Tips for getting up early

[CandleLight11]

AIBU to ask for tips for getting up early? Please share any bits of wonderful advice or habits or techniques you might have. I just can't seem to consistently do it even though I really really want to.
IABU - just do it
IANBU - it's really difficult

I get up at 7.30 as have school age ds which i think is early .
My natural wake up would be 8.30/9.

I set alarm for 6.55 and have 3 10 min snoozes

Ha, ha. Mine scratches at the wardrobe door, walks all over me, anything he can think of to tell me it is breakfast time.

I am a natural early bird - usually up aroubd half 5/6am and I relish a very quiet and peaceful morning before getting ready from 7ish onwards.

What makes it very difficult to get up that early if is sleep late/badly (I am in bed by 9/10pm most nights) and when I get up in the morning, I have to get up. No snoozing alarm. Get up and sit upright. Usually feed cats then shower. Put on a podcast while I get ready.

It sounds simple, but I reiterate I am an early bird, and it just suits me to be up that early.

Aren't you meant to go outside and get some daylight to reset your sleep pattern? Do that for a couple of days and see if it has any effect.

Wow if I could go to bed 9-10 I'd be grand getting up at 6! I'm quite jealous of the ability to go to bed early.

Family life means I cannot go until 1130 -it's slowing killing me!

And no there is no obvious solution or I'd be doing it.

So do my two! 😆

@Catsmere - me too! Damn you Multiple Sclerosis & the menopause combined 🫣!! - (in my case, not suggesting that's your cause! But whatever is affecting you, I hope it will improve 🤞)

@CandleLight11 - my gut instinct these days is to say, "Make the most of being able to sleep soundly whenever you're able to". Don't try to be an an early riser if your body is saying "No" - unless your circumstances dictate you need to be altering your natural rhythm.
None of us know what the future will throw at us, so treasure what sleep you can get.

1. Put a £50 note in the oven znd set the timer.

1. Have the vacuum cleaner switched on with a timer plug.

@Harlechchick thanks! Menopause certainly contributed in my case, and I think it's chronic overactive bladder now - maybe the exercise I've started will help, who knows?

Really hope the exercise will work (or at least improve 🤞) the overactive bladder for you. Have you already investigated/tried any medication that may help?
I know natural methods, e.g exercise, bladder training etc, are preferable to meds if at all possible, and it sounds like you're motivated/able to use this route first!
Just a thought though. Probably something you've already looked at.
Whatever might work I say!

I haven't bothered about it, tbh - I'm doing the exercise sessions (first time since the horrors of school phys ed classes) for general improve-the-fitness-and-strength reasons, and if it improves my bladder's behaviour, that'll be a bonus! I'm on enough dratted medication already, I don't really fancy taking yet more.

Ohhh it makes a huge difference.

Mentally and physically I just don't function at the end of the day. I am sometimes jealous of night owls cos if friends want to meet up it's usually in the evening and I know it's not the best version of me they are getting!

Yeah, don't blame you, know that feeling re: the meds! 😉.
All the best with the exercise. Hope it improves things for you.

I get up at 4am.

I have to set my alarm and just get out of bed. I have a bedside light as I find I need light to properly rouse me.

But I also go to bed at 9pm!

I used to have a very loud one which would disturb our terraced neighbours, out of reach of bed. The one to wake me was set earlier, so that I could turn the loud one off.

Thank you! 🥰

No, I'm not a presenter on breakfast TV, good thing really as I'd likely have been sacked for tardiness by now 😂. Just looking for the special skills required to get up at a normal early time i.e. 7am (would love to one day push this back to 6.30am, then 6am etc) without it being excruciatingly painful. Yes, that's an exaggeration but doesn't feel it at the time.

Think of it holistically, routines in the morning and before bed. What activities and thought patterns keep you awake at night.

What you're doing in the morning should be a good positive motivator. I book morning exercise classes, the desire to do those is motivation to go to bed. A problem sometimes is doing something late that I really want to finish before bed, as if somehow it can't wait. I'm working on breaking that habit.

Don't rely on motivation tho, it comes and goes. What you're aiming to do is establish habits that you do semi automatically. It takes work to do that, some analysts and honesty about existing habits and figuring out how to break them. Think positively tho, not "I want to stop this" but "I want to do .. instead".

Good luck! It won't come overnight in an instant, you chip away at it and celebrate the progress. Be kind to yourself about any setbacks, it's normal

I hope it makes sense, I've had to really really shorten what I've learnt about myself, habit changing & how brains work

Oh that's really interesting as most people say one feels worse after snoozing but I can completely relate to not feeling cheated out of the extra snooze time. 5:30-6:15 sounds like such a great, optimum time to get up. Not too early, but still very early to get ahead of the day.

Sounds tough. Good on you girl.

I know, I know, you're totally right. 9.30/10pm bedtime sounds dreamy 😍.

🤣

I have a Teasmaid I find it much easier now to wake up early as my tea is waiting for me!

That is so funny, I've never heard of it either and thought I'd done my fair share of browsing weird things on Amazon.

I think ultimately, everyone saying 'just do it' is right. And think of the coffee ☕️.