Advice on how to wake up in the morning

[sleepii]

This is a serious topic:

How do you or/and how can I wake up in the morning?

I am usually very tired during the school day, or at least drowsy. I am never very alert during the early morning hours. I have important classes in the morning and afternoon and I can't focus on them too well.

Due to loads of hw, projects, and extracirricular activities, I usually only get 6-7 hours of sleep. Sometimes less, occastionally 7 1/2, rarely 8.

I don't want to be tired in school everyday - and don't just say "go to bed early," because if I could, I would.

Usually after school I perk up a bit, but then in the evening again I am tired.

What can I do?

Hot showers don't wake me up and neither do cold showers. Recently I have switched to a cup of coffee (folgers instant) with sugar instead of my usual cup of tea, but it has not helped that much - it doesn't wake me up, I am still fatigued. I could drink more, but then I'd have to pee for hours - and that would be a pain during the school day, especially during testing days.

Caffeine is a drug, is it possible that I have a very high tolerance to it? Or that it causes some drowsiness? Or it magnifies drowsiness? I dunno. When I drink A LOT of caffeinated stuff I wake up, but then like I said, I'm peeing for hours.

[Akamai Deredal]

Well, i suppose it might have something to do with your activiting during the day... Maybe if you did something active when you first wake up, but I don't know how well it would fit into your schedule. A lot of people I know who have problems waking up do a short little run or some type of exercise, but sometimes that means less sleep, and sleep is very important... Other than that I'm not sure how to help you. I'll try and look things up for you, and good luck finding out other ways.

[Sheeana]

You could be iron deficient or something. I find that taking a vitamin B supplement can sometimes help when I'm feeling groggy as well.

[jerseydevil]

Originally posted by sleepii
I am usually very tired during the school day, or at least drowsy. I am never very alert during the early morning hours. I have important classes in the morning and afternoon and I can't focus on them too well.

That's one of the reasons our school system went to a variable schedule. They don't have the same classes at the same time every day. Sometimes you'll have English in the morning - other days you'll have it in the afternoon. They said that they realize that some people work better in the morning and other people work better in the afternoon. Ths gives everyone a chance to work at their "good times".

As for getting up - I would be absolutely NO help. I hate the mornings - I'm a night person.

[Lizra]

As mentioned....take a good multi vitamin (maybe a stress or performance mix) religiously, try brewed coffee...you know the drip pot everyone uses ala Mr. coffee. It takes about 4 minutes to drip. I use three full spoons of coffee to 2 cups of water per the machine's measurements. This gives me a nice mug. I use flavored (hazelnut) soy coffee creamer and 2 teaspons suger..YUM YUM!! The instant isn't delicious enough to get you gulping! You don't take any OTC drugs that might be making you groggy do you?
It's natural to have lulls in energy during the day. I always get sleepy after eating, and struggle to keep my eyes open for awhile. The thing about caffine is not to drink it later in the day, or you won't be able to fall asleep of a night. You sound busy, so you probably do get tired. It's natural!

[EyeSeeYou]

Have something to look forward to in the afternoon or on the weekend. that way when youre in class and youre about to fall asleep think, "i just have to get through this and then there are only BLANK more HOURS/DAYS till i get to do THIS.

[katya]

Well, I would suggest more sleep, but since you said that's not possible...it seriously sounds like you need more sleep. At leawst be sure the sleep you are getting is quality sleep. Other than that, I guess make sure you eat right. You have to eat foods that will give you energy, or...where will the energy come from? I know how you feel though. I am always tired in the morning as I am a night person.

(This probably won't help you but anyway this is how I wake up in the morning: ) I have to leave my house at 7:50, and it takes me about 20 minutes to get ready (assuming I pick out my clothes in advance). Pokemon comes on at 7:00. It's a really really stupid show, but I usually watch it in the morning. My alarm goes off at 7:00, then I lay in bed and watch Pokemon in bed, giving me a chance to wake up slowly. Since I have something to watch, I won't fall back to sleep, but it's not like Pokemon takes a lot of concentration to watch! I think about what I am going to do in the morning. So then I am prepared and ready to go when Pokemon ends. Silly, huh?

[Spock]

Ok, what works for me is at night take 3 3mg Melatonin pills. It's a natural supplement which helps regulate the body sleep pattern. In the morning if you don't try the coffee routine which bothers my stomach, try taking two No-Doz or similar pills every 2 hrs. for the first morning hrs.
Hope this helps as I suffer from severe sleep depravation and empathize with your problem. Without these herbs etc. I'd be a basket case.

[Bombadillo]

Originally posted by sleepii
Recently I have switched to a cup of coffee (folgers instant) with sugar instead of my usual cup of tea, but it has not helped that much - it doesn't wake me up, I am still fatigued.

Was it green tea with ginseng? Try that in the morning; ginseng naturally energises without being a drug. Or a protien shake or something like Slim Fast would be even better as it supplies things for you throughout the full day.

