Mornings

[bigchi]

I really struggle in the morning. I can physically wake up but mentally I feel like I’m in a fog for hours. Any advice would be appreciated.

REPORT ABUSE

[blackdog]

Mornings. Ha Ha Ha. I don’t do mornings.

Do you take medication? If so, you could try setting your alarm a half hour or an hour early, take your medication, then go back to sleep. Just don’t forget to rest the alarm before you lie back down. Or better yet, use two alarms.

I always found that a little bit of sugar first thing in the morning helped me. I kept some candy (usually PEZ) next to my alarm clock and ate a bit as soon as the alarm went off, then hit snooze. By the time the alarm went off again I would be feeling a little more alert.

As for the mental fog…..Cold fresh air is always good for me. And exercise can help, getting the blood flowing. So maybe you could try going for a short walk. Noise is sometimes helpful, so putting the radio on or something might be good.

You could also try aromatherapy. I have a friend who has been trying that for relaxing at night and she finds it’s really helping her to sleep better. It can also work the opposite way. Citrus and peppermint both have a stimulating effect on the brain.

that’s all I can think of. like I said, I don’t do mornings. But I am trying to get better at it.

One more thing, having a routine can help. Not just the usual get up, shower, eat, etc., but doing a little something each morning, like spending a few minutes picking up stuff and decluttering, something that will get you going. And having a consistent routine will set up a sort of internal alarm that tells your brain it’s morning, time to wake up. Maybe. I’m just guessing. I’m trying to do it right now and it’s working pretty good, when I remember to do it.

REPORT ABUSE

[bigchi]

I’ve tried doing the meds and going back to bed, it helped at first. I was doing that when my meds had just been increased (I’m on Adderall). The sugar thing is interesting. I wake up a couple times every night to eat. I’m sure that isn’t good for quality of sleep, but I can’t help it. I do fall back to sleep right away. I also get very weak and can’t think when I haven’t eaten for a while. It feels like I have to eat immediately. Is this an ADHD thing? I am very healthy, I eat well and exercise a lot.

I’m going to try the sugar in the morning. Caffeine doesn’t seem to help much.

Mike

REPORT ABUSE

[wanderquest]

If you are light sensitive I suggest an alarm that has a gradually increasing lamp on it. That helps me out especially during winter months.

I still freaking hate mornings.

REPORT ABUSE

[blackdog]

@bigchi I don’t know if waking up and eating through the night is an ADHD thing or not. But it was on the questionnaire I filled out for my assessment so maybe it is.

The feeling faint and feeling like you have to eat right away when you’re hungry could be an indication that something is wrong with your blood glucose levels.  It sounds a lot like hypoglycaemia. You might want to talk to your doctor about getting tested.

There are also alarm clocks that have increasing volume, similar to wanderquest’s lamp. And you can get a bed shaker to go with them.

Another thing I find helps sometimes is changing what I use for an alarm. I switch radio stations or use the buzzer or use one of the alarms on my cell phone. My latest trick is using the voice recorder on my phone and recording a reminder or a silly message for myself to use for the alarm.  It sometimes works. Nothing is ever 100%.  Like @wanderquest said: I still freaking hate mornings.

 

 

REPORT ABUSE

[Rick Green – Founder of TotallyADD]

One of the key things that comes through in our video ADDeep Sleep, which surprised me, is that trouble getting up in the morning is a sign that you are not getting to be in a good way, and/or you are not sleeping well. Check out the webinars as well. Dr. Roberto Olivardia talks about his own issues, and ADHD-sleep challenges as well.

One of the things we struggle with is Delayed Sleep Syndrome. A fancy term for Night Owl.

It’s why I got into show biz. Sleep till mid morning or later, write all afternoon, dinner, nap, head to the theatre, put on the show, head out after the show and have a big meal at 11:30 at night. Heaven!

REPORT ABUSE

[blackdog]

I figured out when I was a teenager that the reason I hated the sound of my alarm clock so much was that it always went off just after I finally got into a good sleep. I think it takes about 3 or 4 hours after I go to sleep for me to really fall asleep. And of course I have to actually go to bed first, which sometimes takes up to two hours.

As I have gotten older I have started to change. I can’t sleep late I the morning anymore. So I have to go to bed a little earlier than I naturally would if daytime sleeping was an option.

However, I used to hate the people who said “just go to bed earlier” like that was the solution to the problem. I can go to bed as early as I want but it won’t make a difference. I will still sleep late and be sluggish when I get up. Unless I have one of those rare beautiful nights when I actually sleep. That profoundly deep mind body and soul relaxing sleep. And then what happens is that I am so comfy and relaxed and happy that I just don’t want to get up.

And that is what I am going to do right now. Go to bed and try to make up for lost sleep so I can have a productive day tomorrow to make up for having a very unproductive one today.

REPORT ABUSE

[shutterbug55]

Mornings? I LOVE mornings! I know. I am weird. I accept that.

I wake up, try to remember what I was dreaming about, because that is where I find the best stories to write about.

Throughout the day, I wind down and by 5pm, I can barely get out of the car and drag myself through the door. Medication has helped, because I don’t spend nearly as much energy in the day, trying to keep up or correct mistakes, as I used to without them.

When I get home, I need an hour nap. Then it’s dinner, walk the dog, work on the honey-do’s, and maybe some TV or read.  11 rolls around and it’s off to bed.

 

Here is a question: How much sleep do you need?  I get by with 5 + a power nap. I thrive on 6 + a power nap. Take away the power nap, and it will be days of 10 or more sleeps, before I can recover.

REPORT ABUSE

[blackdog]

Interesting….

I used to get by with very little sleep. As long as I got 4 hrs I was fine, 6 hrs was preferable. Then I went through a period where it seemed like I had to have at least 9 hrs and preferred 10 or sometimes as much as 12.

It’s hard to say now because I am not totally in control of when I go to bed and when I get up. All I know is it never feels like enough. Or rarely does. I average about 5-6 hrs/night but aim for at least 7. My biggest problem is not sleeping deeply enough. I find quality is more important than quantity. Sometimes even a 10 min. snooze after the alarm goes off, if I am really relaxed and comfy, makes a huge difference.

As for mornings …..I have always felt that there is a morning person inside me somewhere. In fact, I have enjoyed mornings at times. I worked one summer as a caregiver for a 2 year old and 4 year old with serious behavioural issues (not their fault, very bad family) and I had to get up just before dawn to walk to their house. I would usually take a detour down by the lake and watch the sun rise as I walked and spot beavers and blue herons and other wildlife. And everything was quiet and still, very few people or cars on the road. I would often arrive before the mother was awake and sit on the back steps reading a book until she came and opened the door. I loved those mornings. And the kids kept me on my toes the rest of the day. I grew several extra sets of eyes, ears and hands that summer.

The winter before my dad died I had to get up before 5am 3 times a week to brush snow off his car and shovel if necessary so he could go to dialysis at 6. I dreaded the thought of it but after awhile actually found that it wasn’t that bad. Again, it was peaceful and quiet and I love being outside in the snow. And a wind chill of -20 will wake you up pretty quick.

So I guess it depends a lot on what I am facing when I wake up. If it’s running around frantically trying to get out the door on time to get to work and remember everything I need to take care of before I go and every thing I need to take with me….No, I do not like mornings.

REPORT ABUSE

[Author]

Posts