PollyOR Posted September 16, 2009 Share Posted September 16, 2009 My body clock likes rising at 9am and going to sleep at 1am. My 14yo is taking an early morning class, and I'm now getting up at 5:30am. I am tired to the point where my body hurts all day. I do well in the morning mood wise but by the afternoon I start getting grouchy. By evening I'm an itch with a capital B! And my family thought PMS was bad :eek:. I've been going through this for a week. How long will it take before I feel half way normal again? Any advice to ease me through this? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clwcain Posted September 16, 2009 Share Posted September 16, 2009 After 10 years in the workforce, I've never adapted to a diurnal rhythm. YMMV But I'd suggest more water (sounds like you're getting dehydrated) and a siesta/riposo/early afternoon nap if at all possible. It's not, neither for my wife nor for myself, so you have our sympathy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissel Posted September 16, 2009 Share Posted September 16, 2009 My body clock likes rising at 9am and going to sleep at 1am. My 14yo is taking an early morning class, and I'm now getting up at 5:30am. I am tired to the point where my body hurts all day. I do well in the morning mood wise but by the afternoon I start getting grouchy. By evening I'm an itch with a capital B! And my family thought PMS was bad :eek:. I've been going through this for a week. How long will it take before I feel half way normal again? Any advice to ease me through this? Thanks! :lurk5: I have the same body clock, and I'm trying to make the same change in schedule :( What time are you going to bed? Are you still getting 8 hours, or are you "shaving a bit off the end," as we night owls are wont to do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PollyOR Posted September 17, 2009 Author Share Posted September 17, 2009 But I'd suggest more water (sounds like you're getting dehydrated) and a siesta/riposo/early afternoon nap if at all possible. Definitely! I'll give this a try. I've always struggled with wanting to drink enough water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unicorn. Posted September 17, 2009 Share Posted September 17, 2009 I can't help. Every summer I get up and have the kids at the pool for swim team by 7 am. I always think I'll be able to continue come fall, but no. I am a night owl. Always have been. It's who I am. Just wanted to say, I feel your pain! I hope you adjust better than I could. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PollyOR Posted September 17, 2009 Author Share Posted September 17, 2009 :lurk5: I have the same body clock, and I'm trying to make the same change in schedule :( What time are you going to bed? Are you still getting 8 hours, or are you "shaving a bit off the end," as we night owls are wont to do? Well...you know...some nights are better than others. For the most part I'm crashing between 9:30 and 10pm. I'm really, really tired around 6pm and then I get a second wind (I'm not exactly energetic but I'm not ready to tear anyone's head off). When I go to bed I'm physically tired, but my brain won't turn off. I tried this a couple of years ago and would awaken about 4am sleeping fitfully until 5:30am. Same thing is happening this time too. Maybe I should just take some NyQuil to get better sleep. I discovered it this summer. I slept like a baby for a few nights and realized I was still taking it even though the need had passed. But, that was the best sleep I had in ages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PollyOR Posted September 17, 2009 Author Share Posted September 17, 2009 I always think I'll be able to continue come fall, but no. I am a night owl. A couple of years ago, I did this for about three months. Fall hit and that was the end of that. Who can stay motivated on gray, rainy, overcast pacific northwest days? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loupelou Posted September 17, 2009 Share Posted September 17, 2009 Polly, Sorry no help here. I was doing the same thing with our 14 yr. old dd thankfully dh stepped up to the plate and did it for me. I told him I got up that early for 4 years as a teenager, plus all the years of public school mornings and none of that banished the night owl in me.:001_smile: I hope you can figure out something! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted September 17, 2009 Share Posted September 17, 2009 I'm wondering about this too. Help! I need ds up and doing schoolwork early so we can take dd to her Spanish class at the university. It's not going well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristusG Posted September 17, 2009 Share Posted September 17, 2009 Ugh, I'm a night owl too. I would love to stay up till 1 and 2 AM (and I did until a few weeks ago). But I NEED to get up early, before the kids, in order to do my exercises. If I wait until they get up, it is impossible to exercise. So I've been trying to go to bed by 10:45 or 11 each night. I hate it! I get up at 6 or 6:30 AM and I feel like I've been hit by a truck! I've been doing this for a few weeks now and I'm still hating it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbgrace Posted September 17, 2009 Share Posted September 17, 2009 I do think this stuff is in our genes and there is only so much you can do to adjust to operating differently than your wiring. I'm similarly wired. My suggestions to try to reset your clock and function better: Most important is melatonin. Take 1 mg of melatonin 30 minutes prior to an appropriate bedtime (allow 8 to 9 hours for sleep at night if at all possible). You can adjust the melatonin up or down depending on results. Too much leads to waking as it wears off and tolerance. Lowest effective dose is best. Melatonin helps most, but not all, people reset body clocks. Studies have shown this in pilots and others adjusting to new time zones. Expose yourself to bright sunlight as close to when you wake up as you can. This might not be possible long if at all in all areas but really does help reset the biological clock. We've used light bulbs that replicate the full spectrum in the past for this but that may be over the top for many. Avoid caffeine and any other stimulants after the morning. Avoid screen time in the hours leading up to your bedtime (my nemesis). The melatonin can help compensate for that fortunately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.