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Tips for morning grogginess

12 replies

Psychgrad · 02/12/2022 09:35

early risers, please give me your tips for feeling awake in the morning!

i have always been a morning person but I’d say in the last year or two I have become awful in the mornings. I used to naturally wake at about 6-7 no matter what time I went to sleep, now I press snooze far too many times and drag myself out of bed at 7.30 if I’m lucky, slowly getting ready and eating breakfast in a groggy haze until about 8. My husband and I have two dogs so really it would best to walk them much earlier as we both start work at 9-9.30.

im now on the way to work and still feel so tired. I’ve had my bloods checked, I take multi vitamins and iron anyway, I don’t drink much coffee but drink tea every day, usually one cup a day, quite strong (think Irish tea with hardly any milk and teabag in). I can’t think of what’s happened to me, I used to get up at 6.30 to walk the dogs, and would sometimes even go jogging before work! Is it just age, I’m heading for 35, is this what happens and I need to accept that I just need more sleep? I go to bed at 10.30 but normally asleep by 11ish. I don’t wake up during the night either so it’s not a sleep problem.

For context, I’m pretty healthy, normal bmi, pescatarian, eat a lot of veg - obsessed with carbs and cheese though- don’t eat too much rubbish such as crisps and chocolate! I drink minimum amount of alcohol, maybe twice a month while socialising.
I love mornings and I just want to be back to my old self.

any tips would be so helpful, thanks!

OP posts:
Potatomashed · 02/12/2022 09:43

How long has the change been OP? I wonder if the changing of the seasons has anything to do with it? We do follow a seasonal cycle as humans and now is the time to rest. Give yourself time to do that.
it could also be other things, so good thing that you are getting your bloods checked. I have a cheap lumie alarm clock so I wake into a bright room- it’s amazing for the winter.

ScornedChicken · 02/12/2022 09:43

Pretty much the same. I've had to be vigilant with alarm setting and not pressing snooze. So phone alarm has to be far away from the bed. I have to do this every single day otherwise I get into bad habits.

I also have dressing gown close by so I'm not using being cold as an excuse not to get out of bed. My DCs are even sleeping more at the minute (darker mornings make it harder I think). I find summer much easier, my energy levels lift. Winter I'm like a slug.

I've had some sources of stress which I think has made me more tired too. No answers really but I sympathize.

onepieceoflollipop · 02/12/2022 09:46

I go through phases with being good or not in the mornings, I think things like dark mornings and stress at work don’t help.
what I do is, whatever time I need to get up I have coffee in bed as it eases me better into the morning. If I’m lucky dh is already up and brings me one. If not I nip downstairs reminding myself I am heading back to bed for 15 minutes. For me that’s even better than pressing the snooze.
I sit up, read a little bit online and drink my coffee - then I get up.
this could be any time from 6.30 on a work day to much later if I am on a day off.

Merrow · 02/12/2022 09:49

I'm a morning person but the cold house is killing that! Last year I had it toasty warm and leaving bed was nice as I could read and have coffee in piece, now I'm not myself until I've warmed up with about 3 hot drinks and too many layers on.

PingPongMerrilyWithPie · 02/12/2022 10:00

@Merrow same here, it's so much harder when it's cold.

Have you been drinking more caffeine lately OP? My mornings go better when I am in the groove of being caffeine free until about 10am, but I'm off the wagon at the moment!

Psychgrad · 02/12/2022 13:57

Thanks for all of these replies. I was looking into those Lumie alarm clocks but wondered if they’re worth the money? Will they make a huge difference?

I don’t drink much caffeine, just one cup of tea a day maybe two if I’m really tired, I hardly ever drink coffee, maybe drinking more would help? Or would it worsen the tiredness long term?

I first began waking up later during the pandemic but only like an hour or two later, maybe it screwed my body clock. I also had a night job last year for about two months so not sure I came blame that either.

OP posts:
Psychgrad · 02/12/2022 14:00

Oh and I think it’s definitely worse since the winter hit but I don’t think the summer made much of a difference this year, it used to- I used to love when the sun shone into my window at 4am, made me so happy- I guess I still do love it but don’t think it necessarily made me get up any earlier this year!

OP posts:
Gruffling · 02/12/2022 15:16

I've never been a morning person. A light up alarm clock has helped me in the past.

At present, I set two alarms - one about an hour before I need to get up and then one to get up. Cancelling the first alarm and snoozing and gradually waking up really helps me be ready to get up when the second alarm goes off. I think it's something to do with waking up from a deep sleep vs light sleep.

Psychgrad · 02/12/2022 18:26

Ah yes this makes sense, I’m not sure about the lumie alarm clocks, I think it would help me but as my husband is a light sleeper and not a morning person, it would wake him and he probably wouldn’t get back asleep- whereas I’m always in a deep deep sleep.

I will try the alarm set one hour before I need to wake up as I think it would help me come out of the deep sleep easier. I’ll also try wake up and have a tea or something first so I can gradually wake up.

OP posts:
boboshmobo · 02/12/2022 18:38

Single espresso ✅

Notplayingball · 02/12/2022 18:50

Having a large family has meant I get up between 5 and 6am daily. I don't find it difficult as the youngest ones wake me up often before 6am. Always in bed super early each evening.

I love being up very early as I get loads done and relax in the afternoons.

Potatomashed · 05/12/2022 20:27

@Psychgrad i bought a rip off Lumie from Amazon for a tenner a couple of years ago and it’s still going strong 💪

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