How to get up early and have more energy

[Chocdip]

I feel like I’ve always needed a lot of sleep, and for many years now (I’m 40) I’ve felt generally tired and low energy. I kind of put it down to having kids, moving, work, bereavement. But now am in a good place, probably more settled/stable than ever.

Recent blood tests show normal levels for iron, ferritin, vit d, thyroid, white/red blood cells etc. No gluten issues. The only thing that was low was calcium, but not drastically so and a second blood test produced normal results. Though I’ve got some calcium/d3 supplements from the doc anyway.

I know my sleep could be better. 8 hours seems to be my optimum, but I can’t consistently get it. Sometimes I can’t wind down. Sometimes (more frequently) I wake up between 4-5am and can’t get back to sleep until 6:30 when it’s practically time to get up.

I also need more exercise in my life and the best time to do it would be 6-7 before the kids wake up but I cannot for the life of me get up that early, especially if I’ve had a broken night.

I am guilty of sitting on my phone too much prior to lights out, so I do try to read a book/kindle instead. I don’t drink alcohol much (occasionally on a weekend) and never drink tea or coffee. My diet is ok, though poss too much sugar. I could do with losing a stone - am 5’6” and 10st11.

Anyway, is it possible to become an early bird and someone who leaps out of bed at 6am feeling ok??? Desperate to hear from others who may have been like me but have turned it around!

Hi, I wonder how you would feel if you just got up when you naturally wake?

I now get up when I wake and go to bed much earlier and it is better.

No, I think you’re naturally a lark or an owl.
I think you need to try and not stress about it - which I know is easier said than done.
Can you do a workout at home in an evening rather than in the morning ?
I find working out early in the day makes me tired all day.
And try a siesta in the afternoon if you get chance.

The older I get, the more I need my good to be good quality. Even one “pre-packaged” meal leaves me feeling generally “rough”.

I tend to just get up at 4... trying to get back to sleep sends me bonkers!

Well I work full time so naturally waking + siestas are not really possible.

I can’t exercise after dinner (bleurgh) and hate missing dinner with the kids as I miss a lot of their day anyway.

I am the queen of excuses too. This morning I was tempted to get up, but then went on my phone/kindle and eventually drifted off.

I seem to be allergic to getting out of bed, this is my main issue - actually getting out of my pit.

I do also love an early night - but as the kids get a bit older they aren’t in bed til 8:30-9pm and then by the time I’ve caught up with dh or done life admin or watched an episode or 2 of a series, it’s 11pm and bedtime. Then I sit on my phone for 20-30 mins....

Leave your phone out of the bedroom. Set your alarm and don't hit snooze..you need to re-set your sleep pattern. Get a good morning routine going.. I look forward to getting up before everyone else and having s cup of tea in peace.

My two tips:

1. Don’t look at phone before bed - tut tut. Keep it out of bedroom.
2. Go to bed earlier. If usual bedtime is 11pm, could you try going up at 10.30pm and reading for a few minutes? I always feel drowsy after a few minutes reading a book.

Following thread for tips on diet and exercise as I sometimes feel bleurgh in the morning too (but I think a lot depends on where you are in your cycle...)

I’m with you on all this OP - I have been thinking for years that if I could just get out of bed at 5 I could sort out everything but I’ve not managed it yet...

The days when I’ve had a disturbed nights sleep the night before I end up just being ineffectual and foggy all day too, then I often stay up even later because I’m too tired to get myself to bed or I’m searching for comfort in tv/phone/late night snacks because I feel so achy and in need of energy...

For a while I had a system that involved a dawn light alarm clock, a radio alarm and my phone alarm outside the bedroom so I had to go out and switch it off, but although that made me wake up and get out of bed I would often just lie down in the hall then for ten minutes until my eyes would open without my head banging and I felt kind of human - definitely wasn’t bouncing around doing morning yoga...

I thought for ages that I should fix my bedtime first and then I’d get up earlier, but I found that really hard as I wasn’t tired at 10 and would lie awake if I ever for in bed that early, then I thought if I just got up early enough times the bedtime would sort itself out but I’ve never managed to get up early enough to test that out! Now I’m wondering if just getting enough exercise in my day will sort both sleep issues, but like you a bit stuck on how to fit it in...

Can you get more exercise in by walking or cycling to work? I was doing a 50min walk to and from school once a week at one point and that felt really good - things have changed a bit with which kids go where but I’m going to try and work more walking in over this term.

I agree exercising after dinner is really hard - but I think I would do it if I had someone I was accountable to so have thought of asking a friend if they want to do a regular evening walk or run - is this something you’d consider?

You could also consider pairing TV watching with some kind of exercise - set up an exercise bike in front of TV if that’s your kind of thing???

Yes leaving my phone out of the bedroom needs to be done. It is a hard habit to break But I can lay there for ages looking up crap rather than getting up which is definitely not helping my bad habits.

I do have a dawn light actually, in the depths of winter I find it a great way to wake up. In the summer less so as i seem to be able to sleep through it.

Because I work FT, I get the guilts about being out of the house when the kids are here. I am wfh a lot more due to Covid so should try to fit in exercise during working hours though I’m not very disciplined at leaving my desk...

In fact I think that therein lies my problem - discipline (well - lack of)