# Getting up early



## Arlandria (Feb 1, 2013)

I know this might seem silly to some people, but if I don't have anywhere to go I just won't get out of my bed until the afternoon. I want to get more done and I want to get out more so it needs to stop. I'm going to use this thread as a way to keep myself accountable. I'll post here every morning at 8.30am.


----------



## Nibbler (Nov 5, 2010)

I have exactly the same problem, 8:30am is farrr to early for me thou :hyper


----------



## IdontMind (Dec 31, 2011)

That's a really good idea. I too have the same problem. Every time I get up early there is a feeling of satisfaction. Life also feels a lot better. Yet most of the time I'll stay in bed way longer than I know I should. 

I think most people need something to make them get up.


----------



## Arlandria (Feb 1, 2013)

I'm awake! Voluntarily! Good morning.

Now, I just need to stay awake.


----------



## Zack96 (Mar 6, 2013)

You could get 5 loud alarms and set them in 5 separate places in your room that you have to get up to turn them off and once you wake up take a cold shower/eat or do something that will keep you up


----------



## Arlandria (Feb 1, 2013)

I'm awake. Posting late because I have a class to get ready for.

It's not the waking up that's a problem. It's the will to actually get out of bed.


----------



## Arlandria (Feb 1, 2013)

2.30pm I'm so ashamed. It's actually later than I would normal ever sleep until but my sleep pattern is a mess with trying to get up early other days. I'm going to keep trying.


----------



## O Range (Feb 11, 2013)

Keep at it.


----------



## Nibbler (Nov 5, 2010)

Never mind! I just got up at 2pm myself not good....but keep at it you might even inspire me.


----------



## moments (Mar 5, 2013)

I struggle with this as well. It's not necessarily getting up early (as I have no choice, have to drop son off at school) but I lie in bed for much longer after I wake up than is useful and sometimes (on those days I don't have classes) I go right back to sleep after dropping son off instead of getting coursework done (like I'm tempted to do right now).


----------



## Bohuw (Feb 1, 2013)

I used to set my alarm and place it far from my bed so i had to get out of bed to turn it off. It helps although you get grumpy at the beginning


----------



## Arlandria (Feb 1, 2013)

Yeah I'll stay up until I'm tired. I hate going to bed and laying awake for hours. Which is strange because in the morning I'll lie in bed for hours even though I'm basically awake. It's 1am just now and I'm worried that I might waste most of my Saturday asleep. I just hope I'll get up to post here however tired I am.


----------



## Zil (Feb 5, 2011)

I wake up at 5:45 AM every morning and go to the gym before work. People think I'm crazy... haha.


What has helped me the most is saying "willpower" when I wake up. For some reason I keep thinking that if I can wake up this early and do what I have to do I'll prove to myself that I can overcome anything else. That and going to the sauna before work feels great.


Keep at it!


----------



## Eimaj (Aug 2, 2006)

Zil said:


> I wake up at 5:45 AM every morning and go to the gym before work. People think I'm crazy... haha.
> 
> What has helped me the most is saying "willpower" when I wake up. For some reason I keep thinking that if I can wake up this early and do what I have to do I'll prove to myself that I can overcome anything else. That and going to the sauna before work feels great.
> 
> Keep at it!


No offense, but you have some sort of freak gene that the rest of us do not have. I truly believe this. Good for you. Just please do not rub it in the rest of our faces, thanks.
For the rest of us, keep trying, if you wish. But do not beat yourself up if it does not go the way you wished. Life will go on and you still are worthwhile. Believe that.


----------



## RelinquishedHell (Apr 10, 2012)

I always wake up at around 6:00am no matter what. I simply can't seem to sleep in ( or sleep at all for that matter).


