time that I was waking up.
A cup of coffee, morning rituals like brushing my teeth, etc, didn't work half as well as a month of getting up at a set time. For me, it was 6:30AM, because of work. If it hadn't been for work, there's no way I would have managed to do it regularly. After a couple of months of doing it, I found that I was just as awake in the morning if I didn't use my hacks as if I did. Consistency was absolutely key.
Other hacks that have helped but not cured the problem include:
Also watch 10 Things You Need To Know About Sleep. There's a few things mentioned in there that you might find helpful too.
posted by Solomon at 3:37 AM on August 20, 2013
A cup of coffee, morning rituals like brushing my teeth, etc, didn't work half as well as a month of getting up at a set time. For me, it was 6:30AM, because of work. If it hadn't been for work, there's no way I would have managed to do it regularly. After a couple of months of doing it, I found that I was just as awake in the morning if I didn't use my hacks as if I did. Consistency was absolutely key.
Other hacks that have helped but not cured the problem include:
- A blackout blind. I have a light fairly close to my bedroom window, and a proper blackout blind cuts down on a LOT of the light coming in.
- Making coffee in a coffee maker. It's simple enough that I can do it while half asleep, but complicated enough that it has several steps that have to be done in a specific order.
- Following on from that - coffee. I found a brand I really like and a pint mug of it in the morning really helps. (I can drink a pint mug and then go to sleep right away, so maybe caffeine doesn't work for me. I think it's the ritual aspect that helps most.)
- A wake light. They light up at a specific time and then sound an alarm later on. I have a cheapo LED model that doesn't have the full spectrum of light, but having a gradually-brightening light in the room often wakes me up before the alarm actually sounds. This works best with the blackout curtains.
- I have a 150w ESL daylight bulb that I've programmed to come on in the morning before now. It's much bluer than a normal bulb, much closer to daylight. A blast of that in the morning often helps.
- Drinking more water before bed. I can lie in bed for hours, but literally as soon as my feet hit the floor in the morning, I have to pee RTFN. That impulse can't really be argued with and for me, getting out of bed is half the battle.
- I use a citrus scented shower gel and have a nice hot shower every morning too. Something with menthol in it works well too.
Also watch 10 Things You Need To Know About Sleep. There's a few things mentioned in there that you might find helpful too.
posted by Solomon at 3:37 AM on August 20, 2013
Response by poster: As always, great answers and lots to think about! I subbed out my "calming" shower gel for something peppier already.
I am definitely Vitamin D deficient (verified by doc), good reminder to actually get serious about taking the supplements. And I really should get a SAD lamp this winter.
I will also seriously consider trying to have a standard, non-negotiable wake time.
Thanks all!
posted by charmcityblues at 11:46 PM on August 20, 2013
I am definitely Vitamin D deficient (verified by doc), good reminder to actually get serious about taking the supplements. And I really should get a SAD lamp this winter.
I will also seriously consider trying to have a standard, non-negotiable wake time.
Thanks all!
posted by charmcityblues at 11:46 PM on August 20, 2013
Response by poster: Evidently a 7.0 earthquake wakes me up right quick. Guess I can't add that to my routine, though...
posted by charmcityblues at 3:01 PM on August 30, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by charmcityblues at 3:01 PM on August 30, 2013 [1 favorite]
You could always put your bed on one of those earthquake-simulator platforms, and wire it to a timer! Okay, maybe not....
posted by rtha at 4:30 PM on August 30, 2013
posted by rtha at 4:30 PM on August 30, 2013
This thread is closed to new comments.
Have you tried going to bed earlier, so that you can wake up earlier and maybe take a longer walk or something?
posted by sparklemotion at 12:55 PM on August 19, 2013 [2 favorites]