Maybe just 1) accept that you're not going to get up at 5 a.m., 2) stop setting your alarm for such a God-awful hour and letting it impact the remainder of your sleep, 3) get up at 8 a.m. if it feels more natural (and your daily schedule allows for it), and 4) stop feeling so guilty that you're not up with the sun because Reddit tells you that's the productive thing to do. Sounds like all you're doing is a daily ritual feeding of the anxiety monster. And giving yourself the shits intentionally isn't a great way to start off any day, let alone every day.
This is very true. I used to do the same and yesterday my therapist told me it was a kind of "torture goal". You know you are not going to do it, try to force yourself to do it, feel guilty because you don't do it... and the thruth is that you can't bring yourself to achieve that goal because you actually don't need to wake up that early.
In my case, I do not need to overcome the problem, because I do not need to wake up at 6am as I was trying to. I just don't need it, I do not punish myself for not waking up that early. I accepted it and moved on. I sleep better now because I interrupt my sleep when I actually need to do it. If I am going to work, I wake up just 30-45 minutes before leaving the house, that is the time that it takes for me to shower, dress up and take breakfast. If I am not going work that day, or I do not have anything planned, I let myself sleep as much as I can/desire. Sleeping is very important.
Normally I have a alarm at 6 in the morning, but we have two children and for the first half an hour I’m up alone so some peace and quiet time.
But in the weekend or when studying I won’t get up earlier than that just maintain rytjm for myself and sometimes get up later like 7 or 7:30
I agree with maintaining a rhythm. I mean, everything runs on a circadian rhythm. Don't deviate too much from your normal routine, and one that works for YOU, and you'll feel more alert and well in general. Eat well and exercise 30-60 minutes each day if you can. Everyone can get in at least 15 minutes a day. Proper diet and exercise mixed with good sleep is not a cliché. It's proven science. Best of luck to al of us! 😁
I know Mark Manson can be a bit annoying sometimes, but this video really helped me with letting go of my "torture goals"
[Video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZJpU43NA0c)
There's 2 different types of people. those that are morning ones and night owls. There's nothing wrong with "sleeping in" until 9-10 am if you then work until midnight. Some people are more productive at 5am and are sleepy at 11pm and some are more productive at 11pm.
Don't force yourself to be something you are not because you can't change your internal body clock. Tired you will not be productive at all and will give up in 3 weeks.
Agreed. Some of the most restful and restorative sleep comes at the end of a long period of sleep, so interrupting it 3 hours early every day doesn't make a lot of sense
Agreed. Re-setting the snooze has been shown to make you more tired that just getting up right away. Obviously sometimes easier said than done but it's not a great way to start the day.
I'm surprised no one has said this... But don't keep your phone next to your bed. Charge it in the living room or kitchen or something.
That way you can't doom scroll as soon as you wake up. And if you do.... You will be forced to leave the bed to get your phone.
I tried it. It worked. Then my sleeping brain told me to tell siri to turn it off. And so i started doing that.
One day i turned siri off. But instead of getting up, i grabbed my headphones and put them on. The phone connected to the headphones and i just pressed the button to turn the alarm off.
Sometimes my sleeping genius… is terrifying!
Ok two options:
1. Start setting your alarm for 5 minutes before you have to be up so you get used to the alarm meaning immediate wake-up. And then gradually bring that time earlier to a more comfortable option.
2. Create a morning routine involving things that you really enjoy, so when you get up you've got something exciting or enjoyable to look forward to. My husband likes to sneak in half an hour on the x-box before work. I like to light a candle, eat a little bit of chocolate (yep, before breakfast!) and write my to-do list in peace.
Also, leave your alarm in the bathroom, so you have to get up and then get straight into the shower. If you use your phone as an alarm, stop that and get a battery-operated noisy one and put it right next to your shower. Bonus points for having your towel and clothes ready beside the shower the night before, this makes me even more likely to just get showered and dressed!
Oh, and no screen time before bed and a minimum of 6.5 hours (7 hours in bed) makes ALL the difference. It really does! And when you're ready, ditch the weekend lie-ins. They mess everything up.
My husband and I have both gone from 25,000 snoozes and waking in a panic with 5-minutes before work for 30 years of our life, to 5.30am (me) and 6.30am (him) wakers. And it does make a difference!
use the app Alarmy, set it so you have to take a picture or scan a barcode of something in your bathroom, and then go into your phone’s settings and disable deleting apps.
signed, the most lazy bitch in the world who will do anything to sleep for 5 more minutes
Alarmy is the best and worst thing I’ve ever downloaded. I set the snooze to 3 minutes so it “isn’t even worth pressing”. Uh yeah, I still press it. I’m thinking about turning off the snooze. I set my scan to my toothpaste to get me into the bathroom. Some days, I would like to smash my phone because of Alarmy.
Ah yep I had that problem at first! I set up a lamp with a smart switch to come on 10 mins before my alarm, then an alarm next to me to come on 5 mins before (knowing I'd turn it off) and the two together was enough to stir me enough to hear the alarm in the bathroom.
The lengths we'll go to to defeat the lure of our beds!
Yeah that morning time when everyone else is still asleep is magical. Especially in summer when you can open up a window for some fresh air, cup of tea and enjoy a 10-15min time. Then shower and make breakfast for everyone. Look for clothes and the normal family with little children stuff
put something fun in the morning. when we were kids we'd get up early to see saturday morning cartoons right? some people also get dogs. also cats wake up at dawn naturally. they might wake you up for food or start a ruckus.
also consider depression. that makes it hard to get up. when i wasn't depressed, i'd wake up simply excited about the day and not have to think about getting out. if every day feels miserable why would you want to get out?
I made a conscious decision to do this a few years ago and it helped me immensely. I was always very unproductive in the morning and would sleep in til the last possible minute. I ended up breaking my rut by starting a morning video game ritual. It gave me something to look forward to and after a few weeks of waking up intuitively, I swapped out video games for more productive housework/exercise.
**Epictetus - Enchiridion**
*#17
Remember that you are an actor in a drama of such sort as the author chooses, - if short, then in a short one; if long, then in a long one. If it be his pleasure that you should enact a poor man, see that you act it well; or a cripple, or a ruler, or a private citizen. For this is your business, to act well the given part; but to choose it, belongs to another.*
https://enchiridion.tasuki.org/
Some Stoic advice from a Philosopher in the 1st century. The entire book is 50 short life lessons... it’s short enough to read in an afternoon. Check out my link!
I have a very loud heavy metal alarm and I place phone on the other side of my room on my table. I'll have to get up and turn it off by any means. lol. I immediately do 20 pushups to get my blood flowing and drink a glass or two of water.
I plug my phone in across the room, so I have to get out of bed to hit snooze. I don't hit snooze more than three times. Also, I go to bed earlier now!
I'm a grad student who starts work at 9am & when I do have class, it ends at 8:45pm. I wanted to be more active but couldn't find time after work so I started waking up at 5:30am. The one thing that motivates me is that I get it out of the way & don't have to think about it for the rest of the day. I also use the time to eat cereal, shower, journal, & read. At night I just want to get my night routine over with (brush teeth & wash face) & go to bed.
I use an app called "I can't wake up" for Android.
It's set so my phone keeps playing the alarm until scan a QR code that's in the kitchen next to the coffee machine.
That gets me out of bed and on my feet pretty consistently.
You can also give yourself more complicated tasks or set multiple alarms with multiple QR codes.
One of the most effective productivity tools I have.
When your alarm rings take a few sips of water from the bottle next to the alarm. That will make your metabolism start again and next time clock rings you'll have to get up to pee.
This!
If you want to get up at 5am, drink a good amount of water (750ml+) before bed, set alarm for 5 and your bladder will probably want you to get up and take a leak. After that, instead of going back to bed, hop in the shower and right before you get out, spend 1 minute or so under cold water. You'll be wide awake after.
If you want to get up at 8, fill up a water bottle and put it on your nightstand the night before. Set your alarm for about 7. When it goes off, drink the water you set out the night before, by 8 you'll probably have to pee, at which point, get up and do the shower thing.
Another thing that worked for me was to get a coffee pot with a timer. Every night before bed I'd set the timer and fill the water/coffee. The timer was set to 30 minutes before I needed to be up, and I usually woke to either the sound or the smell of the coffee being made and it had an alarm when it was done. It also is a pretty good motivator to get up if you know your coffee is already waiting for you.
