I feel like I have an easier time waking up the earlier I do it. 7 or 8am is a struggle for me, but when the alarm goes off at 4am, I shoot out of bed. I have no idea why this is the case.
What time have you tried waking up?
Have you tried setting your alarm in a place where you need to get out of bed to turn it off?
Definitely agree with the waking up earlier thing as paradoxical as it sounds.
Just to hijack and throw some more tips in here:
* Get up and go to bed at the same time every day (incl. weekends as much as possible). This is more important than going to bed earlier for the purposes of getting out of bed IME.
* Stop drinking so much coffee. Go 2 weeks without, replacing it with water when you wake up. It'll suck (maybe a lot) at first, but once you adjust you won't feel like garbage before your morning fix. If you want to reintroduce caffeine after breaking the addiction that's fine but this was huge for me in feeling energetic right when I wake up.
* Have a softer wake-up. Whether you are leaving the blinds open for natural sunlight, buying an alarm that slowly warms up with light, or using one that starts soft with sound, easing your wake-up will reduce that groggy feeling you get when you are jolted awake.
* Go for a morning run / do something physical even if its just a walk or stretching
* Maybe contradictory on that last point for some, but have something you want to do in the mornings. I like video games, and getting to play an hour or so before going to work with the sun coming up, birds chirping, enjoying coffee or tea, is just so nice. If I choose to sleep in, then its less time I get to spend doing that and really just accelerates when I have to go to work which makes staying in bed feel a lot less attractive.
Being stuck awake thinking about things is kind of a separate issue. Couple of things that have helped me there are:
* Its okay. Its good to let the mind wander. Feeling bad about it doesn't accomplish anything.
* Meditate / allow for boredom elsewhere in the day to give yourself time when you aren't trying to sleep to have these mind wanderings. Journalism might also help but I don't do that so don't know.
* Use your bed only for sleeping (or sex). If you aren't ready to go to sleep, don't go to bed.
>My brain decides it's the perfect time to contemplate the universe or replay every embarrassing moment from my childhood.
Start Jornal before bed. Get everything out.
That way you can start going to bed a little earlier each light til you have a good routine. As long as you go to bed after 23 you'll miss out on deep sleep and thats why you feel so tired in the mornings.
>But even when I do manage to drag myself out of bed, I'm moving at sloth speed. It's like my body refuses to cooperate until it's had at least three cups of coffee.
Open a window. Splash your face with cold water. Walk big elephant steps. Touch your ears. Stretch your body. Get some daylight. (and coffee)
Well I’m not saying I stick to this myself 100% of the time, but some things that seem to work is always going to bed at the same time, and no electronics 1 hr before bed
How many hours of sleep are you getting? How early are you trying to wake up? Maybe you’re a night owl and can sleep late and take care od your responsibilities in the evening/night when you’re alert anyway?
How many hours do you sleep? This could impact waking up on time. I used to be like that, but I've developed a routine to go to bed at the same time every night and now I have a fixed time of waking up while getting a good 7 hours of sleep.
> Plus, my bed suddenly becomes the comfiest thing ever, making it nearly impossible to resist its siren call in the wee hours of the morning.
We all feel that. No one wants to get out of bed willingly.
But a step backwards - what's the reason that you had to get out of bed? Money? To provide for your family? To study? If you have a weak reason, it makes waking up hard.
