How to get up in the morning

[thalberg]

Ever have those days where the whole day is free, like a Saturday perhaps, and you want to get up early and get things accomplished?  But then when you wake up, you just go back to sleep, then you are mad later at how much of the morning was wasted?

Well, does anyone have any good ideas for getting oneself up?  I need some.  This morning I wasted a lot of time sleeping unnecessarily.

[beethoven2]

Force yourself to get up (or jump up and get out of bed before your sleepy brain has time to protest) and go to the fridge and drink some cold juice.  That usually gets me up. 

[zheer]

Well, does anyone have any good ideas for getting oneself up?  I need some.  This morning I wasted a lot of time sleeping unnecessarily.

  Get a job.

[thalberg]

  Get a job.

I'm talking about days off.  I made that clear.

[zheer]

I'm talking about days off.  I made that clear.

  Days off from what.

[thalbergmad]

You can borrow my mum for a week if you like.

She will get you up.

Thal

[lichristine]

Well there's an idea.


If I need to get up early, I usually just don't go to sleep in the first place.
It's taken a long while for my body to get used to that, though.

[jlh]

Set multiple alarms... one by your bed that plays music, and have it set to go off like 10 mins before your other alarms.  Set one loud obnoxious one across the room that forces you to get up out of bed to turn it off.  More may be advised, but this way is a good minimum (at least for me).

[pianistimo]

i started thinking about my son who had been using  12 year old mattress.  perhaps it's time for a new mattress.  i didn't realize they wear out so much that you don't realize you're not getting a good nights sleep anymore.  a new mattress really helped him a couple of years ago.  although, he still likes to sleep in - he's more well rested.

[thalbergmad]

I can see the headlines now.

"Not even the horn can wake pianowolfi"

Thal

[thalberg]

  Days off from what.

Is there any way to just ignore people like this?  I mean, like in the chat room?  So I don't even have to see the person's posts?

[thalberg]

Yes, very good ideas everyone.  Thal, please send your mother by next week.

And jlh, I'll look into that second alarm.

[rc]

Keeping the habit of getting up early for work all week usually carries into the weekend for me.  Unless I was out all night, my body will be used to getting up at the same time.

In reality, I'm usually up all night and the sleep habits are screwed

[nicco]

Keeping the habit of getting up early for work all week usually carries into the weekend for me.  Unless I was out all night, my body will be used to getting up at the same time.

In reality, I'm usually up all night and the sleep habits are screwed

Agreed. Its all about habits. I feel the best thing to do is not to have anything planned, because if there is something you HAVE to get up to do, you just want to sleep more.

[gilad]

Make yourself donate 50 bucks to charity everytime you over sleep( :

[furtwaengler]

I've struggled with this also. I bought a CD player/alarm which can play a CD as an alarm. I also have two other regular noisy alarms. One morning I set the CD alarm an hour and a half before the regular alarms; I was greeted with a full aircheck of Bernard Haitink's 12/2003 performance of Beethoven's Missa Solemnis with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and soloists before any of my actual alarms sounded...'Twas a glorious morning! 

[rc]

'Twas a glorious morning! 

 

Nice.  The best way I've woken up was to hearing the last part of Bach's Bm Mass, that slow triumphant crescendo.  I'd never heard it before, felt like I was riding on a cloud!

[lagin]

I heard, and have somewhat tested and found true that it takes approximately 3 times for something to become habit.  So if you get up at 6'o'clock 3 days in a row then your body shouldn't protest too much.  However, I'm just going to go out on a limb and taking a guess here, but you wouldn't be staying up later than usual the night before your day off since you know you don't have to be at work the next day, would you?  Cause that would throw off your body's schedule real quick.  I should know

[mycrabface]

Set multiple alarms... one by your bed that plays music, and have it set to go off like 10 mins before your other alarms.  Set one loud obnoxious one across the room that forces you to get up out of bed to turn it off.  More may be advised, but this way is a good minimum (at least for me).

That's exactly what I do! One time though, the one far away ran out of battery and didn't ring

[rach n bach]

Go for a bike in shorts and a light shirt at 4am... works for me

[franzliszt2]

I hide my alarm clock at the other end of the room under something. So in the morning I ake up, and have to find it to turn it off. I carefully position the alarn next to the wardrobe, so I get my clothes on and then I'm up. I use my alarm clock every day so I'm used to it now. If I'm very naughty I go on a snooze cruise and press the snooze button. My friends record in snoozing for 2 hours! ith the alarm every 9 minutes 

[amanfang]

AAARRGGGHHH!!!  I HATE snooze buttons!!!!  My roommate in school had 2 alarm clocks that she would set.  One would go off every 4 minutes with the snooze, and the other every 9 minutes.  I got so irritated on the mornings that she would "get up at 5:30 to study."  She ended up getting up at 7:00 after hitting the snooze so many times.  Finally I just started yelling at her if it went off more than 3 times or so.