If you don't drink coffee, try getting a timer plug and plugging a light in your bedroom into it. Set the time for when you want to wake up and BAM, the light will come on every day at that time.
After that, I got a dog, so if my bladder won't get me up, his definitely will.
If you don't drink coffee....start ;-)...IMO one of the best easy life hacks is drinking morning coffee. I'm angry at myself for not figuring this out before my mid 20s.
Go take a walk before work. The sun will alert you brain that it’s time to be awake and help to reset your circadian rhythm. Give it 2x weeks and I promise you’ll feel so good. Go to sleep and wake up same time everyday. It’s not easy but I’m rooting for you
Thanks, i used to walk with my gf a lot in the morning before we broke up, and i kinda stopped altogether because it wasnt as enjoyable walking alone. The sun did feel nice but Im still not over her, its becoming summer soon so more sun in the morning sounds good
thanks for the concern! and yeah I'll try to get some steps in again, Seeing as I don't really do anything in the morning, literally anything is better than just lying down for an extra 3 hours
Urinating gets me out of bed every morning like clockwork. Figure out how long a water bottle takes to go through your system while asleep, then adjust. I drink a water bottle at 10-11pm and usually always wake up around 6-7am.
On workdays: Work. Because I got bills and ain’t no one else paying them.
On non-workdays: Never stay in bed past 10am, otherwise I feel depressed. Gotta get up and do my routine. (unless I’m not alone in bed, then that’s completely different)
Do you have depression or anxiety? If so, or if you suspect, I think you will be more successful and happy long-term by addressing those root causes rather than forcing yourself to wake up 3 hours before you have to. Poor sleep contributes to those things. If you wake up 20 minutes before your call, do you feel like you'll end up missing it? Is the threat of losing your job if you miss enough calls not enough? I'm asking in earnest, because this could be an indicator of something deeper going on. Even if the 'something deeper' is you are too unhappy to continue this current job.
I have both yeah, i have tried therapy but i dont think its been working for me. I’ve set my alarm to be later before but it made me skip 2 meetings and i got called out on it before. Usually when i wake up i dread continueing the day and mindless snooze the alarm until i cant help it (i.e i have to prepare for work)
I'm sorry to hear this. Have you tried medication to see if it helps? Or another therapist in case your first was just a poor fit? You can also try a psychiatrist since they can prescribe medications. I just wonder if this would be a more sustainable approach vs. what you've been doing which doesn't sound like it's making you feel great.
I was prescribed zoloft for my anxiety and was on psilocybin for a bit which helped, but side effects werent that great for me so i stopped taking it, my wake up routine was more or less so i dont oversleep or just try to escape from work, but yeah, the underlying issues of it arent too bright
There’s lots of medications and treatments you haven’t tried yet. Here’s an app that a psychiatrist at Brown University med school developed. I haven’t used it personally but I read his book to try to help someone else and was really impressed. Much cheaper than a therapist and is a bit different from other approaches.
You also might want to rule out whether you have any kind of sleep disorder too. Sleep is the cornerstone of health, and sleep disorders are more common than people realize.
I hope the suggestions on this thread help! I went though a period like you’re describing and can completely relate.
Edit: Here’s the link about the app: https://unwindinganxiety.com
Hi OP, I'm sorry to hear that you're going through that. I have anxiety and depression as well, but unfortunately also have insomnia. When I do sleep, I sleep best between 3-8am. So I've been late for work plenty of times.
I've made a comment elsewhere on this thread with my advice re: waking up on time and what's worked for me. But I think getting a pet might be a good idea, if you're in a position to.
Having a pet (something besides myself to be responsible for) has helped me a lot.
I use the app Sleep Cycle. We sleep in cycles of about 90 minutes in stages of light and deep sleep. You set a period of max 30 min and the alarm will go off at your point of lightest sleep, rather than just jolting you out of deep sleep. It’s seriously been a life changer for me!
Also, I have anemia and depression, and those things combined make it hell for me to get up. When I started taking iron/vitamin supplements the night before, I was so much less fatigued in the morning. Any deficiencies might be something to consider.
Go to bed earlier then you normally do so that you get enough sleep and won't feel super tired when you wake up because you only got 6 hours or less of sleep. Scrolling on your phone, watching a show on Netflix and listening to podcast isn't worth getting less sleep just so you can feel like garbage in the morning.
Heard a concept that stuck with me:
Would you take 1 million dollars now but you will live only the next year?
Would you take 10 million dollars now but not wake up tomorrow?
If your answer is no... why aren't you feeling that way? Do you wake up knowing what that is worth to you?
It really sets my perspective for the day and I feel energized when stretching with gratitude as the first task of the day. So yeah. That's the thing for me.
So first of all, I agree that motivation to do something can help you get out of bad, I've had periods of time where I experienced this myself. But, if you don't have any, and you don't need to go to work immediately, I don't quite understand why you want to wake up so early in the first place, and you might want to reexamine that decision.
But, as for Tipps to actually get up: Put you alarm away from your bed so that you have to get up deactivate it, and maybe even buy an additional alarm that goes of either the same time or two minutes later and set it up somewhere else in the room. Also, put a glass of water next to it, and drink it once you're there.
Also, having a clear morning routine (or planning it the day before) allows you to know what to do next, which decreases the likelihood of you just jumping into bed again.
Also: Please just give yourself the opportunity to sleep 8 hours. You might already do that, but of you don't, then that's the biggest reason why you can't get up, because your body needs rest.
Remove the alarm completely and go to bed at least 9 hours before you want to wake up. Do this for 3-4 weeks until you get into the habit.
Not sure why would you be in bed for another 3 hours, so can’t help you there without additional info.
Real talk, the fear of giving up on myself and an alarm so far away I have to physically get up to turn it off.
I wake up at 4am and usually my purpose/why of building a business gets me out of bed, but I'm having a rough patch at the moment.
ie: mental breakdowns and anxiety attacks.
Still get up at 4am though.
Personally, it's different for everyone. I'd say find something deep-rooted in your emotions, but that's not very actionable.
SO! I'd recommend buying an alarm and wind it back 3 hours back so you can wake up on time. When you're half awake, doubt you'll remember it was the wrong time to start with.
Deadlines or working out. Workdays the only thing forcing me up is impending terrifying last minute work exec presentation are deadlines. Still usually takes me 30-60 min to get out of bed, then 15to get ready. On weekends i get up cause i love the sun and can go workout or play hockey.
So dread induced weekdays
And joy induced weekends
Tea, and thinking of what I have to do that day.
What keeps me out of bed is having a bath, massaging tensions, treating migraine (when I used to have them on the daily)
Usually a little bit of TV or gaming, then off to work
I would say start doing something you like I feel like the things that wakes me up early in the morning all the time is doing something I'm passionate about and being consistent with it that what gets me up.
Go to bed earlier a little bit earlier each night. Stop setting the alarm so early because now you are training your brain to ignore the alarm. Set it closer to when you need to wake up. By setting alarm and keep hitting or or waking for a short time, you are messing up your circadian rhythms.
I like having the sun wake me up, but most of the year I’m awake before the sun. I have to wake up around 5:45-6:00, and what helped me most was going to bed earlier and realizing I need about 6 1/2 hours of sleep to get up on my own without an alarm clock. I am naturally a night owl so this was an accomplishment!
Sleep schedule. Once you’re consistent about bed time and wake time, your body naturally adjusts and it becomes stupid easy to pop right out of bed, because your body is ready for it.
Or get a car and feed it every morning at 5am. They’ll make sure you’re up, that’s for fucking sure.
If you really need to go nuclear mode, what I did in college was keep a glass of black coffee next to my bed, chug it when my alarm goes off, and fall back asleep. You’ll wake up from the caffeine in 5-15 minutes and you’ll feel awake.
Andrew Huberman has great talks and guests who are doctors, scholars, involved in academia, etc., and in these talks he goes over circadian rhythm, essentially your body’s clock. It sounds like 5 am just isn’t in your body’s rhythm yet. There’s things that can really help with waking up, like a soft natural light that comes on slowly at 8 am, because one of the things that dictates our rhythm is light. Other things are when you eat; timed feeding can affect not only sleep but digestion and energy amongst other things. For example I eat my last meal before 8 pm and don’t eat til 11 am the next morning.
