Is anyone else planning to drastically change their sleep habits this school year?

[helena]

UGH!! Tomorrow is the first day of the rest of my life... :tongue_smilie:

 

I'm going to bed between 2-3am and waking up between 9-10 (I come from a long line of night owls). I know I need to give the early morning school/chores/life thing a real go.

I have high hopes about what this new schedule could do for us.

 

I've got an alarm clock (that works ;)) and I'm planning to drink coffee every day this week.

 

Starbucks... HERE I COME!!! :auto:

 

Anyone else in the same boat? What time are you planning to get up and start school? Are you a reformed night owl... are you glad you switched your schedule? Tips?

:bigear:

[julikins]

I'm working on this right now. My husbands work schedule change and the kids first day of school coincided, so now instead of going to bed at midnight and waking at 7:30-8:00, I'm going to bed (trying) at 10:00 and waking at 6, starting school by 8. It's been nice because the kids are done with most of their work by noon, then all that's left are read-alouds and some independent stuff. But I'm free to lay down for 20 minutes if I need it. I'm struggling making sure I go to bed on time though. But I really think it will be a big boost to our time efficiency and productivity, and general well-being as a homeschooling family. Hang in there and enjoy the change!

[mom31257]

I used to get up at about 8:30 during the school year. Last year, I started getting up at 6:30-6:40.

 

The motivation was to make my dh breakfast and get his lunch packed. He had a big schedule change last year in that the school day started 25 minutes earlier, and he had no planning period or break until lunch time. He is a type that is hungry all morning, so I knew he needed a bigger, protein filled breakfast. He also has insomnia, so I knew getting up earlier would be harder.

 

It was hard at first, but I adjusted and enjoyed it. I actually looked forward to it when he started again this year. I really enjoy the time being up before the kids. The problem I have is I'm still staying up too late (like 12-12:30). My goal is to be in bed no later than 11:00.

[elegantlion]

I don't know, but we've all had insomnia in the last year. My dh gets up early, ds and I are not morning people. I've briefly considered going to bed early, like 8pm and getting up at 4 am when the insomnia kicks in. that way I can get my stuff done without interruption.

 

We don't start school until 10am, two non-morning people don't mesh well before that.

[FO4UR]

I've been easing up my bedtime/wake-up time. I'd really like to reset my body to sleep 10:30-6:30.

[Parrothead]

Another trying to reform night owl here. We started school last week. In order to prepare getting up at 7a instead of 10a I started going to bed 15 minutes earlier than the previous night.

 

So on my first night I went turned off the light at midnight. I slept normally, got up late.

 

The next night I turned off the light at 11:45p. I slept normally and got up at the regular time.

 

After about the 4th day I was starting to get up earlier. By the day before school I was at a point where lights were out at 10p and I was up at 7a. This worked really well until Wednesday when I had an insomnia attack. That has taken me until today to get over. Tonight lights out will be at 10p again.

[helena]

Well, tonight I'm shooting for in bed by 11 and up at 7... :eek:

 

I think I need to learn how to nap as well. :001_smile:

[Paintedlady]

I'm a night owl as well, but have reformed myself. :tongue_smilie: Seriously, it's hard for me to go to bed at a decent time to get up early for homeschooling, but I have put myself on a schedule and I mostly follow it. Most days I'm up at 7 or 7:30, sometimes even earlier! It is possible. Good luck! :grouphug:

[Night Elf]

I'm no help. My dh and doctors have freaked about my sleeping habits. I'm being forced to go to bed by midnight and it's killing me! Well, it's making me very irritable at the very least. I hate it! To be honest, we aren't starting school work any earlier each day. I just spend my morning drinking coffee and being online. I can't function academically until afternoon.

 

However, I do think our days go great when we start by 1:00pm instead of our usual 3:30pm or 4:00pm. :tongue_smilie:

[MamaT]

I used to be a night owl, but have slowly trained myself to go to bed and get up earlier. Our school days go so much better when we get a good early start. I go to bed at 10:00 and have been getting up at 6:00. I'm about to back that up to 5:30 because my kids get up early and I need time to get my coffee and have some quiet time before I have to deal with other people.

[Robin M]

I'm a morning person but my son and husband are night owls. Hubby doesn't leave for work until 10:30 a.m. So I let kiddo sleep in til 9:00 and I have a couple hours to myself to read and write. We do lessons from 11:00 to 1:00 break for lunch, then do lessons until they are done for the day which is usually 3 or 4.