----------



## indigoXdaisy (Jan 22, 2013)

When I don't have to get up early for work, I usually sleep past noon. I have no motivation to wake up or get out of bed. Even when I wake up earlier and feel rested, I go back to sleep because there's no point in my being awake. Sometimes I just wish I could sleep forever. :sigh


----------



## Arlandria (Feb 1, 2013)

I woke up at 1.30pm today. It's not as bad as yesterday, but I hope to keep improving on it. I stayed awake until 5am last night. I went to bed 3 hours before that and couldn't sleep. I'm going to cut out caffeine today and walk around a lot to try and make myself tired.


----------



## Arlandria (Feb 1, 2013)

Also got up today at 1.30pm. I'm hoping that since I have to get up for the next few days that it'll make it easier next week.


----------



## jrose1982 (Feb 1, 2013)

*Been there...*

This is a brilliant idea to give yourself some accountability. Good job keeping up with it.

I'm wondering if my methods might help you. Do you consume caffeine? And have you tried waking up to light (instead of loud alarms)?

I ask because those are 2 things that seriously helped me. I recognize your pattern as one that I've experienced many times: decide to get up earlier, do it for a few days, than crash and end up sleeping in much later than usual.

Those days when I'm awake, but don't want to get out of bed: I've started associating those with depression. Days when I really can't wake up are usually because I haven't been sleeping well. Address the quality of your sleep first. Then start thinking about reasons for the lack of motivation.

Quality of sleep: That's where the questions about coffee and the light come in. I quit drinking caffeine of all kinds and within a week or two noticed vastly improved sleep and started waking up ealier, and more naturally. Before that, I had already reduced my intake to 1 cup a day, but never saw any improvement until I quit altogether. If you drink caffeine regularly, this might be worth trying.

I also have a dawn simulator for an alarm clock. This is a full-spectrum lamp that comes on at 6:30 every morning. But it doesn't just turn on. It starts very dim, and gradually gets brighter for 30 minutes - simulating a sunrise. Then it stays on for 1 hour. 
I also have my thermostat set to warm the apartment at 7am. So the heat from heater, plus the heat from the lamp, makes me a little uncomfortable in my bed.
I'm almost always fully awake by 7:30 am and out of bed before the lamps shuts off at 8 am. If the lamp shuts off and I'm still in bed, that tells me I've laid in bed too long and I'll usually get up at that time. If the lamp and heater don't wake me up, it means I need more sleep and I don't beat myself up over it.

So, you might want to think about these things. A dawn simulator is a gentler, more natural way to wake up. Caffeine affects us all differently, so think about reducing or cutting it out all together.

Good luck!


----------



## Arlandria (Feb 1, 2013)

The amount of light I get in the morning definitely affects whether I get up or not. The first couple of times I posted here where I actually got up on time was when I was in my own flat where the light just pours through the window in the morning. I was staying at my parent's house from Thursday until today and I just couldn't get up. I have blackout curtains at my parents house. At least I'm back in my flat now and it'll hopefully get better. I woke up at 11.30am today so there's hope that I'll be tired by tonight. I have a class tomorrow so I need to get up for it anyway. As long as I can avoid the afternoon nap which always seems to go on a bit too long.


----------



## DubnRun (Oct 29, 2011)

I have the issue of waking up early (often very late though) but having absolutely nothing to do so I go back to bed, then the day is wasted. Been doing that since I was like 16


----------



## Broganomics (Mar 12, 2013)

I don't have much experience with this problem, however I can say that on weekends I would sleep until 12pm-1am. Like you said, it was because I had nothing better to do. However, realizing that I couldn't continue this lifestyle, I jointed a gym and set goals for myself that forced me to get my @$$ out of bed. I couldn't let life pass me by. I picked up a couple of new interests/hobbies which take up time and give me a much more active life. What really helped me though was getting a job that forced me to wake up at 6am every day. Now on the weekends I consider getting out of bed at 10am "sleeping in". If you're going to make a change, you need to be motivated to make a change. Hoping that you're going to wake up early to post on this website isn't going to cut it.