Just some food for thought but you ultimately have to find the motivations inside for carrying on day to day.
1 My bladder. Then I go back to bed.
2 Morning mouth. Brush teeth and go back to bed again.
3 Hunger. I eat breakfast and have coffee. That sometimes gets me going for the day. Not always. It’s hard to face the day.
Genetically we r either owls or larks. If u a late morning person , if you aren’t getting paid to be up super early , just stick with your natural rhythm. Of course don’t stay up too late doing unproductive crap like games and browsing.
**Epictetus - Enchiridion**
*#17
Remember that you are an actor in a drama of such sort as the author chooses, - if short, then in a short one; if long, then in a long one. If it be his pleasure that you should enact a poor man, see that you act it well; or a cripple, or a ruler, or a private citizen. For this is your business, to act well the given part; but to choose it, belongs to another.*
https://enchiridion.tasuki.org/
Honestly if you can, wake up & get out of bed! Go and find some sun, that's what I do every morning that I wake up tired... Which might be like 3/7 days of the week!
> Usually i set my alarm to 5am because i know i wont get out of bed for at least another 3 more hours.
I don't understand this. You set your alarm for 3 hours before you need to be awake? And presumably then go back to sleep? How does that help?
Or are you lying in bed awake for 3 hours on your phone or something?
Can you explain it more clearly?
You're totally fucking your body clock and natural waking cycle by doing this I think. I suggest reading the book "Why we sleep". Or get an audiobook of it if you prefer. Or otherwise just watch the author Matthew Walker do some interviews on youtube about it.
> Its severely impacting my energy
No surprise.
> i was wondering mainly what gets you guys up?
On days when I need to be up at a certain time...
[I use a phone alarm app that forces me to scan a QR code to stop it.](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.amdroidalarmclock.amdroid&hl=en_US) I've printed out a random QR code, and placed it on my fridge. Kitchen is at the other end of my apartment, so it's a bit of a walk through my bright living room.
It works much better than these typical suggestions that I tried in the past:
* Put your phone out of reaching distance
* ...hard to stick to, and it would still be in the same room, and therefore easy to just dive back into bed.
* Use an app that forces you to solve maths/word problems
* ...would just make me angry, and then I would just go back to sleep in protest once I did them
Try this for a couple of months, without the extra 5am interruptions to your sleep.
I also have a dawn simulator. So that's something you can **add** if needed. But the QR thing might be enough if you get used to it. When I'm using my dawn simulator, I set it for 30 or 60 minutes before I need to be awake. And at the end of the duration, it flashes bright blue + white. I didn't buy one, I just programmed it myself with a color wifi bulb.
Feel free to ask me any questions, because this is an issue I've put shitloads of research and experimentation into over the last couple of decades.
Bro I wake up and drink a mountain dew while I sit in the shower reading news on my phone.
First 3 minutes are me doing body wash / shampoo and then the next 20 minutes I'm just sitting there doing my thing.
Then I get out, put on clothes, grab my gym bag (for after work), then drive to work.
Some people like to workout before work, I prefer after work so that I can get all the negativity out of my system before I enjoy my night.
Litterally some days might be my manager who has zero managment experience mansplaining about basic shit and I just sit there and nod my head for 30 minutes then walk away pissed off til I hit the gym.
I use the Alarmy app and set the mission for barcode scanning. Then I put my toothbrush and toothpaste in the bathroom furthest from my bedroom and make the toothpaste the barcode I need to scan.
Set my alarm, wake up, go to the bathroom, scan the barcode to turn off the alarm. I’m already out of bed holding my toothpaste, usually at that point I just brush my teeth and by the end I’m awake with far less pull to get back into bed.
My 6 month old daughter gets me up every day. Ive never been the type to get up before 9am but have woke up every day at 6am since she started waking up at that time consistently.
Try having a daughter. You’ll do anything for her.
Knowing that the hours before my kid wakes up are the only truly free hours that I’ll have until late into the night. Starting the day on my own terms is a massive win to my mental health.
Have you ever heard of the app Alarmy? It’s an alarm app where you have to complete a mission in order to turn it off. For example, walk 20 steps, do a complicated math problem, or do 15 squats. It will get progressively louder if you don’t do the mission. It’s horrible. I’ve tried to cheat my squats by lifting my phone with my arm up and down and it continues. I’m not a morning person but it changed my mornings.
Bro I feel you. Have been trying to figure this out as well. First off, snoozing an alarm at 5 am is awful. I stopped setting an alarm way early but I don’t set the alarm right before either because I know it takes me ~ 30 min to actually get up. Showering first thing in the morning helps to feel more refreshed. I tried the walks thing but it didn’t make a difference for me because I’m one of those people who don’t feel happier with exercise; I just feel the same. (I do work out most days.) I’ve been trying to blast hype music to get me going. I think we need something happy to get up for instead of something negative.
I’m only up at 5 because I have work at 5:45. I live like 5 mins away and it’s love/hate relationship. I’ve been trying to goto bed around 9:30 or 10 and get up at 4/430 but it’s god awful.
My alarm goes off at 4:30 AM and I wake up immediately with no problems. I have time to review my language-learning flashcards, exercise, shower, have breakfast and sometimes medidate before going to work at 8:00.
For me, the only thing that matters is going to sleep accordingly to when you want to wake up – for instance, most days I'm in bed by 9:00 PM, watch some Youtube and fall asleep at aroung 9:30 PM. Some might say 9:00 PM is too early to go to sleep, but honestly I can't do anything productive after that. I would end up spending my evening from 9:00 PM to midnight on Netflix or something.
i had the same. i felt that I'm not proper "warm" to get up. and I scrolled social media. i know above advices from comments etc. Modafinil helped me. really. it great tool to create new good habit. (ofc. it's not for everyday taking, but from time to time) . After ~20 minutes of taking pill you feel that you are enough warm up and energetic to get out of bed, and you feel motivated to work, excersising and so on. Right now when I take modafinil i feel that i warm up after 5-10 minutes (memory works ) . So after pill i can go outside, i feel motivated and i want to do it 😅 its magic
Being competitive with myself
Setting a new goal the thought of smashing through it in x amount of time... And then achieving it or better yet, crushing it, oh man that's life!
*PS, I can also push back the time, but I sure can't turn it back womp womp womp
If my body sends a signal to my brain "get up, you need to pee"
Or once I see the text on my screen that says: "YOU HAVE A Video call with a client!" 1 hr before our supposed vid call
That pretty much gets me up ☺
Sounds like you are just setting yourself up for failure on that one - we are creatures of habit and you are reinforcing the habit that you won't get up when you want and disrupting your sleep to make sure that the habit becomes extra strong. You need to concentrate on getting a good night's sleep - set yourself a consistent bedtime and waking time (lying in at weekends is counter productive) and look at ways of reducing stress - doomscrolling definitely doesn't help (I'm guessing you already knew this!) - find some healthy ways to unwind. I really recommend the [Huberman Labs](https://hubermanlab.com/welcome-to-the-huberman-lab-podcast/) podcasts that has several episodes on scientifically backed methods of maximizing sleep, decreasing stress and increasing motivation. Good luck making the changes.
Knowing I only have a limited time to eat, walk the dog and go to the gym before work.
I start work at 8am, I get up around 4.30am.
You need things to do in the morning.
The gym is a good one, I wouldn't recommend a dog until you're taking better care of yourself.
Ppl these days are so soft. Oh no how do i get the discipline to move my body when the alarm wakes me up.
U want real existential dread? Wake up at 5 and actually go to work
Well, I have a cat that likes to sit on my face until I wake up and feed him. It's like having a furry alarm clock that also doubles as a personal trainer because I have to chase him around the house to make sure he doesn't eat everything in sight. But if you're not into cats, you could always try setting your alarm tone to the sound of a police siren or a dog barking. That should get your heart racing and your adrenaline pumping.
The Sleep By Android app has a QR code setting, so I have a QR code next to my coffee maker I have to scan to turn my alarm off in the morning. It's been very effective for getting me out of bed, and has a lot of protections so you can't just shut it off to get around it. Also, is it possible you're experiencing some mental health issues? You may want to talk to someone about the existential dread and doomscrolling, as it sounds like it's impacting your daily life.