 

Any other schedule just doesn't work for us.

[TexasRachel]

Yup trying to get at bed tonight at a decent hour. I've got to take dh to work very early and hopefully I'll stay up. I know that when get up early my day is better and I get things done, but it's hard fighting my night owl tendencies.

[Sahamamama]

I'm trying to get to bed before 10:30 pm and up at 6:30 am.

 

Now, getting up at 6:30 am does NOT mean anything.... I'm up. Okay, now what? :lol:

 

My children are my alarm clock. :D

[Denisemomof4]

I'm also a night owl. While I thought I loved it, waking up REALLY early in the morning beats it BY FAR. I *LOVE* starting my day with quiet time before the kids awake. My goal for this year is to get up at 5:15 - 5:30, wake dd11 up by 6:00, and leave by 6:15 to go for a power walk. (dd8's legs are too short to keep up with us) We will be back in time or dh to leave for work, have breakfast, then start the school day.

 

I'm really looking forward to it.

[Stayseeliz]

I'm trying to get up earlier too. We start co-op on Thursday and we have to leave the house by 8:20 at the latest. I don't need to be up by 7 every day but I don't want to feel horrible all afternoon on Thursdays. My goal on most days is asleep by midnight up by 8ish. We will see though..

[Sputterduck]

I have planned to drastically change my sleep habits ever since I was a teenager. *ahem*

[Garga]

I used to go to bed at 9:30 and get up at 6:00. That was 9 years ago. I've been trying to get back on that schedule ever since!

 

(It's 10:30 right now.)

[Geo]

UGH!! Tomorrow is the first day of the rest of my life... :tongue_smilie:

 

I'm going to bed between 2-3am and waking up between 9-10 (I come from a long line of night owls). I know I need to give the early morning school/chores/life thing a real go.

I have high hopes about what this new schedule could do for us.

 

I've got an alarm clock (that works ;)) and I'm planning to drink coffee every day this week.

 

Starbucks... HERE I COME!!! :auto:

 

Anyone else in the same boat? What time are you planning to get up and start school? Are you a reformed night owl... are you glad you switched your schedule? Tips?

:bigear:

 

I've struggled with this for years. I've never been successful keeping "the early bird gets the worm" schedule, for any length of time. When it comes down to it, I do what I have to do...even when it means loss of sleep. The problem is, I still get a second wind in the evening and have a hard time making myself go to bed. It's as if I resist sleeping. Good luck ya'll. No help from me.

[twoxcell]

I need to do this too. Ever since my 4th baby was born and he didn't sleep well at all I have been a big night owl. I need to get the kids going to bed earlier and waking up earlier too. I generally have to drag the girls out of bed or they would sleep until 9:30 or later. I'm actually looking forward to fall back because it helps me get everyone an hour earlier.

[milovany]

I just found out today that my work schedule this semester is going to have me getting up at 4:15 a.m. on weekdays, starting work at 4:40! Eek! Eek! Ack! Starting tomorrow. <Thud> I typically don't go to bed until midnight but this is just going to have to change. I'll have to aim for 9 p.m. 10 at the very latest. The good news is I work from home, so I don't have to drive anywhere at that hour -- just have to make sure I wake up! And I plan to nap on MWF; on T/Th I work until 5 p.m. with only a couple of short breaks, so may not get a chance.

Edited September 6, 2011 by milovaný

[~Jo]

I am naturally a night owl - but it rarely ever happens anymore.

 

We are usually to bed around 10 and I'm up at 5:30 - sleeping in for me is to naturally wake up at 6:15 as I can rarely sleep later than that anymore no matter what time I go to bed - even 2 or 3 in the morning....I'm still awake by 6.

 

I have been in the habit now of getting up at that time to fix my dh breakfast and then workout for about 10 years now. So it is definitely a lifestyle change. I can revert back to being a night owl though if I'm given the chance.

 

The children have to up by 7 (my rule ;) ) to get their day started and we hit the books at 8:00.

[alpidarkomama]

I have planned to drastically change my sleep habits ever since I was a teenager. *ahem*

 

:lol:

 

Me too!

 

Hmmm...

