Up with the Lark

[Delta3D]

I've struggled with mornings my whole life, but never had curtains really. I have blinds now but insist they're open so the sun comes in. I don't wake with the dawn but winter is impossible without some light. In summer, I wake up easier as there's a couple hours daylight before my alarms go off.

It just feels like my body needs 3-4 hours' warm-up before I'm always able to function! I wish I could become a morning person.

Have you considered a smart bulb? I was the same but I bought a "Yeelight" Smartbulb (Chinese brand, from Xiaomi the phone brand) fairly cheap and use something called IFTTT to make it turn on in the morning and gradually get brighter.

Was a god-send in the winter months where it's normally pitch black still.

 

[Scania]

Do you kip in your cab?

Not any more, did so for 5 years at Stobart, these days it's home every night which adds a degree of pressure where I have to be back every night no matter where I've been nor how long it's taken to get there.

Stopped doing nights away as I decided there's more to life than sleeping in a truck!

 

[LuckyBenski]

Have you considered a smart bulb? I was the same but I bought a "Yeelight" Smartbulb (Chinese brand, from Xiaomi the phone brand) fairly cheap and use something called IFTTT to make it turn on in the morning and gradually get brighter.

Was a god-send in the winter months where it's normally pitch black still.

I looked into it, had several snazzy lamps in my shopping basket at one point. But i tried a simple one on a timer that work bought me, and it just didn't seem to help. It's a perennial idea though as I'm convinced sunlight helps

 

[A2Z]

I do mixed shifts, earlies, lates, nights, and all the changes really mess up my sleep. I try to swap my earlies so I stick to just lates and nights. I'm naturally a night owl. Still it's not good for the body. One reason why my union is pushing for a 32 hour 4 day working week as doing this long term is not good.

 

[Delta3D]

I looked into it, had several snazzy lamps in my shopping basket at one point. But i tried a simple one on a timer that work bought me, and it just didn't seem to help. It's a perennial idea though as I'm convinced sunlight helps

Was it a very bright one?

Admittedly I have to have mine turn on about 30 mins before I want to take up and ramp it up to the brightest "daylight" light temperature for it to work

 

[MartinPrince]

I'm the same and really want to start getting to bed early and up earlier. The trouble is when the missus and kid are asleep is the only time I get some 'me' time to get things I want to get done and then often end up going to bed at ~1am. Must start getting to bed earlier, I'm sure my brain will appreciate it.

 

[LuckyBenski]

Was it a very bright one?

Admittedly I have to have mine turn on about 30 mins before I want to take up and ramp it up to the brightest "daylight" light temperature for it to work

It was pretty blinding! I ended up with it on my bedside table pointed at my face, as the manual said 50cm distance. (It was a SAD lamp)

 

[One More Solo]

Since reading Nick Littlehales’ book on sleep about a year ago I get up at 6am every morning and aim to be asleep by 10.30pm. It’s made a massive difference to my sleep quality having a regular routine. One of the key messages of the book is we sleep in 90 minute blocks so the trick is to time your alarm and bedtime around that as it makes falling asleep and waking up much easier. If I’m not in bed by half 10 for whatever reason I put it off to midnight and get up at 6 as usual, if it only happens once or twice a week it makes minimal difference to my fatigue levels.

Also, don’t be afraid to nap if you need it. 30 mins after lunch or mid afternoon if you’re able to makes a massive difference. It’s not usually possible during the working week (obviously) but it’s a godsend on a weekend if I’ve been out riding my bike early or need to catch up from during the week.

 

[LeeUK]

I'm usually up at 5am for work (start 6am) but it's always harder in the dark winter than it is at this time of year. Usually in the dark winter I'll automatically wake up at around 6am ish on a day off and think ahh nice and warm in bed + don't need to get up for work = back to sleep under the warm duvet. This time of year I actually end up getting up when I automatically wake up beyond early like I did today as it was nice and sunny outside.

 

[FoxEye]

Also, don’t be afraid to nap if you need it. 30 mins after lunch or mid afternoon if you’re able to makes a massive difference. It’s not usually possible during the working week (obviously) but it’s a godsend on a weekend if I’ve been out riding my bike early or need to catch up from during the week.

Interesting. There was a story on the news last year saying that afternoon naps are really, really bad for you.

Trouble is the advice changes all the darned time.

e: So a quick Google shows that a 2016 study said afternoon naps can increase blood pressure in 20% of people; now people are saying an afternoon nap can lower blood pressure.

It's difficult to have faith in any of these "x could do y" studies - each new study seems to contradict the last.