----------



## visualkeirockstar (Aug 5, 2012)

I have no problem waking up early even if i go no where.


----------



## Arlandria (Feb 1, 2013)

Yeah well I've tried getting up to do stuff that I've decided to do, but because no one is making me do it I just stay in bed. It's not like I'm planning on posting on here then doing nothing with my day. It's so I can get more done that I want to get up early. I can't get a job at the moment because I'm a full time final year student. Unfortunately that only brings me in for 2 classes. I have lots to do and plenty of hobbies, it's just the waking up time that is a problem.


----------



## TheTraveler (Jan 31, 2013)

I can not get up for my life! I am always so tired and usually sleeping. I wake up feeling like I ran 10 miles too. Not even class get me out of bed. I am the definition of a dead log when I sleep.


----------



## Lassitude (Feb 28, 2013)

Good goal to set yourself 
I get up when I can't sleep any longer...........that's if I even am able to fall asleep in the first place


----------



## noscreenname (Feb 24, 2013)

DubnRun said:


> I have the issue of waking up early (often very late though) but having absolutely nothing to do so I go back to bed, then the day is wasted. Been doing that since I was like 16


Yeh I have no problem waking up early but back when I didn't have a job I would just go to sleep a few hours later which was counter productive.


----------



## Arlandria (Feb 1, 2013)

I'm awake but I did just get dragged outside for a fire drill. I was awake anyway but that got me up.


----------



## Arlandria (Feb 1, 2013)

Woke up at 8 today but I have a class.


----------



## misspeachy (Aug 11, 2011)

Wonderful, hope you begin to feel more motivated to make the most of your days!


----------



## cozynights (Mar 19, 2013)

I'm trying to wake up at 8 am but I have a problem going to bed before 2 am because I love nights too much and I feel like it's a waste to sleep early... but I have no other choice


----------



## lonelygirl33 (Apr 13, 2013)

Oh man. I've been having a problem of getting up in the morning too. I'll set my alarm for when I need to get up but then I press snooze. I use my phone as an alarm and I put it far away from my bed but I'll still get up and press snooze and get back in bed multiple times. Last week I missed my 9:35 class on Monday and my 10:00 class on Tuesday because of it. My therapist suggested I set multiple alarms.


----------



## matthewebbert (Apr 5, 2013)

wake up at around 6:00am everyday


----------



## ConvoHelp (Apr 20, 2013)

Try getting up at like 9:30. Anytime before then is definitely pushing it, trust me! Hahaha.


----------



## Rainbow786 (Jan 8, 2013)

Hello 

Do you have a clean and comfortable bedroom?

Try to stick to a rountine for example mon-fri wake up at 9am.
Plan your day. 

AM-Class

PM - GYM

Evening -watch TV, read through notes or read a good book.

Sat-Sun- Relax, cleaning, washing, perhaps go out for a meal. ME time

Avoid: caffeine, alcohol and tobacco.

We are advised to get 7 to 9 hrs sleep per day. 
The trick is to get up early and keep active.


----------



## EliSummer (Mar 15, 2013)

Great idea Arlandria! 
Steve Pavlina's article on waking up early may help you: 
http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/05/how-to-become-an-early-riser/

Eli


----------



## Justme111 (Jan 21, 2013)

Ive always struggled with this. It simply comes down to discipline and making sure you have concrete goals to wake up for, in my opinion. Of course overall health is important...make sure you get exercise and diet balanced, keep working on sa. One thing i find that helps is repeating in your mind (10 times or more if necessary) the sentence "I will get up and go for my goals when the alarm rings"....out loud is even better  Its kinda like programming your mind, you are ur own coach! Usually works for me when i start a sleeping in pattern. Also make sure you try go to bed around the same time each night. Find your amount of sleep requirement and stick to it. It can take a few weeks to discipline our bodies into this regular 'system' but our bodies love it. Hope this helps.


----------



## Lushiro (Apr 26, 2013)

Good idea.


----------