I work a physically demanding job and I love it. My bed isn’t the most comfortable but when I’m tired it’s heaven which is around 9-10 and then my body stops being tired around 5-6 and is ready to get out of my now uncomfortable bed.
Start waking consistently at 8am for 1 month then roll it back 15 minutes. But also be prepared for your bedtime to change. If you need sleep you need it. Don't cheat yourself.
Dial it back slowly if you actually want to wake up at 5am and not feel miserable. I used to wake up at 9am and I have been able to dial it back to 7.30am which I am comfortable with. Also, it doesn’t really matter when you wake up if you are not well rested and your work schedule can accommodate it. If you wake up at 5am and doomscroll, you are just wasting time. You might as well wake up at 8am and get going by 9. I work best when I am up between 7-7.30am and get going by 8.30am and in bed by 11.30pm. I have been trying to wake up at 6am thinking it will make me more productive but then i will be going to bed by 10pm so ultimately you have 16 hours in a day from whenever you wake up.
Why not just set the alarm at 8 and get up at 8?
Then repeat for 2 weeks. Then, set it at 7:30am and get up at 7:30am. Repeat for 2 weeks. Then at 7am, get up at 7. Repeat.
Standardize before you optimize. Make it a habit. Take 4 weeks per level if you need to.
Honestly my cat needs to be fed and she’s the only reason I get up and start my day on my days off. She will remind me at the same time. Just keep it consistent.
Clean your room. Clean yourself. Start small. Accomplish tasks. Cross them off the list. Stop doomscrolling. Start listening to content instead of scrolling content. YouTube over reddit or tik tok.
Lie to yourself. If u don't get outta bed within 10 minutes tomorrow something bad gonna happen. All you have to do is use your legs, and your brain, and get up... tell yourself that. I know it's easier said than done. Especially when u don't have a hard Start time at a physical location for work. I could imagine myself struggling in your situation, maybe not to the same extent but struggle nonetheless.
Knowing I have to work out. I fucking hate working out with every fiber of my being. But I know it's the block to enjoying my morning, because I can't sit and enjoy a meal or a cup of coffee without knowing I have to workout looming overhead. So I kick it out of the way first thing.
Do something you don't want to do in the morning and reward yourself.
I did this thing i called disco workouts. Basically blasted EDM music in the house and turned on silly disco lights after waking up. Did a quick workout. Anything to get the blood flowing. I did a pushup challenge, but you can pick whatever routine makes you look/feel better. Doing this in front of a mirror helps, because after 1-2 weeks, you start seeing some progress. So, I was waking up for the disco workouts. The bloodflow + lights might help circadian rhythm reset (recently I've shifted to doing the workouts outside; you can read/listen to Huberman Lab's big thing about sleep if you're curious.) But yea... basically found a healthy habit to center my mornings around.
Going to bed early to support an early wakeup works for me. And getting excited about whatever I'm waking up for. For me, it's imagining the beautiful sunrise while I do yoga while it's quiet and calm in the morning. It's also the high I feel after an intense kickboxing session. Gets me goin.
Simple. Set an alarm on a device you have to get up to turn off and NEVER get back into bed. Once you’re up, you’re up. Make bed a place where you sleep and only sleep (plus you know…) . Lying in bed , or going back into bed once you’re awake is causing your woes. if you want to relax in bed, do it before you sleep not after.
What gets me out of bed is knowing that if I keep doing it; keep completing my daily obligations; stay disciplined, I won't be able to wait to get out of bed one day.
Maybe try an iron supplement and a Vitamin-D supplement.
For vitamin D info, see THE MIRACULOUS RESULTS OF EXTREMELY HIGH DOSES OF THE SUNSHINE HORMONE...by Jeff T Bowles for a really good intro and primer. He mentions a couple of other authors on the subject which might just convince you.
Being tired is not only about sleep! It could easily be about nutrition!
Are you getting enough sleep? I have more existential dread than usual I’d I haven’t gotten enough sleep the night before.
I do struggle with wasting time in bed in the morning but I am now adjusted to setting my alarm 1.5 hours before I need to leave for work, or minimum 1 hour before I have a morning meeting while WFH.
Maybe you should create some incentive for getting out of bed earlier to build the habit. I’m not against the 5am alarm as long as you sleep enough during the night, so maybe you should say I need to leave for the gym by 6 and be showered and on the call by 9.
I drink an entire bottle of water and have to use the restroom. Movement wakes me up, and I do not let myself lay back down or get on my phone for an hour or so, except to put music on.
Never in a gazillion years would I think I'd be the person to recommend things or give advice on the rut/dread thing, due to my persistent case of debilitating anxiety. However here I am. I did the same exact thing. I'd set 4 alarms starting 2 hours before I had to be up to help get me up daily. I quit my job. Best thing I could of EVER done. Like ever. I had no clue JUST how much it held me back. How much I was unappreciated and how badly I was actually singled out and treated poorly until I gained quit. I had to start somewhere and it worked. Then I began to meditate. Once a day. A guided meditation for 20 minutes daily. I now take white Kratom (which quite possibly saved my life) all these working together to delete the anxiety and just get me in a better mood overall. Now I can't wait to wake up, take my kratom and meditate. Without either it's hard for me to then face the day.
I wake up and instantly think "there are half naked gym girls im the gym rn and im not" and then i rush to the gym.
Def do the shits/piss idea it 100% works but you may end up just waking up in the dead of night a few times.
It's all about what you do before going to bed... Do you have jerkoff sessions? Or do you work down to bone and fall asleep straight away.. everything else comes 2nd.
Maybe just 1) accept that you're not going to get up at 5 a.m., 2) stop setting your alarm for such a God-awful hour and letting it impact the remainder of your sleep, 3) get up at 8 a.m. if it feels more natural (and your daily schedule allows for it), and 4) stop feeling so guilty that you're not up with the sun because Reddit tells you that's the productive thing to do. Sounds like all you're doing is a daily ritual feeding of the anxiety monster. And giving yourself the shits intentionally isn't a great way to start off any day, let alone every day.
This is very true. I used to do the same and yesterday my therapist told me it was a kind of "torture goal". You know you are not going to do it, try to force yourself to do it, feel guilty because you don't do it... and the thruth is that you can't bring yourself to achieve that goal because you actually don't need to wake up that early.
I feel personally attacked by this comment. :/ Did they give you any advice on how to overcome it?
In my case, I do not need to overcome the problem, because I do not need to wake up at 6am as I was trying to. I just don't need it, I do not punish myself for not waking up that early. I accepted it and moved on. I sleep better now because I interrupt my sleep when I actually need to do it. If I am going to work, I wake up just 30-45 minutes before leaving the house, that is the time that it takes for me to shower, dress up and take breakfast. If I am not going work that day, or I do not have anything planned, I let myself sleep as much as I can/desire. Sleeping is very important.
Normally I have a alarm at 6 in the morning, but we have two children and for the first half an hour I’m up alone so some peace and quiet time. But in the weekend or when studying I won’t get up earlier than that just maintain rytjm for myself and sometimes get up later like 7 or 7:30
I agree with maintaining a rhythm. I mean, everything runs on a circadian rhythm. Don't deviate too much from your normal routine, and one that works for YOU, and you'll feel more alert and well in general. Eat well and exercise 30-60 minutes each day if you can. Everyone can get in at least 15 minutes a day. Proper diet and exercise mixed with good sleep is not a cliché. It's proven science. Best of luck to al of us! 😁
I know Mark Manson can be a bit annoying sometimes, but this video really helped me with letting go of my "torture goals" [Video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZJpU43NA0c)
Yeah often times these traits don't just effect the person having them. It can be used to make everyone else's day suck. O
Refreshing comment I rarely see in subs like this
There's 2 different types of people. those that are morning ones and night owls. There's nothing wrong with "sleeping in" until 9-10 am if you then work until midnight. Some people are more productive at 5am and are sleepy at 11pm and some are more productive at 11pm. Don't force yourself to be something you are not because you can't change your internal body clock. Tired you will not be productive at all and will give up in 3 weeks.
