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Training myself to go to bed earlier

I have been a night-owl all my life and used to get by on not much sleep. I seem to be at my most mentally alert at just gone midnight, and when I was a student I let my body follow its natural rhythms and ended up going to bed at 4am most nights and getting up at noon.

For the last decade I've worked regular office hours so I have to be up in the morning, but somehow I still find it difficult to coax myself into bed much before 2am. This is giving me five hours' sleep a night on average, and recently I've found that this is leaving me permanently knackered, and it's increasingly difficult to wake up in the morning.

I always find things to do in the middle of the night - when the alternative is going to bed, I suddenly develop an enthusiastic attitude to housework, or admin, or any one of the other things that I could have done earlier in the evening but which at the time I couldn't motivate myself to do!

Ideally I would like to be going to bed sometime between 11:00 and midnight, and getting up sometime between 6:30 and 7:00. As a general routine.

I'd be interested to know if, and how, anybody has managed to train themselves to operate successfully to a daily schedule which doesn't come naturally to them (how do people working nights cope?) as I've really noticed the deterioration in my mental alertness and concentration during working hours. And how to motivate myself at a reasonable hour to get through the chores I currently do when I should be in bed?
:)Operation Get in Shape :)
MURPHY'S NO MORE PIES CLUB MEMBER #124

Comments

  • lostinrates
    lostinrates Posts: 55,283 Forumite
    I've been Money Tipped!
    I trained DH to be a morning person, if that helps? IMO, the trick is to strat at a weekend before a non stressful week, because the first week you will be tired :( Then if you want 6:30 to be the ''permanant'' getting up time, set alarm for 6:15, go to bed at normal time (even if its three am) but get up immeadiately the alrm goes off. No delaying, no pressing the snooze button, no cheating in any way:) Struggle through the day and don't let you self go to bed before bout ten pm. (chances are you might get a second win late evening when you are used to doing things), then sleep, and again, get up 6: 15, the second the larm goes off.

    Its very importnant to not cheat the alarm/use snooze because you are trying to devleop a conditioned responce. (Think of Pavlov's dog) to work, it means you must never let your self cheat.

    The reason I do it quarter of an hour early on trnsition....after wards every day feels like a little lie in, which helps. You must ALWAYS get up at the ''normal'' time, even weekends,. If you are in bed for romantic reasons/holdiay etc get up, do something (iron a shirt/ run the hoover, put a wash on, have a coffee) then go back to bed. Even if you have a late night. In fact, the time you go to bed matters less, but the time you get up must remain the same, though, try to allow a usual 8 hours sleep.

    Good luck: its all easier than it sounds. DH had always been a night owl, never, after university, got up before 11 and sometimes not till lunch, he copes fine now, and is sometimes even chirpier then me in the mornings :)
  • Irish_Cailin
    Irish_Cailin Posts: 58 Forumite
    I have been a night-owl all my life and used to get by on not much sleep. I seem to be at my most mentally alert at just gone midnight, and when I was a student I let my body follow its natural rhythms and ended up going to bed at 4am most nights and getting up at noon.

    For the last decade I've worked regular office hours so I have to be up in the morning, but somehow I still find it difficult to coax myself into bed much before 2am. This is giving me five hours' sleep a night on average, and recently I've found that this is leaving me permanently knackered, and it's increasingly difficult to wake up in the morning.

    I always find things to do in the middle of the night - when the alternative is going to bed, I suddenly develop an enthusiastic attitude to housework, or admin, or any one of the other things that I could have done earlier in the evening but which at the time I couldn't motivate myself to do!

    Ideally I would like to be going to bed sometime between 11:00 and midnight, and getting up sometime between 6:30 and 7:00. As a general routine.

    I'd be interested to know if, and how, anybody has managed to train themselves to operate successfully to a daily schedule which doesn't come naturally to them (how do people working nights cope?) as I've really noticed the deterioration in my mental alertness and concentration during working hours. And how to motivate myself at a reasonable hour to get through the chores I currently do when I should be in bed?


    I too have always been a night Owl, I can't bring myself to go to bed before 12 no matter how early I have to be up.I hate getting up in the morning, especially in the winter.
    I have been know to ramble around doing chores at 1 or 2am, I loved the peace and quiet. Hubby was not too happy at been woken when I finally went to bed, as he is a light sleeper.
    When I realised how difficult it was for him to get back to sleep I planned to go to bed fifteen or twenty minutes earlier for about two weeks and then another fifteen or so and eventually got it back to 12. But definitely have a block about going before 12 no matter how tired I am.

    On your tiredness and lack of concentration, have a check up with your GP. That happened to me in January and my vit B12 was very low also suffered from an under active thyroid.

    Hope you feel better soon.
  • Bargain_Rzl
    Bargain_Rzl Posts: 6,254 Forumite
    Thanks both!

    That's the other thing, I'm single so I've got nobody to get annoyed if I don't keep regular sleep patterns :o In fact, thinking back to the only long-ish term relationship I've had, it's the only time in my life when I've ever been inclined to turn in early (not for nookie, just because I was in a cosy and "wound down" mood on nights when I was with him).
    :)Operation Get in Shape :)
    MURPHY'S NO MORE PIES CLUB MEMBER #124
  • Same here. I am a total night owl. 12 midnight could be midday to me. I find it very difficult to stick to a strict bed time & always drift back into staying up late. I think it comes from being rushed to bed by my father when I lived at home. His philosophy was when he went to bed, so did the rest of the house. Even at my age now, I think I am still rebelling against that regime by choosing when I go to bed & when I get out of bed.
  • Irish_Cailin
    Irish_Cailin Posts: 58 Forumite
    Could you plan a wind down hour before bed, nice bath/ shower, turn down lighting. Listen to relaxing music, or a relaxation CD. Avoid coffee/tea and alcohol and maybe reading unless it is light. I like to read cr**y magazines in bed it helps me drift off.

    Why not start tonight and if you fall once or twice don't beat yourself up.Try, try and try again.! Change is difficult for all of us.

    Keep posting and let us know how you are doing.;)
  • I'm another night owl - can stay up as late as anything but 6am is an ungodly hour...!
    One thing - persistance does pay, as after a week or so of early starts I automatically wake up at that time. However my brain keeps to its original timings!

    It is said to be easier to extend your day than shorten it (think of jetlag). Unfortunately, this would mean skipping a night's sleep, so you stay up until the NEXT evening and collapse at your chosen hour! I.e. get up on Monday, don't go to bed Monday night, crawl through Tuesday and after your 30-something hour day go to bed at 10pm Tuesday. Not recommended if you have any tasks to do esp work / childcare / driving / machinery.

    Good luck whatever you decide!
    "She who asks is a fool once. She who never asks is a fool forever"
    I'm a fool quite often :D
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