[timothy42b]

Two possible approaches:

Put a bright light on a timer.  Our bodies have cycles that react to daylight.  If you have a light turn on half hour before you need to get up, it helps you wake as well as prevents SAD (if bright enough).

The next approach I don't really recommend, but I had a roommate in college who used it very effectively.  He had a great deal of trouble getting out of bed, and had missed a few important classes and tests.  He would set an alarm for an hour early, take some speed, and go back to bed.  The speed would work while he was asleep, and pop him wide awake at the right time.  I never tried it myself, being more into beer than drugs, but it seemed to work.  Perhaps this would work with a quick cup of coffee or an energy drink, I dunno. 

[rc]

I never tried it myself, being more into beer than drugs, but it seemed to work.  Perhaps this would work with a quick cup of coffee or an energy drink, I dunno. 

I have found with extensive studies that beer is awful for the sleep habits.  and energy drinks are carbonated piss.

Agreed on the light.  The best advice I got for waking up is to open the blinds.

[rimv2]

Ever have those days where the whole day is free, like a Saturday perhaps, and you want to get up early and get things accomplished?  But then when you wake up, you just go back to sleep, then you are mad later at how much of the morning was wasted?

Well, does anyone have any good ideas for getting oneself up?  I need some.  This morning I wasted a lot of time sleeping unnecessarily.

Visualization.

Imagine in your mind, from a first person perspective, your alarm going of and you popping out of bed. Do this over and over. Make sure to be a vivid as possible and hear the actual sound of the alarm.

What you are doing is conditioning yourself to get up at the sound of the clock without actually doing it.

The keys are to be vivid, detailed, and from your viewing perspective.

[thalberg]

Thanks everyone!  Very intelligent people here on this forum.

Will try the visualization.

Say, how can get a light that's on a timer? I've never had one or seen one.  Could I buy such a thing at a place like Target?

I also do not know where to buy speed.  Is it dangerous? 

(Also, i heard that to prevent SAD, you need 10,000 lux of full spectrum light in a room....)

[timothy42b]

Say, how can get a light that's on a timer? I've never had one or seen one.  Could I buy such a thing at a place like Target?

I also do not know where to buy speed.  Is it dangerous? 

(Also, i heard that to prevent SAD, you need 10,000 lux of full spectrum light in a room....)

The timer is available at home supply stores, hardware stores, and most of the big department stores like Walmart, Kmart, Target, etc.  They run from $10 to $40 depending on how fancy.  You plug them into the wall socket and plug the lamp into the wall.  People use them to try and fool burglars - doubt that works, but anyway they're easily available.

I don't know where to buy speed either.  Yes it is dangerous.  If you use it enough it will induce a true psychosis, not the fake version caused by psychedelic drugs. 

There is no such thing as full spectrum, that is just advertising puffery.  Anything bright enough will work.  Put about three compact fluourescents rated 100 W each in a fixture and I suspect that's as good as anything. 

[rimv2]

Thanks everyone!  Very intelligent people here on this forum.

Will try the visualization.

Say, how can get a light that's on a timer? I've never had one or seen one.  Could I buy such a thing at a place like Target?

I also do not know where to buy speed.  Is it dangerous? 

(Also, i heard that to prevent SAD, you need 10,000 lux of full spectrum light in a room....)

Ironically,

Ah is having trouble trying to sleep.

Mostly because ah dont feel like it, and ah dont really want to either.

Ah take comfort in the darkness. It's cool and quiet. Until ah find a greater reason to go to sleep, ah shall remind awake in the wee hours.

The nihilist in meh can find none.

[goldentone]

Thalberg, I would recommend going to bed earlier--not easy to do though when you're on your days off.  The "expert" advice is that if we get our quota of sleep
then we will be rested when we wake up.  If we struggle to get up, then we haven't
gotten enough sleep.

[rimv2]

Thalberg, I would recommend going to bed earlier--not easy to do though when you're on your days off.  The "expert" advice is that if we get our quota of sleep
then we will be rested when we wake up.  If we struggle to get up, then we haven't
gotten enough sleep.

Ah sometimes struggle to get up after lazin for 12 hours strait

[jlh]

Ah sometimes struggle to get up after lazin for 12 hours strait

Is that one of Ah's commands?  Be lazy?

[rimv2]

Is that one of Ah's commands?  Be lazy?

Well, sleeping, for one such as mah self, is not a lazy task. You know, with the - holding the universe as you know it together - and all