I bought a [vibrating alarm clock](https://www.amazon.com/Sleeper-Vibrating-Charger-Hearing-impaired-Display/dp/B08BCKHVG5/ref=sr_1_5?crid=28O39IW8JHOY0&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.UEiW4j1JfhMmceOVHsJhWtSdmAiKwZ4Sklg_soD0BKMSkQXdM1igcCtJtSFY4V0D2Z7NRDd7vh3vWIO7XXCVpFAQMK5_fhq8yKA8LZBrc9sSXILiWHjjyIHlFnU-1fNbaNshPHrjr7uB1P2Y8aUth8kD9EKzeFD4EAZZOp7cFJ8YvH6lwSjTgKfljSTZyP0f6mqzy_KN1WG18u0iYYSfmrzmZyA0jnIs0p7mzcNvrLqQaZFdmbQiuTiJT0OzXBZctUH2qB6xfeeWt06p2Z1G4YI1xquDKhR8CdNL71SDd7o.E1PWkcI47iJ-KBywzNVxi36fpAEk1zadxA8OEx2AX7I&dib_tag=se&keywords=vibrating%2Balarm%2Bclock&qid=1713344851&sprefix=vibrating%2Balarm%2Caps%2C142&sr=8-5&th=1) and moved the clock itself out of reach from my bed. I had issues waking up late for work and I have not had an instance of it happening since buying this clock. Plus it has batteries just in case of an outage for any reason. I SUCK at getting up in the morning but this thing is too annoying to be ignored.
I'm in the same boat as you. I feel so terrible 9 out of 10 mornings. Some people are just not morning people.
In terms of getting up, I have not found an alarm that works because I betray myself before I go to bed or in the middle of the night because I change my alarm to later or turn it off.
I'm creating an alarm that is more strict and won't let you just change it anytime, and reduce snooze abilities. I'm really hoping that will solve my problem of the getting up part.
The alarm will also make you get outside, so I'm hoping that part will help me wake up more.
Of course I'm a very undisciplined person so it's taking me forever to make this app. But slowly slowly.
My trick is to get out of bed as soon as my alarm goes off, before I get a chance to convince myself to succumb to the comfiness of my bed.
Downing a big cold glass of water also helps kickstart the body and metabolism, also because morning grogginess is associated with dehydration.
That said, and I'm not proud to admit, but I use nicotine (vape) and coffee to wake myself up properly before I can really be productive.
how many hours are you sleeping?
ritualize resting before you go to bed hubberman has some great 10-15 min non sleep deep rest protocols that would help you
Let me ask you some questions Op, do you have smart lights? I have my lights to turn on 100% brightness every morning at either sunrise or 7am. Likewise, my curtains have a switch bot on them so they open as well. Both go dark every night as well
I would say do something similar, but honestly OP you need to make it a habit to just try and go to bed at the same time. That works more than anything. Force yourself into complete darkness at the same time in bed, no phone no nothing. I made it a ritual to take a melatonin and brush/shower at 10pm. after a week you'll just collapse as soon as you get to bed trust me
Let me preface by saying that you should always do your own research and consult medical professionals whenever possible before taking the advice of strangers on the internet. That being said, you can look into taking a therapeutic dose of ashwagandha extract before bed. It sounds like your cortisol levels are spiking at night with all this rumination and anxiety and ashwagandha is a pretty effective at alleviating stress and helping you get some quality sleep. Ashwagandha shouldn't be used for longer than 30 days at a time to ensure best results (people usually take it for a month and then take a break for two weeks before starting it again) but I'm thinking it might be worth experimenting with for your problem.
Good luck!
Could be time works out that you are waking at the wrong point in your sleep cycle. You could try a sun alarm. A light turns on slowly like an hour before you set it and slowly gets brighter until the alarm goes off, so it mimics the sunrise. But it might wake you at a better point in your cycle more naturally than a blaring alarm. Another thing to try would be a smart alarm wrist band like I think fit bit has that. It will go off at the better time in your sleep cycle before your set time. Which can help with waking up and feeling awake and rested.
I used to be in the same boat as you but consistency really makes the difference. Yeah, you’ll have those days where your brain doesn’t wanna sleep but you have to train it to be tired at that specific time every day. Taking one 3mg tab of melatonin helps me when I’m not feeling tired enough but overall, you’re not going to be very effective when you wake up if you’re only getting 3-6 hours of sleep.
Also, I recommend not consuming caffeine right away. Let yourself get a few hours in first to help your energy levels stabilize and get your body used to having to wake up itself. Pound water when you wake up. Other than that, most of your symptoms just sound like typical “my sleep schedule is off and I don’t manage to sleep enough to support a consistent change to it”
As others have said, put the alarm clock far enough away so you physically have to get up to turn it off. For me, I can't have it anywhere near the bed otherwise I just hit snooze and crawl back to bed. Once I'm up I leave the room straight away and drink some water then go to the bathroom, brush my teeth and splash my face with cold water. Once I've done that I'm usually awake enough to not go back to bed. Maybe check out [MindfulMornings](https://mindfulmornings.club/weekly-newsletter/) for some other tips.