 

[Rroff]

I do mixed shifts, earlies, lates, nights, and all the changes really mess up my sleep. I try to swap my earlies so I stick to just lates and nights. I'm naturally a night owl. Still it's not good for the body. One reason why my union is pushing for a 32 hour 4 day working week as doing this long term is not good.

It is something that annoys me a lot actually - while some people are robust to it a lot of people simply don't do well with varied shift patterns that interfere with sleeping and especially doing it 5 or more days a week has a vastly negative impact on health - if it was anything else there would have been legislation, etc. in effect years ago.

Especially in this day and age with more and more companies having to look at extended and/or 24x7 operations more and more people are being pushed into it as well so it isn't as easy for many people as simply looking for another job or not doing night work, etc.

 

[One More Solo]

Interesting. There was a story on the news last year saying that afternoon naps are really, really bad for you.

Trouble is the advice changes all the darned time.

e: So a quick Google shows that a 2016 study said afternoon naps can increase blood pressure in 20% of people; now people are saying an afternoon nap can lower blood pressure.

It's difficult to have faith in any of these "x could do y" studies - each new study seems to contradict the last.

I hope so, my blood pressure is ridiculously low.

 

[builder22]

tried sleeping with the blind open last night, and I did wake up about 5:30! but I also had a slight pain in my jaw, so maybe that was the cause, or maybe it was from reading this thread
I pulled the blind and went back to sleep until 9ish, felt rubbish tho compared to how I felt at 5:30 (apart from the jaw thing)
it was quite a good feeling being up so early, i used to always be up at that time but nowadays I usually leave the house just after 9 for work....self employed too so could be whatever time, might give it a try!

 

[Orionaut]

Interesting comments all round.

More later, But in the mean time, as I said in my OP.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this change in lifestyle has been the sudden and really quite dramatic loss in interest in Alcohol.

It would be intriguing if it turned out that I wasn't the only one and that simply changing a persons sleep cycle might actually be a very effective way of treating people with drink problems.

 

[meths]

I could easily sleep to 2pm if left to my own devices and have a natural tendency to stay up late.

I've started going to bed at 10.30pm or thereabouts and set an alarm for 5.30am regardless of whether it's a weekday or weekend.

I'm quite enjoying it actually and feel more productive during the day. I've got a couple of hours work done in the morning before the phone starts ringing and at the weekend I get a couple of hours on the PS4 before the family are getting up.

Trouble is that if I don't use the alarm I'd quickly fall back into my old habits. I don't feel like my body is up for making the new routine permanent.

 

[FoxEye]

I could easily sleep to 2pm if left to my own devices and have a natural tendency to stay up late.

I've started going to bed at 10.30pm or thereabouts and set an alarm for 5.30am regardless of whether it's a weekday or weekend.

I'm quite enjoying it actually and feel more productive during the day. I've got a couple of hours work done in the morning before the phone starts ringing and at the weekend I get a couple of hours on the PS4 before the family are getting up.

Trouble is that if I don't use the alarm I'd quickly fall back into my old habits. I don't feel like my body is up for making the new routine permanent.

Studies have shown people are either naturally morning people or they aren't. Genetics, y'all

You can override this by force of will as you have, but as you've seen it seems your body has other ideas

 

[BongoHunter]

I love waking up early, but only do it after the clocks change in the spring. In winter I don't want to get our of bed for love nor money, but summer I'm up early everyday (which impacts drinking as I'm in bed earlier!)

Don't know why, just kind of slipped into the pattern in the later half of my twenties

 

[One More Solo]

Interesting comments all round.

More later, But in the mean time, as I said in my OP.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this change in lifestyle has been the sudden and really quite dramatic loss in interest in Alcohol.

It would be intriguing if it turned out that I wasn't the only one and that simply changing a persons sleep cycle might actually be a very effective way of treating people with drink problems.

Potentially. When you’re used to getting up early the morning hours lost to a hangover feel even worse, plus even a couple of late evening drinks make it harder to get up for 6.

It does change your mindset. These days if I’m having a drink it’ll be much earlier in the afternoon or evening and generally just one or two so my system is clear by bedtime. My sleep is lousy when I’ve been drinking.

 

[builder22]

I tried leaving the blind open for about a week....I woke up about 5 every day but I never managed to go to bed earlier or drink any less, so I was waking up at 5am tired and sometimes still half steamin. Also thinking “it’s 5am, what am I gonna do?” So I just went back to sleep, tried anyway.
Maybe if I tried it for longer eventually I’d start getting tired at night and going to bed earlier

 

[krooton]

Almost 2 months in the new house, still no curtains, so I have been naturally waking up every day between 5:30-6 (my alarm is set for 6).

I go to bed between 11-midnight, so can't wait to have curtains!