Help Me Become a 'Morning Person'

[Elessar78]

I'm terrible at waking up in the morning. I'm often in a rush to get to work because I stay in bed until the last possible second. Many mornings it just seems impossible to get out of bed and get ready for the day.

I have three alarms to wake me up--two on the clock radio and one on my cell. When the first alarm goes off, I usually get out of bed, walk over to turn it off (and usually I turn off the second alarm before it goes off making it completely useless anyway), then I stay in bed until the cell alarm goes off, which I normally hit snooze a few times or outright turn it off and stay in bed for a little longer.

My first alarm is set to go off around 6:30am. I have to leave the house around 7:10-7:15 to be at work on time at 7:30.

During the week, 11pm is normally the latest I stay up to, but even if I do get to bed earlier, say, around 10pm, I'm still worthless in the morning.

I want to become a morning person. I know I'm lazy for turning off my alarms and flopping back into bed, but I just can't help it. Maybe once a week I'll get up when I'm supposed to so it is possible--but most of the time it's not.

Not only do I want to stop being in a rush to work every morning, but I also want to work out in the mornings before I go to work, so I need to be up and ready by maybe 5:30-5:45am, which right now seems impossible!

Please help me!

I had a similar problem and I think I'm a morning person again for the first time since college. I needed to wake up earlier for my new job, so I read a lot about it. What got me back to being a morning person was simply enough was going to bed earlier. But I don't think the early bed time, for me, wasn't enough. I think psychologically you need to wind down too about an hour or two before bed time.

-keep the lights low (from an evolutionary standpoint, we really didn't have much more than a open fire after sunset)

-no tv in bed (tv programs are designed to keep our attention and stimulate us. Ads are worse, do you ever notice the volume go up for some ads?)

-keep music low and soothing

if that's not the problem... you may not be getting restful sleep.

-how's the temperature in the room? (I realized that my body likes to be warmer for deep sleep—but that's a personal pref, find your own ideal temp)

-breathing problems? (I have allergies, so when I dealt with those I slept much much better... could be other things too like snoring/sleep apnea)

-anxiety? (you could be anxious about someting subconsciously, might be good idea to see a therapist if that's the case).

[Skinz4Life12]

at least you are lucky enough to leave your house at 7:15 and be at work at 7:30.

it took me over two hours to get to work today...

[gbear]

Nobody has suggested getting a pet?

Forget the alarms, my dogs are all over me when it's time for them to get up, go outside, come in and get some chow. When my first alarm goes off, my cat starts meowing thinking "He better get up our I'll wake the whole house." The two dogs rush over to lick my face...yeah, I don't remember the last tiem the snooze button worked for me. Yes, I spoiled them by getting up when the alarm goes off, but they don't need weeks to get a routine.

For what it's worth, the cat learned faster than my dogs.

[Cooley4President]

I find that I'm more tired when I get up after hitting the snooze than I am getting up earlier at the first alarm. So I try now to set my alarm when I actually need to be out of bed and don't account for snooze time. Also, when I get up I go right for the shower. I need that to wake me up in the morning.

[DCsportsfan53]

I have to be out of the house by 6:30 am and man, it's rough. I'm not a morning person, never have been and I still have trouble falling asleep before 1am, meaning I never get enough sleep, either. I don't know what it is, I'm so tired when I get home from work but I always seem to get a second wind around 9pm and wind up staying awake until midnight at least. I set 3 alarms, starting at 5:15 and usually hit snooze over and over for about an hour before getting up. I've got to find a better way, I feel your pain.

[Fan since a Fetus]

Try a sunrise clock:

http://www.biobrite.com/products.php?category=SunRise%20Clocks

Everyone I know that has one wakes up ready to go. I didn't think it would work until I tried a friends, then I had to have one.

[RedlightG20]

Oh, ive eaten my share of apples in the morning. It doesnt wake me up. Coffee does. Coffee is great. Coffee.....is for closers.

It takes brass balls to sell real estate

This morning was a prime example. I set my alarm for 5:30, got up, turned it off and stood there for a minute, contemplating whether I should work out or not. I was tired as hell and went back to bed. That one guy is right--bed is like crack, and it doesn't help my cause that my bed is super comfortable.

[Tastes Like Chicken]

1. Move to Cali. You'll be fresh and ready to go at 6am.

At least for a week.

2. Have a kid or 2. This is what makes me a morning person when I need to be. My son needs to be at his Kindergarten before-care no later than 8:30, plus we have to drop our 3 yr daughter at a different daycare, so wifey and I have to wake up at 6:30 to get him and his little sister up, go to potty, dressed, teeth brushed, fed breakfast, ON TOP OF getting ourselves up, SSS, dressed, etc. Forget about eating. I yearn for the days when I was only responsible for getting myself ready for work!

3. Get a job where you can work from home. I do. On days that my wife doesn't need to go in early, I chill and at most drop the kids off, then go home and have a leisurely breakfast in front of my laptop. I'm lovin' life on those days, which is sometimes only 1 day a week but can be 2 or 3 depending. On days that I have to leave the house, I try and schedule my meetings with clients no earlier than 10am, so I can avoid traffic.