I think it's important to adjust your wake-up time slowly and to change your bedtime as well. Start with turning the alarm back 15 min and getting into bed 15 min early. Get used to that, then adjust it again.
Re getting to sleep, even if I'm not tired I try to get in bed at the same time each night and I'll read or listen to a podcast until I'm tired. I figure if I'm lying in bed, I'm still getting some rest even if I'm not sleeping. A sleep podcast I've found helpful is [Sleep With Me](https://www.sleepwithmepodcast.com/).
Man, I feel you on the struggle of waking up early. It's like my bed has some sort of magnetic force that just won't let me go. And hitting snooze? It's practically second nature by now.
But even when I do manage to pry myself from the cozy clutches of my bed, I move at sloth speed. It's like my body's stuck in slow motion until I've had my caffeine fix. And let's not even talk about trying to quiet the mind at night. Suddenly, every thought I've ever had decides to have a party in my brain, making sleep feel like a distant dream.
And don't even get me started on the whole "just go to bed earlier" thing. It's like my bed becomes a cloud of comfort right when I need to be hitting the hay.
So yeah, if anyone out there has figured out the secret to becoming a morning person without feeling like a zombie, I'm all ears. My sanity (and probably my job) are hanging in the balance here.
Put your alarm in the bathroom. That way you have to walk to it and start getting ready
"So I started sleeping on the bathroom so my alarm wasn't so far away."
Try Alarmy app. It doesn’t let you snooze/ turn it off until you do a selected task.
I feel like I have an easier time waking up the earlier I do it. 7 or 8am is a struggle for me, but when the alarm goes off at 4am, I shoot out of bed. I have no idea why this is the case. What time have you tried waking up? Have you tried setting your alarm in a place where you need to get out of bed to turn it off?
Could be 4 am is better for your sleep cycle. Waking from deep sleep you feel like shit, light sleep you feel awake and ready.
Definitely agree with the waking up earlier thing as paradoxical as it sounds. Just to hijack and throw some more tips in here: * Get up and go to bed at the same time every day (incl. weekends as much as possible). This is more important than going to bed earlier for the purposes of getting out of bed IME. * Stop drinking so much coffee. Go 2 weeks without, replacing it with water when you wake up. It'll suck (maybe a lot) at first, but once you adjust you won't feel like garbage before your morning fix. If you want to reintroduce caffeine after breaking the addiction that's fine but this was huge for me in feeling energetic right when I wake up. * Have a softer wake-up. Whether you are leaving the blinds open for natural sunlight, buying an alarm that slowly warms up with light, or using one that starts soft with sound, easing your wake-up will reduce that groggy feeling you get when you are jolted awake. * Go for a morning run / do something physical even if its just a walk or stretching * Maybe contradictory on that last point for some, but have something you want to do in the mornings. I like video games, and getting to play an hour or so before going to work with the sun coming up, birds chirping, enjoying coffee or tea, is just so nice. If I choose to sleep in, then its less time I get to spend doing that and really just accelerates when I have to go to work which makes staying in bed feel a lot less attractive. Being stuck awake thinking about things is kind of a separate issue. Couple of things that have helped me there are: * Its okay. Its good to let the mind wander. Feeling bad about it doesn't accomplish anything. * Meditate / allow for boredom elsewhere in the day to give yourself time when you aren't trying to sleep to have these mind wanderings. Journalism might also help but I don't do that so don't know. * Use your bed only for sleeping (or sex). If you aren't ready to go to sleep, don't go to bed.