I don't know your sleeping habits, but do you think a lot lying in bed, as I do? If so, stop. This is hard, but you definately can control what your thinking about. Get into nothing deep or long. If possible, or if you want, actual meditation works very well.

Also, Make yourself comfortable. I very often don't sleep well because I am too lazy to roll over from an uncomfortable position. It keeps me up for hours. Get nice and warm and cozy and it'll be all worth it.

One more thing: excercise more. I'll bet you've heard this before, but try to work on your timing. Move in the moring to get yourself going right away. Than move throughout the day to tire you out and put you to sleep right away.

I hope I helped. Good night.

[Evenstar1400]

you could get an obnoxiously loud alarm. mine makes cathedral bell sounds, and gets louder every time the pattern repeats over. i wake up on the first one and it makes it impossible for me to go back to sleep. but i dont know if thatll be much of a help.

[sleepii]

Thanks for advice guys... this whole week ive been very tired....

This weekend I shall try to catch up on some sleep...

even if i went to sleep this second i'd only get like 5 1/2 hours of sleep. I'll try to be in bed by 11:30....


I hope i was so tired because of lack of sleep and exhaustion from activities....


katya : Pokemon? haha..... i woke up at 7 am to watch that way back in elementary school. i couldnt now even if i wanted - 7 is the time i usually leave for school.


Evenstar1400 : uhh, did you read what i wrote? its not that i cant get out of bed, its that i cant wake up fully during the day.



I am pretty active - i am in a very physically involved extracurricular.



I really hope the sleep i get this weekend will help......

I have gym period one - that means running around the track the whole period and that doesn't help.

I'll look into this herbs and supplements, can I get them at drug stores? Will they sell them to kids?

[Wayfarer]

I have only one piece of advice for you, and it is this:

Get to bed at a decent hour. If you have things to do, do them /right away/ after school in the afternoon. Then do your stuff later. Seriously.

[Legolas_Frodo_Aragorn]

i have had problems sleeping since i was a baby.,.i even took melatonin for a while to see if it would help. During the school year, i get 5.5-7 hours a night. mostly about 6 hours a night. I am always tired, but i have found some ways to be easier to wake up:

1. set your alarm a little earlier than you need to, than press snooze and go back to sleep. When the alarm goes off for the 2nd time, it is much easier to wake up

2. If you can, take a five minute warm/cold shower. It help wake you up

3. a good breakfast is the best way to wake up. Apples are actually better at waking you up than caffine

4. eat a energy bar when u have a while between meals

hope these help!

[Lizra]

Caffine is THE wonder drug, coffee the wonder drink. The USA was built with coffee! All the old timers drink gobs of it! Whenever someone comes visiting, what do you do? Put on a pot of coffee! After a big meal, what do you have? Coffee! I can't believe how important coffee was/is. Beans, guns, and coffee...how the west was won. Course I guess it's tea in Britain...but coffee is more hard core!

[Giroth]

Try these:



force yourself to roll out of bed on to the floor if needed

have someone else seriously try to wake you up(of course... )

force yourself into thinking that you have some appointment or something to wake up for

OR,just never sleep!wOOt!

[sleepii]

Originally posted by Giroth
Try these:



force yourself to roll out of bed on to the floor if needed

have someone else seriously try to wake you up(of course... )

force yourself into thinking that you have some appointment or something to wake up for

OR,just never sleep!wOOt!

*sigh*

is what I wrote so hard to understand?

I get out of bed fine - i take a shower. It just that during the school day I am tired - as in a feel tired.

I am physically woken up and yet tired at the same time.

Do you understand Giroth?

Never sleeping would make this a lot worse!

So far, this weekend I have caught on on lots of sleep. Usually 10-12 hours each weekend day and 5-7 hours during the school week. That can't be good. I'm physically tired....


Caffeine does work - but it takes like 3 cups of coffee to get me really activated.... and even then i'm still tired, the coffee is just keeping me awake and alert - i can still feel that my body is tired.

Again - thanks for all the advice and I'll keep you all updated on how I am feeling next week

[Legolas_Frodo_Aragorn]

try an energy bar between meals....i do it between school and my 2.5 hor field hockey practice and it keeps me more energized...

[Giroth]

yo sleepii,


sorry,I just sort of rushed and didn't read the whole message.I understand perfectly what you said.
and,since I strangely have never really dealt with that kind of problem you have,I can't help too much

Oh and the never sleeping part was a joke..........yeah I got lame humor.....heheheh

[Sheeana]

Well you know, other than the lack of sleep thing, it sounds like you might be deficient in something, so I'd get that checked out before you do anything else too drastic.

[Snowdog]

I guess a question has to be asked, and that is, How well do you sleep? Is it a restful 6-8 hours, unfettered with wild and vivid dreams? Or do you have such dreams and also wake up periodicly through the night. I have some nights when sleep seems to be filled with wild dreams I wake up as tired as when I went to bed. Sleep Apnea can be another cause of fatigue.