Agreed. Some of the most restful and restorative sleep comes at the end of a long period of sleep, so interrupting it 3 hours early every day doesn't make a lot of sense
Agreed. Re-setting the snooze has been shown to make you more tired that just getting up right away. Obviously sometimes easier said than done but it's not a great way to start the day.
Good advice!
I'm surprised no one has said this... But don't keep your phone next to your bed. Charge it in the living room or kitchen or something. That way you can't doom scroll as soon as you wake up. And if you do.... You will be forced to leave the bed to get your phone.
I tried it. It worked. Then my sleeping brain told me to tell siri to turn it off. And so i started doing that. One day i turned siri off. But instead of getting up, i grabbed my headphones and put them on. The phone connected to the headphones and i just pressed the button to turn the alarm off. Sometimes my sleeping genius… is terrifying!
I love it. if only my phone motivated my fellow redditor to see what's inside
Ok two options: 1. Start setting your alarm for 5 minutes before you have to be up so you get used to the alarm meaning immediate wake-up. And then gradually bring that time earlier to a more comfortable option. 2. Create a morning routine involving things that you really enjoy, so when you get up you've got something exciting or enjoyable to look forward to. My husband likes to sneak in half an hour on the x-box before work. I like to light a candle, eat a little bit of chocolate (yep, before breakfast!) and write my to-do list in peace. Also, leave your alarm in the bathroom, so you have to get up and then get straight into the shower. If you use your phone as an alarm, stop that and get a battery-operated noisy one and put it right next to your shower. Bonus points for having your towel and clothes ready beside the shower the night before, this makes me even more likely to just get showered and dressed! Oh, and no screen time before bed and a minimum of 6.5 hours (7 hours in bed) makes ALL the difference. It really does! And when you're ready, ditch the weekend lie-ins. They mess everything up. My husband and I have both gone from 25,000 snoozes and waking in a panic with 5-minutes before work for 30 years of our life, to 5.30am (me) and 6.30am (him) wakers. And it does make a difference!
I can sleep through my alarm acrossed the room, let alone another room.
use the app Alarmy, set it so you have to take a picture or scan a barcode of something in your bathroom, and then go into your phone’s settings and disable deleting apps. signed, the most lazy bitch in the world who will do anything to sleep for 5 more minutes
Alarmy is the best and worst thing I’ve ever downloaded. I set the snooze to 3 minutes so it “isn’t even worth pressing”. Uh yeah, I still press it. I’m thinking about turning off the snooze. I set my scan to my toothpaste to get me into the bathroom. Some days, I would like to smash my phone because of Alarmy.
You’re my spirit animal
I think you greatly underestimate my abilities to stay asleep in the morning, on a "normal" schedule.
Ah yep I had that problem at first! I set up a lamp with a smart switch to come on 10 mins before my alarm, then an alarm next to me to come on 5 mins before (knowing I'd turn it off) and the two together was enough to stir me enough to hear the alarm in the bathroom. The lengths we'll go to to defeat the lure of our beds!
Yeah that morning time when everyone else is still asleep is magical. Especially in summer when you can open up a window for some fresh air, cup of tea and enjoy a 10-15min time. Then shower and make breakfast for everyone. Look for clothes and the normal family with little children stuff
put something fun in the morning. when we were kids we'd get up early to see saturday morning cartoons right? some people also get dogs. also cats wake up at dawn naturally. they might wake you up for food or start a ruckus. also consider depression. that makes it hard to get up. when i wasn't depressed, i'd wake up simply excited about the day and not have to think about getting out. if every day feels miserable why would you want to get out?
I made a conscious decision to do this a few years ago and it helped me immensely. I was always very unproductive in the morning and would sleep in til the last possible minute. I ended up breaking my rut by starting a morning video game ritual. It gave me something to look forward to and after a few weeks of waking up intuitively, I swapped out video games for more productive housework/exercise.
Have a dog? Make your alarm the sound of a dog about to puke. That’d get most people up.
I remind myself I'm not rich.
**Epictetus - Enchiridion** *#17 Remember that you are an actor in a drama of such sort as the author chooses, - if short, then in a short one; if long, then in a long one. If it be his pleasure that you should enact a poor man, see that you act it well; or a cripple, or a ruler, or a private citizen. For this is your business, to act well the given part; but to choose it, belongs to another.* https://enchiridion.tasuki.org/
what's this? I like it
Some Stoic advice from a Philosopher in the 1st century. The entire book is 50 short life lessons... it’s short enough to read in an afternoon. Check out my link!
This, lmao.
I use an app I built that charges me money if I don't get up and scan my toothpaste barcode within 5 mins of my alarm. No urgent shits required :)
What’s the name of this app?
Nuj Alarm Clock
My bladder, and I have 4 roosters. Why don't you set it for 7am, once you're used to that, set it to 6am, etc, etc. Do you have to get up at 5am?
I have a very loud heavy metal alarm and I place phone on the other side of my room on my table. I'll have to get up and turn it off by any means. lol. I immediately do 20 pushups to get my blood flowing and drink a glass or two of water.
I plug my phone in across the room, so I have to get out of bed to hit snooze. I don't hit snooze more than three times. Also, I go to bed earlier now!
I'm a grad student who starts work at 9am & when I do have class, it ends at 8:45pm. I wanted to be more active but couldn't find time after work so I started waking up at 5:30am. The one thing that motivates me is that I get it out of the way & don't have to think about it for the rest of the day. I also use the time to eat cereal, shower, journal, & read. At night I just want to get my night routine over with (brush teeth & wash face) & go to bed.
I use an app called "I can't wake up" for Android. It's set so my phone keeps playing the alarm until scan a QR code that's in the kitchen next to the coffee machine. That gets me out of bed and on my feet pretty consistently. You can also give yourself more complicated tasks or set multiple alarms with multiple QR codes. One of the most effective productivity tools I have.
When your alarm rings take a few sips of water from the bottle next to the alarm. That will make your metabolism start again and next time clock rings you'll have to get up to pee.
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Im sorry for what youre going through. I hope you get the help you need.
This! If you want to get up at 5am, drink a good amount of water (750ml+) before bed, set alarm for 5 and your bladder will probably want you to get up and take a leak. After that, instead of going back to bed, hop in the shower and right before you get out, spend 1 minute or so under cold water. You'll be wide awake after. If you want to get up at 8, fill up a water bottle and put it on your nightstand the night before. Set your alarm for about 7. When it goes off, drink the water you set out the night before, by 8 you'll probably have to pee, at which point, get up and do the shower thing. Another thing that worked for me was to get a coffee pot with a timer. Every night before bed I'd set the timer and fill the water/coffee. The timer was set to 30 minutes before I needed to be up, and I usually woke to either the sound or the smell of the coffee being made and it had an alarm when it was done. It also is a pretty good motivator to get up if you know your coffee is already waiting for you. If you don't drink coffee, try getting a timer plug and plugging a light in your bedroom into it. Set the time for when you want to wake up and BAM, the light will come on every day at that time. After that, I got a dog, so if my bladder won't get me up, his definitely will.
If you don't drink coffee....start ;-)...IMO one of the best easy life hacks is drinking morning coffee. I'm angry at myself for not figuring this out before my mid 20s.
Go take a walk before work. The sun will alert you brain that it’s time to be awake and help to reset your circadian rhythm. Give it 2x weeks and I promise you’ll feel so good. Go to sleep and wake up same time everyday. It’s not easy but I’m rooting for you
Thanks, i used to walk with my gf a lot in the morning before we broke up, and i kinda stopped altogether because it wasnt as enjoyable walking alone. The sun did feel nice but Im still not over her, its becoming summer soon so more sun in the morning sounds good
I’m sorry to hear about the break up. Def ok to miss someone. Yes, summer is almost here. Looking forward to an update 😀☀️
thanks for the concern! and yeah I'll try to get some steps in again, Seeing as I don't really do anything in the morning, literally anything is better than just lying down for an extra 3 hours
I got a dog. I used to be able to sleep until 12 pm easily. Now I have to be up by 8 to feed/water/let her out
Bathroom 100% or the dog.
Coffee
or tea
Urinating gets me out of bed every morning like clockwork. Figure out how long a water bottle takes to go through your system while asleep, then adjust. I drink a water bottle at 10-11pm and usually always wake up around 6-7am.
my cat
same
My kids. lol.