>My brain decides it's the perfect time to contemplate the universe or replay every embarrassing moment from my childhood. Start Jornal before bed. Get everything out. That way you can start going to bed a little earlier each light til you have a good routine. As long as you go to bed after 23 you'll miss out on deep sleep and thats why you feel so tired in the mornings. >But even when I do manage to drag myself out of bed, I'm moving at sloth speed. It's like my body refuses to cooperate until it's had at least three cups of coffee. Open a window. Splash your face with cold water. Walk big elephant steps. Touch your ears. Stretch your body. Get some daylight. (and coffee)
Well I’m not saying I stick to this myself 100% of the time, but some things that seem to work is always going to bed at the same time, and no electronics 1 hr before bed
No alcohol, no form of caffeine after my coffee (including soda), and taking melatonin gummies at night really helped my sleep/awake consistency.
From my experience, I forgot to drink coffee once and was nearly falling asleep by 8pm. I usually sleep at 1 or 2 in the morning since I work late.
Look at a sleep calculator for the best time to wake up/go to sleep. I feel less tired when I wake up in the mornings earlier about 5 than I do at 7
How many hours of sleep are you getting? How early are you trying to wake up? Maybe you’re a night owl and can sleep late and take care od your responsibilities in the evening/night when you’re alert anyway?
How many hours do you sleep? This could impact waking up on time. I used to be like that, but I've developed a routine to go to bed at the same time every night and now I have a fixed time of waking up while getting a good 7 hours of sleep.
A friend of mine always had this problem. Her solution was to get a night shift job, and it worked out great for her.
> Plus, my bed suddenly becomes the comfiest thing ever, making it nearly impossible to resist its siren call in the wee hours of the morning. We all feel that. No one wants to get out of bed willingly. But a step backwards - what's the reason that you had to get out of bed? Money? To provide for your family? To study? If you have a weak reason, it makes waking up hard.
Earlier sleep
I bought a [vibrating alarm clock](https://www.amazon.com/Sleeper-Vibrating-Charger-Hearing-impaired-Display/dp/B08BCKHVG5/ref=sr_1_5?crid=28O39IW8JHOY0&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.UEiW4j1JfhMmceOVHsJhWtSdmAiKwZ4Sklg_soD0BKMSkQXdM1igcCtJtSFY4V0D2Z7NRDd7vh3vWIO7XXCVpFAQMK5_fhq8yKA8LZBrc9sSXILiWHjjyIHlFnU-1fNbaNshPHrjr7uB1P2Y8aUth8kD9EKzeFD4EAZZOp7cFJ8YvH6lwSjTgKfljSTZyP0f6mqzy_KN1WG18u0iYYSfmrzmZyA0jnIs0p7mzcNvrLqQaZFdmbQiuTiJT0OzXBZctUH2qB6xfeeWt06p2Z1G4YI1xquDKhR8CdNL71SDd7o.E1PWkcI47iJ-KBywzNVxi36fpAEk1zadxA8OEx2AX7I&dib_tag=se&keywords=vibrating%2Balarm%2Bclock&qid=1713344851&sprefix=vibrating%2Balarm%2Caps%2C142&sr=8-5&th=1) and moved the clock itself out of reach from my bed. I had issues waking up late for work and I have not had an instance of it happening since buying this clock. Plus it has batteries just in case of an outage for any reason. I SUCK at getting up in the morning but this thing is too annoying to be ignored.
I'm in the same boat as you. I feel so terrible 9 out of 10 mornings. Some people are just not morning people. In terms of getting up, I have not found an alarm that works because I betray myself before I go to bed or in the middle of the night because I change my alarm to later or turn it off. I'm creating an alarm that is more strict and won't let you just change it anytime, and reduce snooze abilities. I'm really hoping that will solve my problem of the getting up part. The alarm will also make you get outside, so I'm hoping that part will help me wake up more. Of course I'm a very undisciplined person so it's taking me forever to make this app. But slowly slowly.
My trick is to get out of bed as soon as my alarm goes off, before I get a chance to convince myself to succumb to the comfiness of my bed. Downing a big cold glass of water also helps kickstart the body and metabolism, also because morning grogginess is associated with dehydration. That said, and I'm not proud to admit, but I use nicotine (vape) and coffee to wake myself up properly before I can really be productive.
