Can't sleep in summer - how to use my mornings?

June 27, 2018 3:57 AM

In the summer I seem to automatically and involuntarily wake up around 6am.

I am NOT a morning person, so being awake at that hour usually means I feel very yucky - cranky, unrested, sometimes anxious. I don't WANT to be awake at 6am. I would rather sleep until 8, but for the past month I seem to be unable to sleep deeply because of the early morning light.

I do have many personal goals I am trying to work on, so I figure it might be a good time to do those, however, they require energy, motivation and patience, none of which I have at 6am.

I don't like morning exercising because I have less energy and find I get a worse workout because I'm not motivated. At night, I can really get into it.

I also don't like drinking coffee before 9am because it makes me super hyper and unable to concentrate.

Any tips on how I can pass the time before I actually want to be awake, and help me not go crazy this summer?

posted by winterportage to Health & Fitness (17 answers total)

I know this is not a direct answer to the question, but I am also very much Not A Morning Person, and my solution would be a blackout blind. There are things you get for kids/babies which are portable blackout blinds with suckers that you attach to the window behind the regular curtain/blind and, when set up right, can make a big difference. This is the one we have.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 4:04 AM on June 27, 2018 [8 favorites]

I am NOT a morning person and I second the blackout light suggestion. I would just be grumpy and not enjoy whatever I’m forcing myself to do with the time. The only thing I am ok with doing when I inadvertently wake up before I want to is play games on my phone or mindlessly scroll through Instagram.
posted by like_neon at 4:08 AM on June 27, 2018

Blackout blinds all the way. Every bedroom in my home has them. My kids would be up an hour earlier without them, and it seems like their sleep patterns are much better than their friends.

It's natural to wake with the sun. Unfortunately it's also natural to have a sleep cycle that varies with the seasons, which isn't helpful for us modern humans. So blinds.
posted by pipeski at 4:12 AM on June 27, 2018

Have you tried meditation or something like Tai Chi - you don't have to spend too long doing it and it may help settle you a bit and make it easier to do something else. Failing that maybe just do some chores then that don't require concentration but will free up your time for later when you do - future you will be very grateful.
posted by crocomancer at 4:40 AM on June 27, 2018 [1 favorite]

Blackout blinds are good as hell and worth looking into.

Otherwise, just because you’re awake and conscious doesn’t mean you have to use that time productively. Regardless of the time, season, or how much sleep I’ve gotten the previous night, my mornings go much better when I wake up earlier than I strictly need to and spend the first 30-60 minutes quietly loafing around with coffee/breakfast/internet. I find the loaf time more valuable than an extra hour of sleep.

For an advanced variation, go outside and sit on the porch or stroll around the block. Early summer mornings are often cool and quiet, and it can be a treat if you dislike summer heat.
posted by Metroid Baby at 5:01 AM on June 27, 2018 [6 favorites]

I really like to take care of my plants first thing in the morning. Water all the regular house plants, check the succulents to see if they need any, wander outside and check and water the things in the tiny greenhouse, see how my tomatoes are coming along. It's soothing and doesn't require much brain power. Would recommend.
posted by corvine at 5:02 AM on June 27, 2018 [5 favorites]

Yeah, I do things like water the plants, refill the bird feeder, put away clean dishes, other general tidying kind of stuff. Basically get the simple boring tasks out of the way first thing so that you have time for stuff that requires motivation later.

I have blackout blinds, too, but I like to keep the windows open this time of year so a lot of light still gets in.
posted by mskyle at 5:05 AM on June 27, 2018

If blackout blinds are difficult to organise for whatever reason, a sleep mask might help. I've tried several and never found one I liked until this one, which is quite customisable to your face and helps me a lot.