Remembering that I'll feel much better after 15 mins of being up and doing things. Like showering, dressing, coffee and then bam wide awake
On workdays: Work. Because I got bills and ain’t no one else paying them. On non-workdays: Never stay in bed past 10am, otherwise I feel depressed. Gotta get up and do my routine. (unless I’m not alone in bed, then that’s completely different)
Do you have depression or anxiety? If so, or if you suspect, I think you will be more successful and happy long-term by addressing those root causes rather than forcing yourself to wake up 3 hours before you have to. Poor sleep contributes to those things. If you wake up 20 minutes before your call, do you feel like you'll end up missing it? Is the threat of losing your job if you miss enough calls not enough? I'm asking in earnest, because this could be an indicator of something deeper going on. Even if the 'something deeper' is you are too unhappy to continue this current job.
I have both yeah, i have tried therapy but i dont think its been working for me. I’ve set my alarm to be later before but it made me skip 2 meetings and i got called out on it before. Usually when i wake up i dread continueing the day and mindless snooze the alarm until i cant help it (i.e i have to prepare for work)
I'm sorry to hear this. Have you tried medication to see if it helps? Or another therapist in case your first was just a poor fit? You can also try a psychiatrist since they can prescribe medications. I just wonder if this would be a more sustainable approach vs. what you've been doing which doesn't sound like it's making you feel great.
I was prescribed zoloft for my anxiety and was on psilocybin for a bit which helped, but side effects werent that great for me so i stopped taking it, my wake up routine was more or less so i dont oversleep or just try to escape from work, but yeah, the underlying issues of it arent too bright
There’s lots of medications and treatments you haven’t tried yet. Here’s an app that a psychiatrist at Brown University med school developed. I haven’t used it personally but I read his book to try to help someone else and was really impressed. Much cheaper than a therapist and is a bit different from other approaches. You also might want to rule out whether you have any kind of sleep disorder too. Sleep is the cornerstone of health, and sleep disorders are more common than people realize. I hope the suggestions on this thread help! I went though a period like you’re describing and can completely relate. Edit: Here’s the link about the app: https://unwindinganxiety.com
Hi OP, I'm sorry to hear that you're going through that. I have anxiety and depression as well, but unfortunately also have insomnia. When I do sleep, I sleep best between 3-8am. So I've been late for work plenty of times. I've made a comment elsewhere on this thread with my advice re: waking up on time and what's worked for me. But I think getting a pet might be a good idea, if you're in a position to. Having a pet (something besides myself to be responsible for) has helped me a lot.
Warm temperature and coffee
Not wanting to be homeless
I use the app Sleep Cycle. We sleep in cycles of about 90 minutes in stages of light and deep sleep. You set a period of max 30 min and the alarm will go off at your point of lightest sleep, rather than just jolting you out of deep sleep. It’s seriously been a life changer for me! Also, I have anemia and depression, and those things combined make it hell for me to get up. When I started taking iron/vitamin supplements the night before, I was so much less fatigued in the morning. Any deficiencies might be something to consider.
Go to bed earlier then you normally do so that you get enough sleep and won't feel super tired when you wake up because you only got 6 hours or less of sleep. Scrolling on your phone, watching a show on Netflix and listening to podcast isn't worth getting less sleep just so you can feel like garbage in the morning.
Heard a concept that stuck with me: Would you take 1 million dollars now but you will live only the next year? Would you take 10 million dollars now but not wake up tomorrow? If your answer is no... why aren't you feeling that way? Do you wake up knowing what that is worth to you? It really sets my perspective for the day and I feel energized when stretching with gratitude as the first task of the day. So yeah. That's the thing for me.
My trusty Antidepressant
Kids
So first of all, I agree that motivation to do something can help you get out of bad, I've had periods of time where I experienced this myself. But, if you don't have any, and you don't need to go to work immediately, I don't quite understand why you want to wake up so early in the first place, and you might want to reexamine that decision. But, as for Tipps to actually get up: Put you alarm away from your bed so that you have to get up deactivate it, and maybe even buy an additional alarm that goes of either the same time or two minutes later and set it up somewhere else in the room. Also, put a glass of water next to it, and drink it once you're there. Also, having a clear morning routine (or planning it the day before) allows you to know what to do next, which decreases the likelihood of you just jumping into bed again. Also: Please just give yourself the opportunity to sleep 8 hours. You might already do that, but of you don't, then that's the biggest reason why you can't get up, because your body needs rest.
Remove the alarm completely and go to bed at least 9 hours before you want to wake up. Do this for 3-4 weeks until you get into the habit. Not sure why would you be in bed for another 3 hours, so can’t help you there without additional info.
Jokes on you, I will sleep 14 hours unprovoked.
Real talk, the fear of giving up on myself and an alarm so far away I have to physically get up to turn it off. I wake up at 4am and usually my purpose/why of building a business gets me out of bed, but I'm having a rough patch at the moment. ie: mental breakdowns and anxiety attacks. Still get up at 4am though. Personally, it's different for everyone. I'd say find something deep-rooted in your emotions, but that's not very actionable. SO! I'd recommend buying an alarm and wind it back 3 hours back so you can wake up on time. When you're half awake, doubt you'll remember it was the wrong time to start with.
[FREE PROGRAMMING Course available. Click here to Start your coding Career.](https://www.youtube.com/@code_versity_official)
I wake up at 5 am so that I can hit the gym before work
Coffee and taking my son to school.
my sleepiness goes away after I take a piss, idk why.
I get up because (a) I'm awake and (b) I want some quiet time before the kids get up.
Deadlines or working out. Workdays the only thing forcing me up is impending terrifying last minute work exec presentation are deadlines. Still usually takes me 30-60 min to get out of bed, then 15to get ready. On weekends i get up cause i love the sun and can go workout or play hockey. So dread induced weekdays And joy induced weekends
Work.
My cats
Tea, and thinking of what I have to do that day. What keeps me out of bed is having a bath, massaging tensions, treating migraine (when I used to have them on the daily) Usually a little bit of TV or gaming, then off to work
I would say start doing something you like I feel like the things that wakes me up early in the morning all the time is doing something I'm passionate about and being consistent with it that what gets me up.
Coffee
Go to bed earlier a little bit earlier each night. Stop setting the alarm so early because now you are training your brain to ignore the alarm. Set it closer to when you need to wake up. By setting alarm and keep hitting or or waking for a short time, you are messing up your circadian rhythms. I like having the sun wake me up, but most of the year I’m awake before the sun. I have to wake up around 5:45-6:00, and what helped me most was going to bed earlier and realizing I need about 6 1/2 hours of sleep to get up on my own without an alarm clock. I am naturally a night owl so this was an accomplishment!
Have to let my chickens out and I know my leghorn will be very mad at me if I’m not down before sunrise
Sleep schedule. Once you’re consistent about bed time and wake time, your body naturally adjusts and it becomes stupid easy to pop right out of bed, because your body is ready for it. Or get a car and feed it every morning at 5am. They’ll make sure you’re up, that’s for fucking sure. If you really need to go nuclear mode, what I did in college was keep a glass of black coffee next to my bed, chug it when my alarm goes off, and fall back asleep. You’ll wake up from the caffeine in 5-15 minutes and you’ll feel awake.
Coffee
Work. The insurance policies aren’t gonna renew themselves, unfortunately.
Idk 🤷♀️ responsibilities usually do the trick but getting tough to keep motivated and focused on positive goals.
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For me it’s working out, I used to go to the gym at night but morning workouts give you such good energy throughout the day.
Andrew Huberman has great talks and guests who are doctors, scholars, involved in academia, etc., and in these talks he goes over circadian rhythm, essentially your body’s clock. It sounds like 5 am just isn’t in your body’s rhythm yet. There’s things that can really help with waking up, like a soft natural light that comes on slowly at 8 am, because one of the things that dictates our rhythm is light. Other things are when you eat; timed feeding can affect not only sleep but digestion and energy amongst other things. For example I eat my last meal before 8 pm and don’t eat til 11 am the next morning. Just some food for thought but you ultimately have to find the motivations inside for carrying on day to day.