 

I've been sleeping 2:30-8:30, but really want to switch it to 12:00-8:00. You think it wouldn't be too hard, but I *loathe* giving up those wonderfully peaceful evening hours!!!!!

[alpidarkomama]

The problem is, I still get a second wind in the evening and have a hard time making myself go to bed. It's as if I resist sleeping. Good luck ya'll. No help from me.

 

I get my BEST wind at around 10:00!! I go to bed kicking and screaming. I just can't give up the wind! :)

[lovelaughs_times_three]

UGH!! Tomorrow is the first day of the rest of my life... :tongue_smilie:

 

I'm going to bed between 2-3am and waking up between 9-10 (I come from a long line of night owls). I know I need to give the early morning school/chores/life thing a real go.

I have high hopes about what this new schedule could do for us.

 

I've got an alarm clock (that works ;)) and I'm planning to drink coffee every day this week.

 

Starbucks... HERE I COME!!! :auto:

 

Anyone else in the same boat? What time are you planning to get up and start school? Are you a reformed night owl... are you glad you switched your schedule? Tips?

:bigear:

 

Oh gosh! I am SOOOO with you! I'm glad I'm not alone. I just told myself that tonight I HAVE to go to bed no later than midnight and get up by 7:00. I know, from past experience, that our day goes sooo much better when we get an early start. I get so much more done before lunch than after lunch.

 

I know midnight still sounds late, but it's early for me. It will be hard for me to give up that extra time of peace and quiet. I LOVE the quiet time I get after everyone goes to bed.

 

I'm in there with you! Let's see how we do!

[GingerPoppy]

Ahhh, I've found my tribe!

 

I love my evening/night hours, I resist going to bed, I hate getting up early. When I go to bed really varies, but it's always past midnight. During the school year (ps), I didn't need to be up until 8:30. Now it doesn't matter, but I'm trying to reform. I'd really like to go to bed at 11:30 and be up at 7:30 or so to get a good start on the day. We have to finish homeschooling at a good hour, because then I tutor in the afternoons and evenings.

[lovelaughs_times_three]

I have planned to drastically change my sleep habits ever since I was a teenager. *ahem*

 

:lol::lol: Me too!

[Joker]

I'm in the same boat. When I've tried to get up before anyone else it seems they all have radar and wake up. :glare: I enjoy my alone time at night. So, if dh and the kids would go to bed at 6pm everything would be great. :tongue_smilie:

[lovelaughs_times_three]

Ok...it's 10:43ish here. It will be fun/funny to see who goes to bed at what time tonight! I'll check in with you later. I'm nowhere NEAR ready yet!

[Gailmegan]

I've been promising myself the same thing. It's 11:50 PM. So if I sign off now and floss/brush I might actually be asleep by midnight. I am in my jammies and I fall asleep very quickly. And midnight is better than 2 AM, right? Okay, well this thread is my motivation tonight. Nitey-nite!

[lovelaughs_times_three]

I've been promising myself the same thing. It's 11:50 PM. So if I sign off now and floss/brush I might actually be asleep by midnight. I am in my jammies and I fall asleep very quickly. And midnight is better than 2 AM, right? Okay, well this thread is my motivation tonight. Nitey-nite!

 

Night-Night Gailmegan! 1 down, how many more to go? :D

[iona]

I need to do this, but I have a hard time going to sleep when dh isn't home. That plus being a night owl means I end up staying up late and dragging all morning. Dh's schedule changes monthly. Every three months he works day shift, but the other two he works swing (home about 1 am) then night shift (leaves at 9 pm). His days off are always different too. Trying to keep any sort of schedule is very hard around here.

 

Good luck to all you ladies who are trying! May you not be too bleary-eyed.

[helena]

Ok...it's 10:43ish here. It will be fun/funny to see who goes to bed at what time tonight! I'll check in with you later. I'm nowhere NEAR ready yet!

 

 

It's 9:10 here and I feel like my day is just starting! :willy_nilly:

 

 

That can't be a good sign...

[*Lulu*]

My problem is that, while I am a night owl, I have a early bird in my flock. If I get up before 6, he will get up too. No matter how quiet I am, these kids have got some sort of "early mom detector" going that causes them to awaken almost as soon as I hit the kitchen.