I read somewhere that time lying down with one's eyes shut is nearly as good for you as time actually sleeping, if you can't get to sleep, so I try to do that. If you're just tossing and turning uncomfortably, that might not still be true, I guess.
posted by daisyk at 5:09 AM on June 27, 2018 [1 favorite]

Go for a walk

Work a crossword
posted by at at 5:45 AM on June 27, 2018

Go for a walk? Early summer mornings are gorgeous and peaceful and a walk doesn't have to be a workout. Especially if you live somewhere you can see plants and gardens change Day to day, it's a really peaceful way to start the day.
posted by john_snow at 6:07 AM on June 27, 2018

Hi, I am literally in your situation RIGHT NOW.

I really just don't do much in the mornings besides sit around surfing the Internet, catching up on video and quietly moaning to myself. I do knit/crochet so I might be doing that as well, but unfortunately when you are a natural night owl being forced awake at the crack of dawn, you really feel too sick to do anything. So this is not "hey, prime time to do all the chores and get shit done!", unfortunately. You are basically exhausted and killing time until you have to leave the house. I don't really try to do anything useful since I can't really function and I feel bad enough that I just need to be sitting down. If you have the get up and go to put on clothes and take a walk at 6 a.m., you are a far better person than I am. I feel queasy just thinking about that and looking outside right now.

"I read somewhere that time lying down with one's eyes shut is nearly as good for you as time actually sleeping, if you can't get to sleep, so I try to do that. If you're just tossing and turning uncomfortably, that might not still be true, I guess."

I've heard that too and I try to do it, but unfortunately after a certain point you are so wide awake yet exhausted that you just can't lie still any more and you are definitely not resting anyway. I have been trying to go to bed earlier since I am going to wake up too early (even with blackout curtains, ear plugs, a fan and a sleep mask, this is happening) anyway, but that still isn't really helping too much. I could have gotten 8 hours, but noooooooooooo, body's still up early but not rested. Whee.
posted by jenfullmoon at 6:14 AM on June 27, 2018 [1 favorite]

This goes against some of what you said but I just wanted to relate my personal experience in case it helps.

My wife gets up an hour and a half before me and a lot of times I use the time to roll around and/or get mad at Twitter. But this spring I started popping up, going for a 1/2 hour run, and then still making it to work way earlier than I would have. I have a flexible job so that also means that I can take a couple hours at lunch and go home and nap if need be.

It's been working out FANTASTIC. Days I do this, I feel great. No, it's not a great workout, but 4 miles is 4 miles and it's also a huge boon to my stress and anxiety levels for rest of day.
posted by ftm at 6:56 AM on June 27, 2018 [2 favorites]

I am a somewhat morning person, in that I do the morning exercise thing you nixed. During summer days that I'm not planning to get up before 6am I wear a quasi blindfold. It's actually a neckwarmer that I got from the dollar store, but it's better for me than any blindfold (no light peaks from under the eye holes and it's neither too tight nor too loose.

My vote is also that you cure the problem of waking up early rather than look for a use for dead time.
posted by nobeagle at 6:57 AM on June 27, 2018

Go for a short hike! I wake up at 5 am in the summer (curses, circadian rhythm) and I'll try to go for a walk somewhere nice before the rest of the household wakes up.

Listening to the birds wake up with the sun is one of the best morale boosters ever.
posted by lydhre at 7:15 AM on June 27, 2018 [1 favorite]

I get up and make a nice breakfast for myself and sit and eat it outside on the patio. Sometimes that helps to get rid of the grumpy anxiousness of waking up with the sun. I also use black out shades + an eye mask but it's like my brain still knows somehow that the sun is up. Evil sun.
posted by ilovewinter at 9:51 AM on June 27, 2018

Good morning! Me too! I like to think of it as extra time to make myself a luxurious indulgent breakfast that's a real meal.
posted by 168 at 3:47 AM on June 28, 2018

I bring my pet into bed with me for morning cuddle time. I would mindlessly internet, but i keep electronics out of my bedroom and wouldn't feel like walking downstairs to get them.
posted by WeekendJen at 10:29 AM on June 28, 2018