How to wake up better?

[rockyraider]

I think its basically that everyone is different. I'm decently fit and work long hours. I haven't slept well in many years. I'm 41yoa and its been many, many years ago, if ever, that I actually slept through the night. My nights are typically as you described, fall asleep very quickly, but then wake up numerous times throughout the night. Reposition, and bam, right back to sleep. I don't really require a lot of sleep, 5-6hrs and I can function just fine. I do differ in the fact that I am somewhat a morning person. I have to get up on work days at 0420. I don't like waking up at that time, but by the time I'm out of the shower I'm good. By the time I'm downstairs and pouring the first cup of coffee, I typically feel great.

I know many people who are not morning people and need 8-10hrs of sleep. I work with guys who are older than me and sleep straight through for 10hrs and they say they never move. I wish I could. I've often wondered if its something with my mind. Its always going 100 miles per hour. I'm also not one to sit still while I'm at home and can't stand to sit around watching TV. My wife is the opposite. She could sleep late every day, could sit around on the couch for 8hrs and be perfectly happy. I think a lot of it is just how we're wired.

[bullhead44]

Just have your wife wake you up in that "special way"!

[sotol]

Turn your clock back a couple of hours. Just say it's Leanmachine sleep saving time or something like that. Makes as much sense as daylight savings time.

Other than my idea and the sleep sudies, make a list of all of the suggestions on this thread and do them all every day for a couple of weeks and let us know how it goes.

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[.270]

Originally Posted by LeanMachine

I've never been remotely close to over weight.

I drink a lot of caffeine. I have drank energy drinks for so long that I can't remember how I slept and woke up before them. I go back and forth between monsters and the crystal light pure energy mix. I feel like i'm risking my own safety if I don't drink it on the way to work driving down I20 for 70 miles.

Caffeine has a long half life but I do not feel it is affecting my sleep. I used to drink tea at night and that definitely affected my sleep. I don't do that anymore. I do feel that it has to be affecting my wake up based on dependency.

I do not use pre-workout.

"I drink a lot of caffeine. I have drank energy drinks for so long that I can't remember how I slept and woke up before them. I go back and forth between monsters and the crystal light pure energy mix. I feel like i'm risking my own safety if I don't drink it on the way to work driving down I20 for 70 miles."

I would hypothesize that this ^^^^^ is affecting your quality of sleep. Just because you fall asleep, doesn't mean you are actually entering REM and deep sleep cycles.

Look up the work of for navy seal Dr. Kirk Parsley. http://www.docparsley.com/

[cap50948]

I stopped drinking anything with caffeine about 3 months ago. Try it out it will help. I can wake up no problem and go to sleep no problem now.

It is not easy though. First there's the headaches for 7-10 days. Then I was constantly hungry for almost a month. You will feel sluggish mid afternoon, but eventually it will become much easier.

[txpitdog]

Two things will help with this. One is more of an easy fix to get you going, one is more of a permanent fix.

First, the easy one. When the alarm goes off, stand up, put your hands on your hips and exhale as far as you can. Then out your hands on your head and inhale through the nose as deeply as you can. Then, repeat the exhale, except as the end of it bend over at the waist and touch your toes if you can. This will squeeze out any last bit of air. Then inhale through the nose as you stand back up. Repeat three times, and you will be wide awake. The sudden surge of oxygen to the brain and the focus on breathing vs focusing on how much it sux to be awake will get your brain going and get rid of the exhaustion feeling.

Long term fix. Your wake up time may be during a deep sleep cycle. Changing the wake up time to align with when you are in a lighter stage of sleep will eliminate the “woken from hibernation” feeling and will make it easier to get up. Go to bed a little earlier or wake up a little earlier and find the point in your sleep cycle that works for you. Might take some experimentation but it does work. I am in a natural light sleep pattern at 4:15, so waking up then to go hunting or fishing is super easy. Sleeping until 5:15 is complete torture because I am back in a deep sleep cycle with the extra hour of sleep.

[equyst]

Loving this thread! sub'd

[yaqui]

Originally Posted by MadHatter

Mental, nothing more imo. If tomorrow you had to meet me at a 7k acre ranch, so I could give you the keys to the gate and a couple million $$, there would be no sluggish morning
Hypnosis would be my suggestion.
And if you were still sluggish the next morning, it's definetly mental .

I wouldn't even GO to sleep.