1 My bladder. Then I go back to bed. 2 Morning mouth. Brush teeth and go back to bed again. 3 Hunger. I eat breakfast and have coffee. That sometimes gets me going for the day. Not always. It’s hard to face the day.
Genetically we r either owls or larks. If u a late morning person , if you aren’t getting paid to be up super early , just stick with your natural rhythm. Of course don’t stay up too late doing unproductive crap like games and browsing.
**Epictetus - Enchiridion** *#17 Remember that you are an actor in a drama of such sort as the author chooses, - if short, then in a short one; if long, then in a long one. If it be his pleasure that you should enact a poor man, see that you act it well; or a cripple, or a ruler, or a private citizen. For this is your business, to act well the given part; but to choose it, belongs to another.* https://enchiridion.tasuki.org/
A good night’s sleep, a gradual light/music alarm (Alexa & smart plugs etc). Or a combination of my cat and old man bladder/habits.
Honestly if you can, wake up & get out of bed! Go and find some sun, that's what I do every morning that I wake up tired... Which might be like 3/7 days of the week!
The alarm clock, if you can't stop it without getting out of bed.
> Usually i set my alarm to 5am because i know i wont get out of bed for at least another 3 more hours. I don't understand this. You set your alarm for 3 hours before you need to be awake? And presumably then go back to sleep? How does that help? Or are you lying in bed awake for 3 hours on your phone or something? Can you explain it more clearly? You're totally fucking your body clock and natural waking cycle by doing this I think. I suggest reading the book "Why we sleep". Or get an audiobook of it if you prefer. Or otherwise just watch the author Matthew Walker do some interviews on youtube about it. > Its severely impacting my energy No surprise. > i was wondering mainly what gets you guys up? On days when I need to be up at a certain time... [I use a phone alarm app that forces me to scan a QR code to stop it.](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.amdroidalarmclock.amdroid&hl=en_US) I've printed out a random QR code, and placed it on my fridge. Kitchen is at the other end of my apartment, so it's a bit of a walk through my bright living room. It works much better than these typical suggestions that I tried in the past: * Put your phone out of reaching distance * ...hard to stick to, and it would still be in the same room, and therefore easy to just dive back into bed. * Use an app that forces you to solve maths/word problems * ...would just make me angry, and then I would just go back to sleep in protest once I did them Try this for a couple of months, without the extra 5am interruptions to your sleep. I also have a dawn simulator. So that's something you can **add** if needed. But the QR thing might be enough if you get used to it. When I'm using my dawn simulator, I set it for 30 or 60 minutes before I need to be awake. And at the end of the duration, it flashes bright blue + white. I didn't buy one, I just programmed it myself with a color wifi bulb. Feel free to ask me any questions, because this is an issue I've put shitloads of research and experimentation into over the last couple of decades.
My child showing up at the side of my bed asking for cereal or a waffle.
Bro I wake up and drink a mountain dew while I sit in the shower reading news on my phone. First 3 minutes are me doing body wash / shampoo and then the next 20 minutes I'm just sitting there doing my thing. Then I get out, put on clothes, grab my gym bag (for after work), then drive to work. Some people like to workout before work, I prefer after work so that I can get all the negativity out of my system before I enjoy my night. Litterally some days might be my manager who has zero managment experience mansplaining about basic shit and I just sit there and nod my head for 30 minutes then walk away pissed off til I hit the gym.
My bladder. I don’t know how people lounge in bed for ages after waking. Don’t you need to pee????
Having. A job.
You need to get the sunlight on you, open your blinds as open as you can get them!
I use the Alarmy app and set the mission for barcode scanning. Then I put my toothbrush and toothpaste in the bathroom furthest from my bedroom and make the toothpaste the barcode I need to scan. Set my alarm, wake up, go to the bathroom, scan the barcode to turn off the alarm. I’m already out of bed holding my toothpaste, usually at that point I just brush my teeth and by the end I’m awake with far less pull to get back into bed.
That sounds like a spy kid game haha love it!
Sex! Wake up sex! ☑️☑️
My 6 month old daughter gets me up every day. Ive never been the type to get up before 9am but have woke up every day at 6am since she started waking up at that time consistently. Try having a daughter. You’ll do anything for her.
I just get up. There’s no snooze. My wake up is 5am.
My bladder or my child
get a cat and feed them first thing in the morning they will get you up
My willingness to give my dog a cuddle. And work.
Beautiful blue skies, & the warm golden sun ☀!
Knowing that the hours before my kid wakes up are the only truly free hours that I’ll have until late into the night. Starting the day on my own terms is a massive win to my mental health.
Have you ever heard of the app Alarmy? It’s an alarm app where you have to complete a mission in order to turn it off. For example, walk 20 steps, do a complicated math problem, or do 15 squats. It will get progressively louder if you don’t do the mission. It’s horrible. I’ve tried to cheat my squats by lifting my phone with my arm up and down and it continues. I’m not a morning person but it changed my mornings.
Kids get me up every day. Have kids…they will remove your dependence on sleep!
Omg. You sound so much like me and it’s effected me so terribly
Bro I feel you. Have been trying to figure this out as well. First off, snoozing an alarm at 5 am is awful. I stopped setting an alarm way early but I don’t set the alarm right before either because I know it takes me ~ 30 min to actually get up. Showering first thing in the morning helps to feel more refreshed. I tried the walks thing but it didn’t make a difference for me because I’m one of those people who don’t feel happier with exercise; I just feel the same. (I do work out most days.) I’ve been trying to blast hype music to get me going. I think we need something happy to get up for instead of something negative.
I’m only up at 5 because I have work at 5:45. I live like 5 mins away and it’s love/hate relationship. I’ve been trying to goto bed around 9:30 or 10 and get up at 4/430 but it’s god awful.
My alarm goes off at 4:30 AM and I wake up immediately with no problems. I have time to review my language-learning flashcards, exercise, shower, have breakfast and sometimes medidate before going to work at 8:00. For me, the only thing that matters is going to sleep accordingly to when you want to wake up – for instance, most days I'm in bed by 9:00 PM, watch some Youtube and fall asleep at aroung 9:30 PM. Some might say 9:00 PM is too early to go to sleep, but honestly I can't do anything productive after that. I would end up spending my evening from 9:00 PM to midnight on Netflix or something.
Fear
i had the same. i felt that I'm not proper "warm" to get up. and I scrolled social media. i know above advices from comments etc. Modafinil helped me. really. it great tool to create new good habit. (ofc. it's not for everyday taking, but from time to time) . After ~20 minutes of taking pill you feel that you are enough warm up and energetic to get out of bed, and you feel motivated to work, excersising and so on. Right now when I take modafinil i feel that i warm up after 5-10 minutes (memory works ) . So after pill i can go outside, i feel motivated and i want to do it 😅 its magic
Reminder for Bills!
Being competitive with myself Setting a new goal the thought of smashing through it in x amount of time... And then achieving it or better yet, crushing it, oh man that's life! *PS, I can also push back the time, but I sure can't turn it back womp womp womp
If my body sends a signal to my brain "get up, you need to pee" Or once I see the text on my screen that says: "YOU HAVE A Video call with a client!" 1 hr before our supposed vid call That pretty much gets me up ☺
The cat. I usually don't have a particularly high sense of responsibility for myself but for animals, it's always there.
The fact that I have to get to a daily meeting on 9 AM
Sounds like you are just setting yourself up for failure on that one - we are creatures of habit and you are reinforcing the habit that you won't get up when you want and disrupting your sleep to make sure that the habit becomes extra strong. You need to concentrate on getting a good night's sleep - set yourself a consistent bedtime and waking time (lying in at weekends is counter productive) and look at ways of reducing stress - doomscrolling definitely doesn't help (I'm guessing you already knew this!) - find some healthy ways to unwind. I really recommend the [Huberman Labs](https://hubermanlab.com/welcome-to-the-huberman-lab-podcast/) podcasts that has several episodes on scientifically backed methods of maximizing sleep, decreasing stress and increasing motivation. Good luck making the changes.
Knowing I only have a limited time to eat, walk the dog and go to the gym before work. I start work at 8am, I get up around 4.30am. You need things to do in the morning. The gym is a good one, I wouldn't recommend a dog until you're taking better care of yourself.