 

In a perfect world I would go to bed at 12 or 1am and get up after 7:30am. Of course in a perfect world the laundry fairy would fold all the clothes piled on the couch, my kids would never interupt my sleep to ask me if I am sleeping in, and DH would not treat my lack of interest in what he eats before noon as a sign of indifference to his well-being. *sigh*

[milovany]

Ok...it's 10:43ish here. It will be fun/funny to see who goes to bed at what time tonight! I'll check in with you later. I'm nowhere NEAR ready yet!

 

Its 9:23 here and I'm in bed! I feel sleepy too. I so hope I sleep well and don't wake up every hour until 4:15 wondering if I missed my alarm. Good night!

[lovelaughs_times_three]

It's almost 11:40 now. Pout. I really don't want only 20 more minutes of this delicious, precious quiet time! I just wrote in another thread how my kids talk my ears off! No one is talking to me now. Do I really only have 20 minutes left?.......

[orangearrow]

Have been working on this for 3-4 years.

 

Am miserable failure.

 

:bored:

 

I'm much happier staying up until 2-3 am and waking up at 8-9 than I am going to bed at 11 and waking up at 6 or 7. That early morning sunshine really gets on my nerves, regardless of how "much" sleep I've had. :glare: Plus, I am a natural introvert, who is surrounded by people All. Day. Long. (granted, people I love completely and cherish thoroughly). And when I don't have a few hours all alone, I get a bit cranky.

 

To get the alone time in the morning, I would have to wake up at 4:30 and make breakfast and chit-chat with dh when he gets up at 5am. I don't want to chit-chat at 5 am, and neither does he. But, we'd both feel obligated. :laugh: Morning-Child is up between 6 and 6:30 every morning & she'd talk my ear off, having me all to herself every morning. And I wouldn't have the heart to tell her to Just Be Quiet and Pretend I Am Not Here. :blush:

 

So. Have officially given up said goal & feel nothing but relief. Am training kids to be on "normal people" schedule instead of their mother's insane one. Have two night owls out of the 3, but they manage to get to sleep by 11 and drag themselves out of bed by 7:30. Will work this year to get them to sleep earlier and have them wake up by 7 am, because I know they're going to be fighting this night owl gene for the rest of their lives, and it's better if they kick it now. :lol:

 

edited to add: My kids get school started by 8am, on their own (Morning-Child gets a head start). They know what to do...

[lovelaughs_times_three]

Ok. It's midnight. (actually 7 after). Do I be a good girl and go to bed right now, or do I watch another episode of White Collar.

 

Hmmmm......decisions, decisions!

[helena]

Ok. It's midnight. (actually 7 after). Do I be a good girl and go to bed right now, or do I watch another episode of White Collar.

 

Hmmmm......decisions, decisions!

 

Can you watch it in bed? :D

[lovelaughs_times_three]

Can you watch it in bed? :D

 

Ahhh!!! Yes! I can!!! Then I'm not really breaking my rule, am I??? After all, I didn't say I'd go to sleep by midnight......just that I'd go to bed! I like the way you think, Helena! ;)

[Kirch]

I've struggled with this for years. I've never been successful keeping "the early bird gets the worm" schedule, for any length of time. When it comes down to it, I do what I have to do...even when it means loss of sleep. The problem is, I still get a second wind in the evening and have a hard time making myself go to bed. It's as if I resist sleeping. Good luck ya'll. No help from me.

 

This is me EXACTLY!! I am nodding off after dinner, but once 10:00 hits, I'm ready to go, even if I only had 5 hours of sleep the night before. I haven't given up yet. I need to go to bed NOW--even 12:15 will be early!

[Annie Laurie]

I'd like to but not sure I can.

 

The problem is, I have a 9 mo old who is a terrible sleeper and so hard to get to sleep, that after multiple attempts, it's often 10 or 11 before we get him to sleep. Then he will wake up every hour or two and need to be patted or nursed back to sleep. Which means any time I get to work on something when he is finally asleep, is broken up by his awakenings, and before I know it it's 2 a.m. I really value even that small amount of broken up time because he is a very high-needs baby and is literally attached to me all day long. And I've always been a night owl anyway.

 

But otoh, I hate waking up at 10 am and then by the time our chores are done and we start school it's 11 and it feels like I've eaten into so much of the day and don't get half done that I wanted to.

 

I've been thinking about going to bed with the baby at 9 every night because he will definitely sleep and stay asleep if I lay with him, and then we could get up earlier and move his nap up, maybe then he'd reset himself where eventually he'd go to sleep at 9 without me and then I could have a few hours to myself and get to bed by 11 and get up by 7.