[quarterback]

[QUOTE=LeanMachine;1330

I feel like it all ties back to caffeine dependency for me.[/QUOTE]

From what you described earlier I think you are right. I'll bet if you changed your routine and gave up energy drinks you will notice a big difference. This is coming from a guy who could drink 2-4 Red Bulls a day before I quit.

[SabreKiller]

As has already been posted, lay off the energy drinks. Those are bad juju for you.

[Mike D]

You don’t want medication but you drink a lot of energy drinks?

Makes sense.........

Those things are terrible and could be part of your problem.


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[brysdad]

Working out too late? If I work out too late I have too much energy to sleep at bedtime. Just a guess.

[BDann]

I would go have your cortisol levels checked by a doctor, could be a bit out of whack. It should be highest in the morning, then decrease through the day. Adrenal glands could be a factor, especially with all the caffeine. Going to the doctor and getting some lab work would be your best bet.

[Froggy]

Join the Marines or Army. They'll teach you how to be a morning person.

My Great Grandpa had a saying. "The best time to take a nap is right after you wake up in the morning, cause that's when you're the most tired."

[Chew]

Originally Posted by R Dubya

I overslept today and didn't make it to the gym, that makes 8 years in a row now

My man!

[JLivi1224]

Originally Posted by TXHUNT3R

Some folks are just "morning people". You seem to be living very healthy so I would not change a thing.

I am a morning person, I am wide awake and cracking jokes with the kids within a couple minutes of being awake.... My wife and kids are slow to get up... I am pretty sure they hate me in the morning... lol

I take after my mom, she was the same way. Wide awake from the moment her feet it the ground.

And this is me. Drives my wife crazy.

[Radar]

I’m too hungover to know what’s going on till two or three ��. Seriously though I’m ok when I wake up but I got a short fuse for a while. I work long hours 4 days a week and a half day on Friday, if I take a hunting or fishing vacation, I ain’t grumpy. Purty much my business makes me hateful in the morning.

[Smithwr]

Originally Posted by solocam_aggie

I'm no help, as I'm the definition of a morning person. My wife thinks I'm crazy as hell, as on weekends I can't sleep past 6 because I'm so excited to get my day going. I pop right out of bed in the morning on week days.

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Same here, My alarm is set at 5am and 99% of days i wake up on my own a few minutes before it goes off. I MIGHT sleep till 6:30 at the latest on weekends but not usually. Most weekends mornings im in the garage with a glass of tea waiting on daylight to get whatever I have planned started

[basschsr]

Originally Posted by HoustonHunter94

I'm not a morning person either. I don't drink coffee very much, maybe once or twice a week. It is amazing however that I can pop right out of bed at 5am to go hunting or fishing but 6am to go to work, I'm sluggish as hell. Wish I had an answer for you, you may be onto something with the caffeine.

This is me! The wife gets mad cause I wake up this way for work or anything else but fishing or hunting....pop out of bed and out the door in 10 minutes!! "Hurry up! gonna be late gettin to the blind!!!"

[Sparkles]

Originally Posted by JHT

Have a few kids.

Word


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[b.a.saha]

I would say if you are drinking caffeine all day that your morning is crash time. You may try scaling back or even cutting it out. I feel best after 4-5 hrs sleep. More and I feel like I didn't sleep well. Everyone is wired different but I think you should get off the caffeine and start fresh with no stimulants or sedatives to see what difference it makes.

[cva34]

Originally Posted by MQ32Shooter

When my feet hit the floor, I'm as high as I'm gonna be all day. I go downhill every hour I'm awake until bedtime.

THats a good way to put it..Thx ...Thats the way I would discribe myself...and I usually run out of Daylight before way before I'm ready. then the downhill starts...

[forest-hunter]

Originally Posted by jerp

I can tell you what works for me. Immediately upon arising I drink one - and often two - 8 oz. glasses of water while the coffee is brewing. We always wake up at least slightly dehydrated every morning. That water on an empty stomach does a great job of jump-starting the system.

This is exactly what I do every morning. I learned it from reading about Conor Mcgregors daily eating schedule.

[Goldeneagle]

Originally Posted by Smart

I functioned fine during the day as well albeit not as much energy. I was not falling asleep either. But I would feel like total DS when I woke up. I feel great as a whole when waking up these days.

BTW....never heard anybody being prescribed pills after a sleep study. I think that is a GP's doing before suggesting a sleep study.