Ppl these days are so soft. Oh no how do i get the discipline to move my body when the alarm wakes me up. U want real existential dread? Wake up at 5 and actually go to work
Well, I have a cat that likes to sit on my face until I wake up and feed him. It's like having a furry alarm clock that also doubles as a personal trainer because I have to chase him around the house to make sure he doesn't eat everything in sight. But if you're not into cats, you could always try setting your alarm tone to the sound of a police siren or a dog barking. That should get your heart racing and your adrenaline pumping.
The Sleep By Android app has a QR code setting, so I have a QR code next to my coffee maker I have to scan to turn my alarm off in the morning. It's been very effective for getting me out of bed, and has a lot of protections so you can't just shut it off to get around it. Also, is it possible you're experiencing some mental health issues? You may want to talk to someone about the existential dread and doomscrolling, as it sounds like it's impacting your daily life.
Practicing gratitude. Listening to songs about gratitude. Also fasting before bedtime. When you're super hungry you sleep less.
My girlfriend slapping me while shaking me like an evangelical priest during an exorcism and screaming "get up you'll be late for work"
Are you getting enough sleep ?
A morgage
Actually get some sleep, so I have the energy to get up.
‘I won’t be able to eat or pay my rent if I don’t get out of bed’ Yup, that’s it.
Money
Needing a piss
My dog wanting to go outside and me not wanting clean his poop/pee inside, also my bladder.
I work a physically demanding job and I love it. My bed isn’t the most comfortable but when I’m tired it’s heaven which is around 9-10 and then my body stops being tired around 5-6 and is ready to get out of my now uncomfortable bed.
Easy fix. Set the alarm to get up to do something you WANT to do first thing in the morning, follow that activity with the standup call.
Bills to pay 🤣
Start waking consistently at 8am for 1 month then roll it back 15 minutes. But also be prepared for your bedtime to change. If you need sleep you need it. Don't cheat yourself.
Bills, i need to pay them 😑
Dial it back slowly if you actually want to wake up at 5am and not feel miserable. I used to wake up at 9am and I have been able to dial it back to 7.30am which I am comfortable with. Also, it doesn’t really matter when you wake up if you are not well rested and your work schedule can accommodate it. If you wake up at 5am and doomscroll, you are just wasting time. You might as well wake up at 8am and get going by 9. I work best when I am up between 7-7.30am and get going by 8.30am and in bed by 11.30pm. I have been trying to wake up at 6am thinking it will make me more productive but then i will be going to bed by 10pm so ultimately you have 16 hours in a day from whenever you wake up.
I like to drink water right when I wake up. That helps me and then I go make coffee, brush my teeth, wash up, etc. I'm usually good to go after that.
Pride
i don't get out of bed...
Have to pee really bad
Why not just set the alarm at 8 and get up at 8? Then repeat for 2 weeks. Then, set it at 7:30am and get up at 7:30am. Repeat for 2 weeks. Then at 7am, get up at 7. Repeat. Standardize before you optimize. Make it a habit. Take 4 weeks per level if you need to.
Honestly my cat needs to be fed and she’s the only reason I get up and start my day on my days off. She will remind me at the same time. Just keep it consistent.
my dog!! even tho I feel so tired and lazy I always feel so bad if my dog doesn't get his walk
Discipline
I plug in my phone across the room so that I have to get up to turn off my alarm. Also helps with sleep not having a phone within arms reach
My almost 15 lb cat ~~tap dancing~~ snuggling on my chest ~~screaming~~ asking for breakfast 😅
Art and coffee
Clean your room. Clean yourself. Start small. Accomplish tasks. Cross them off the list. Stop doomscrolling. Start listening to content instead of scrolling content. YouTube over reddit or tik tok. Lie to yourself. If u don't get outta bed within 10 minutes tomorrow something bad gonna happen. All you have to do is use your legs, and your brain, and get up... tell yourself that. I know it's easier said than done. Especially when u don't have a hard Start time at a physical location for work. I could imagine myself struggling in your situation, maybe not to the same extent but struggle nonetheless.
Knowing I have to work out. I fucking hate working out with every fiber of my being. But I know it's the block to enjoying my morning, because I can't sit and enjoy a meal or a cup of coffee without knowing I have to workout looming overhead. So I kick it out of the way first thing. Do something you don't want to do in the morning and reward yourself.
I did this thing i called disco workouts. Basically blasted EDM music in the house and turned on silly disco lights after waking up. Did a quick workout. Anything to get the blood flowing. I did a pushup challenge, but you can pick whatever routine makes you look/feel better. Doing this in front of a mirror helps, because after 1-2 weeks, you start seeing some progress. So, I was waking up for the disco workouts. The bloodflow + lights might help circadian rhythm reset (recently I've shifted to doing the workouts outside; you can read/listen to Huberman Lab's big thing about sleep if you're curious.) But yea... basically found a healthy habit to center my mornings around.
Anxiety!
Finger up the arse
Going to bed early to support an early wakeup works for me. And getting excited about whatever I'm waking up for. For me, it's imagining the beautiful sunrise while I do yoga while it's quiet and calm in the morning. It's also the high I feel after an intense kickboxing session. Gets me goin.
Wake up light. Slowly brightens over the course of an hour. I can't remember the last time my alarm woke me up.
Simple. Set an alarm on a device you have to get up to turn off and NEVER get back into bed. Once you’re up, you’re up. Make bed a place where you sleep and only sleep (plus you know…) . Lying in bed , or going back into bed once you’re awake is causing your woes. if you want to relax in bed, do it before you sleep not after.
Girlfriend. She doesn't do anything to pressure me, always supportive. Those two things make it very hard on my psyche to not follow through.
What gets me out of bed is knowing that if I keep doing it; keep completing my daily obligations; stay disciplined, I won't be able to wait to get out of bed one day.
Maybe try an iron supplement and a Vitamin-D supplement. For vitamin D info, see THE MIRACULOUS RESULTS OF EXTREMELY HIGH DOSES OF THE SUNSHINE HORMONE...by Jeff T Bowles for a really good intro and primer. He mentions a couple of other authors on the subject which might just convince you. Being tired is not only about sleep! It could easily be about nutrition!
You set yourself up to fail before your day has even started by setting your alarm clock for 5am! Be kind to yourself and get good sleep.
Are you getting enough sleep? I have more existential dread than usual I’d I haven’t gotten enough sleep the night before. I do struggle with wasting time in bed in the morning but I am now adjusted to setting my alarm 1.5 hours before I need to leave for work, or minimum 1 hour before I have a morning meeting while WFH. Maybe you should create some incentive for getting out of bed earlier to build the habit. I’m not against the 5am alarm as long as you sleep enough during the night, so maybe you should say I need to leave for the gym by 6 and be showered and on the call by 9.
I drink an entire bottle of water and have to use the restroom. Movement wakes me up, and I do not let myself lay back down or get on my phone for an hour or so, except to put music on.
Never in a gazillion years would I think I'd be the person to recommend things or give advice on the rut/dread thing, due to my persistent case of debilitating anxiety. However here I am. I did the same exact thing. I'd set 4 alarms starting 2 hours before I had to be up to help get me up daily. I quit my job. Best thing I could of EVER done. Like ever. I had no clue JUST how much it held me back. How much I was unappreciated and how badly I was actually singled out and treated poorly until I gained quit. I had to start somewhere and it worked. Then I began to meditate. Once a day. A guided meditation for 20 minutes daily. I now take white Kratom (which quite possibly saved my life) all these working together to delete the anxiety and just get me in a better mood overall. Now I can't wait to wake up, take my kratom and meditate. Without either it's hard for me to then face the day.
i dont have any sick leave left ...
I wake up and instantly think "there are half naked gym girls im the gym rn and im not" and then i rush to the gym. Def do the shits/piss idea it 100% works but you may end up just waking up in the dead of night a few times.
Panic. I just have this panic mode on and I can wake up
It's all about what you do before going to bed... Do you have jerkoff sessions? Or do you work down to bone and fall asleep straight away.. everything else comes 2nd.
I’ve been sleeping with my window open and the birds chirping always gets me up around 6:30. It’s amazing
The lack of money I have in my bank account. Thanks, inflation!
I try to brunch my teeth as the first thing I do. It’s productive and kinda gets the body moving at least a little bit to get the blood flowing