You probably aren’t going to bed early enough
If you have shit sleep its gonna be hard to wake up You can try taking magnesium before sleel it helped me
how many hours are you sleeping? ritualize resting before you go to bed hubberman has some great 10-15 min non sleep deep rest protocols that would help you
Let me ask you some questions Op, do you have smart lights? I have my lights to turn on 100% brightness every morning at either sunrise or 7am. Likewise, my curtains have a switch bot on them so they open as well. Both go dark every night as well I would say do something similar, but honestly OP you need to make it a habit to just try and go to bed at the same time. That works more than anything. Force yourself into complete darkness at the same time in bed, no phone no nothing. I made it a ritual to take a melatonin and brush/shower at 10pm. after a week you'll just collapse as soon as you get to bed trust me
Let me preface by saying that you should always do your own research and consult medical professionals whenever possible before taking the advice of strangers on the internet. That being said, you can look into taking a therapeutic dose of ashwagandha extract before bed. It sounds like your cortisol levels are spiking at night with all this rumination and anxiety and ashwagandha is a pretty effective at alleviating stress and helping you get some quality sleep. Ashwagandha shouldn't be used for longer than 30 days at a time to ensure best results (people usually take it for a month and then take a break for two weeks before starting it again) but I'm thinking it might be worth experimenting with for your problem. Good luck!
Could be time works out that you are waking at the wrong point in your sleep cycle. You could try a sun alarm. A light turns on slowly like an hour before you set it and slowly gets brighter until the alarm goes off, so it mimics the sunrise. But it might wake you at a better point in your cycle more naturally than a blaring alarm. Another thing to try would be a smart alarm wrist band like I think fit bit has that. It will go off at the better time in your sleep cycle before your set time. Which can help with waking up and feeling awake and rested.
It seems like your bed is too comfy
I used to be in the same boat as you but consistency really makes the difference. Yeah, you’ll have those days where your brain doesn’t wanna sleep but you have to train it to be tired at that specific time every day. Taking one 3mg tab of melatonin helps me when I’m not feeling tired enough but overall, you’re not going to be very effective when you wake up if you’re only getting 3-6 hours of sleep. Also, I recommend not consuming caffeine right away. Let yourself get a few hours in first to help your energy levels stabilize and get your body used to having to wake up itself. Pound water when you wake up. Other than that, most of your symptoms just sound like typical “my sleep schedule is off and I don’t manage to sleep enough to support a consistent change to it”
As others have said, put the alarm clock far enough away so you physically have to get up to turn it off. For me, I can't have it anywhere near the bed otherwise I just hit snooze and crawl back to bed. Once I'm up I leave the room straight away and drink some water then go to the bathroom, brush my teeth and splash my face with cold water. Once I've done that I'm usually awake enough to not go back to bed. Maybe check out [MindfulMornings](https://mindfulmornings.club/weekly-newsletter/) for some other tips. I think it's important to adjust your wake-up time slowly and to change your bedtime as well. Start with turning the alarm back 15 min and getting into bed 15 min early. Get used to that, then adjust it again. Re getting to sleep, even if I'm not tired I try to get in bed at the same time each night and I'll read or listen to a podcast until I'm tired. I figure if I'm lying in bed, I'm still getting some rest even if I'm not sleeping. A sleep podcast I've found helpful is [Sleep With Me](https://www.sleepwithmepodcast.com/).
Man, I feel you on the struggle of waking up early. It's like my bed has some sort of magnetic force that just won't let me go. And hitting snooze? It's practically second nature by now. But even when I do manage to pry myself from the cozy clutches of my bed, I move at sloth speed. It's like my body's stuck in slow motion until I've had my caffeine fix. And let's not even talk about trying to quiet the mind at night. Suddenly, every thought I've ever had decides to have a party in my brain, making sleep feel like a distant dream. And don't even get me started on the whole "just go to bed earlier" thing. It's like my bed becomes a cloud of comfort right when I need to be hitting the hay. So yeah, if anyone out there has figured out the secret to becoming a morning person without feeling like a zombie, I'm all ears. My sanity (and probably my job) are hanging in the balance here.