This^^^. Yes I'm on a CPAP but no meds were ever prescribed for my sleep apnea. It has made a world of difference. Sleep apnea killed my HS best friend. My internal clock is my problem. I've been getting up at 4:00am for so long that on my days off I'm up by 4:30. No sleeping in for me. Another thing that helped was eating dinner earlier. We eat no later than 5:00pm every day. This gives plenty of time for your food to settle before you lay down.

[jer_james]

I would say it's mental thing mixed with a caffeine thing.

Have something planned to do every morning RIGHT when you wake up, and integrate it into your routine. Train your mind, and the body will follow.

[sir shovelhands]

Stop drinking a case of beer the night before. I heard that helps

[Smokeater]

As stated above, ditch the energy drinks sooner than later and control the caffeine. You'll soon have saved enough $ to buy a good mattress.(and lower your odds of that unexplained heart attack) After that, see if you can hydrate more prior to workout and cut it back in the eve's so your not running back n forth to the wizzer...that's for us old guys. Good ol iced tea used to give me your same symptoms. Good luck amigo!

[bbqfan5909]

Cut the energy drinks out asap. Had a bad "addiction" to them in my 20s...now in my 30s with a kid, drink black coffee and water all day. I'd look into a new mattress and if your getting up all night to pee, you may need to get that checked out.

[Ag 96]

Quit the water and caffeine!!! If you’re drinking 32 oz of water at 7:30 and going to bed at 9, you’ll be getting up to pee. I forced myself to quit drinking several glasses of ice water at night, even though I crave it. I also switched to decaf ice tea and no coffee after 10 am.

As far as the energy drinks are concerned, get off of those ASAP. They’re horrible. But yourself a nespresso machine and try the different flavors for the morning. Best coffee ever and easy to make before hitting the road.

[Biggun]

Dont discount eating late especially meat. Not just acid causing issues but the body has to break down whatever you eat and can make you not sleep as well.

My brother doesnt have any caffeine after lunchtime. He says he doesnt sleep well if he has caffeine in the afternoon.

Everyone has a little sleep apnea but if you dont snore I wouldnt think that was it.

The way you wake up has an effect on how you feel. Example a loud alarm clock or slowly dimming light waking you.

How you get out of bed can effect how you feel. Jumping up out of bed or laying there for 30 minutes.

Also there is restless leg syndrome which can effect your sleep.

In the end everyone has different circadian rhythms. Maybe you are just a night person. HA.

[flyin7]

I'd recommend that you rule out sleep apnea by simply getting examined and not doing the sleep test yet. There are some simple things that your GP can do to make sure that you don't have some of the underlying conditions that cause OSA. If you don't have OSA, the next thing I would recommend is ruling out a congenital heart condition. They are both simple ways to rule out some possibly big medical conditions.

[JHT]

I am a terrible sleeper. I don't think I have taken a nap since I was a baby. Roach flattus wakes me up. Never feel comfortable. Jimmy legs/toss and turn all night. Once I wake up it takes me along time to get back to sleep. I have just dealt with it.

Late in October of last year I had rotator cuff surgery on my left shoulder. My Ortho and friends who have had it done said you need to get a recliner if you plan on getting any sleep because rolling over on it in bed won't be a pretty sight. I never have been able to fall asleep lying on my back so I thought it was going to be a waste of money but I went ahead and got one. I was only getting 3-4 hours of sleep before the surgery from the pain so I went for it.

After the surgery when it was time to crash I would jam a pillow between the chair and my bad wing to keep from rolling over on it. I was uncomfortable at first but in time I got used to falling asleep basically "trapped/wedged" in the chair. I quit taking the hydrocodone early on because the speed in it just kept me awake and made things more miserable.

Once I got used to it I found out I was getting better sleep than I ever had before. I could wake up in the morning with my glasses and phone on my chest where I left them when I crashed watching tv. Not having moved an inch. I could wake up late from the tv still being on, turn it off and go right back to sleep.

I feel much more comfortable sleeping in my bed now too. I have my bad nights and haul to the recliner but somehow my body rewired itself to sleep more corpes-like than an electrocuted badger swimming in hot grease.

I am looking into the adjustable beds now too.

[Playa]

Too wake up better you need to sleep better and research shows there is a surefire way to fall asleep and stay asleep. Show your wife this article. Thank me later

https://sleep.org/articles/does-sex-affect-sleep/

[BrianL]

First, stop drinking so many fluids at night, or cut out energy drinks, or both.

[double bogey]

I would look into a sleep study, especially if you snore. Your wife can tell you if you stop breathing at night, snoring can obstruct the amount of air you breathe, affecting quality of sleep. But first, get off the energy drinks. That will certainly affect your quality of sleep. People need different amounts, I'm fine with 5 to 7 hours, my wife would like 10 to 12 hours. We both use cpaps.

[LeanMachine]

A little follow up on this after I tried almost everything mentioned.

I seldom drink caffeine after noon and I have never had trouble falling asleep. I do not believe that caffeine intake is affecting my quality of sleep. 400 mg or below is the recommended amount of caffeine intake. I average 160-320. FYI a cup off coffee is 100 mg. I think energy drinks are demonized more than makes sense. Are they good for you? Of course not. But i'd argue the 60 grams of sugar is worse than the caffeine or other supplements in them. People chug cokes like crazy. I don't drink cokes. We all have our vices.

Tried drinking a liter of water on the way to work. Did absolutely nothing.

Tried the breathing techinque right after getting out of bed. Nada.

I don't remember if someone mentioned it here or not but I normally snooze my alarm 3 or 4 times so I tried not doing that. BINGO. If you plan to snooze every day, your brain correlates the alarm with a few more minutes sleep. From the very first day that I set only 1 alarm at the time that I HAD to get up to go to work, I had no issue getting out of bed. I would even say that I felt good.

I commute an hour and 10 minutes 4 days a week and 2 hours on fridays. That commute is pre-dawn in the dark. Regardless of how good I feel before I leave the house, that long drive in the dark tries to lull me to sleep.

I was not and am not bothered by tiredness at this time because I can just drink caffeine in some format.

The difficulty getting out of bed was my complaint, and that seems to have been very simply resolved by setting only one alarm at a time that I no longer have time to hit snooze.

No i do not have prostate issues. I was just drinking a lot of water from 430 pm to bed time. You can't really fault me for prioritizing hydration because I treat kidney stones for a living. Dehydration is the #1 contributing factor.

I will also add that a few years ago I bought a backpacking hammock to use on an elk hunt. To get used to sleeping in it, I hung it in our bedroom. I ended up sleeping in it so well that I slept in it for several months. I would only wake up 1-3 times a night and I wouldn't even need to reposition. I would just go right back to sleep. I attribute this to the fact that the hammock removes all pressure points so you never get uncomfortable. However, even waking less, it was still very difficult for me to get up in the mornings.

Thanks for all the input. Hopefully other people can benefit from information presented in this thread.

[meltingfeather]

try backing up the time you go to bed to see if more sleep helps.
I also "squeeze" my arms and legs from the outside in. I just use my knuckles to massage my arm and leg muscles like I'm trying to squeeze toothpaste out of them and into my body. With that much physical activity there are a lot of metabolic waste products in your lymphatic system that will clear faster if you physically help them get towards your lymph nodes. Otherwise the movement is passive.
also, make your bed time and wake times consistent as possible.

[Throwin Darts]

I think you're making it more complicated than it has to be. Are you hitting snooze over and over again on the alarm clock? Stop that bs right away. Set your alarm for when you need to get up, put the alarm out of arm's length reach from your bed, and when its time to get up just focus on getting your feet on the floor and getting out of bed.

[Texasredneck]

Originally Posted by tmurray

If the wife is so chipper, have her execute the ole rub n tug. I'm betting you wake up pretty happy about the day ahead.

[Sleepy]

My username says it all

[clay4626]

maybe two much caffeine before you go to bed
I can't drank anything with caffeine after about 5pm or i will toss and turn for several hours or until it wears off

[Skinny]

Turn on some uplifting music first thing...like Pantera or the like. If that won’t get you going, then I say have your T level checked.


Skinny

[JayB]

I am glad you were able to find an easy fix for that. I believe you still need to look at getting rid of the energy drinks. you can find other ways to gain energy, healthy energy.

[LeanMachine]

Originally Posted by JayB

I am glad you were able to find an easy fix for that. I believe you still need to look at getting rid of the energy drinks. you can find other ways to gain energy, healthy energy.

I have been trying to stop them for years. I have quit several times but I end up back on the horse eventually. Crystal Light makes a product called pure energy which is a good substitute and it really helps me cut back. It has like 3g of sugar and no artificial sweeteners. 120 mg of caffeine. Like i said, we all have our vices. I eat pretty dang healthy and exercise at a high level. I don't drink cokes. I don't drink beer. I don't eat candy. I seldom eat any kind of dessert. I'm about 13% body fat at 185#s, which ain't too shabby for being married for 8 years and having 2 kids.

[Snowflake Killa]

Play a little rap music that should get you going