[Annie Laurie]

It's almost 11:40 now. Pout. I really don't want only 20 more minutes of this delicious, precious quiet time! I just wrote in another thread how my kids talk my ears off! No one is talking to me now. Do I really only have 20 minutes left?.......

 

This thread has been so comforting in a way. This is how I feel all the time. Maybe it's just a season and I will embrace it for now. Maybe.

[Kirch]

Ahhh!!! Yes! I can!!! Then I'm not really breaking my rule, am I??? After all, I didn't say I'd go to sleep by midnight......just that I'd go to bed! I like the way you think, Helena! ;)

 

 

Cheater, cheater . . . reading "just one more chapter" once I'm already in bed is half of my problem!! Okay, off to bed for real. Maybe. :tongue_smilie:

[lovelaughs_times_three]

Cheater, cheater . . . reading "just one more chapter" once I'm already in bed is half of my problem!! Okay, off to bed for real. Maybe. :tongue_smilie:

 

:lol:

 

 

 

 

 

Ok. I'm going to try for real! I'll check back in though if I get up there and end up just staring at the ceiling, unable to sleep. This happens to me a lot! Hopefully I won't be back til the morning! :001_smile:

[twoforjoy]

I'm generally a morning person, but today was my first early morning in a while. My new DS generally wakes for a feeding between 5 and 6 a.m., and since he's been born I've been going back to sleep after that feeding, and then DH gets the other kids breakfast and wakes me up right before he leaves for work (usually right around 9). But I've been feeling really, really sluggish lately, and need to start exercising regularly again (and the only time I can manage to do it regularly is if I do it first thing in the morning), and now two mornings a week I need to be out the door at 7:30 a.m. to teach my writing class.

 

So, I've decided that I need to just stay up after the baby's early morning feeding. I got into bed around 8:30 last night, but then read to ODS for about half an hour and then stayed up longer than I planned to reading my own book. The baby was up to eat at 5:15 this morning, we got out of bed around 5:30, and I exercised. Of course, the first morning is always the easiest for me. We'll see if I can keep this up for the rest of the week! At least I can manage to get in an hour-long nap in the afternoon.

[milovany]

It's 5:15 a.m. and I've been up for an hour. Slept pretty well, too. I'm just feeling ... I don't know what; overwhelmed isn't quite the right word; stunned? ... that I have to do this every day through Dec. 23 (and maybe next semester, too). :001_huh:

[mom2scouts]

I'm working on it. I got into the habit of late nights and late mornings. I know the day goes better when I start earlier, so I'm working on changing the sleep cycle.

[lovelaughs_times_three]

Ok. I'm up. But I'm not happy about it. Pout. Pout. Ugg! Not a fan of this early morning stuff. My eyes and my mind feel foggy. *sigh* I'll get some tea or something like that to drink, and it will slowly feel better.

 

But I did go to sleep close to my goal time. So maybe tonight I'll do even better.

 

How did you all do? What time did you end up going to sleep?

 

Good morning, all! :001_smile:

[Frontier Mom]

I've struggled with this for years. I've never been successful keeping "the early bird gets the worm" schedule, for any length of time. When it comes down to it, I do what I have to do...even when it means loss of sleep. The problem is, I still get a second wind in the evening and have a hard time making myself go to bed. It's as if I resist sleeping. Good luck ya'll. No help from me.

 

:iagree: It really didn't help when I found out Benjamin Franklin stayed in the pubs until 3 or 4 a.m. getting help for the American Independence Campaign when he penned this and never got up before 1 p.m. In his defense, he penned it under the pseudonym Poor Richard. But still, I have always been a night owl and honestly don't think I am very productive in the morning. I don't think I could keep up if I got up early and went to bed early.

[twoforjoy]

:iagree: It really didn't help when I found out Benjamin Franklin stayed in the pubs until 3 or 4 a.m. getting help for the American Independence Campaign when he penned this and never got up before 1 p.m. In his defense, he penned it under the pseudonym Poor Richard. But still, I have always been a night owl and honestly don't think I am very productive in the morning. I don't think I could keep up if I got up early and went to bed early.

 

Isn't the beauty of homeschooling that you don't have to?

 

I'm more of a morning person, so I like to get up early. And, I'm selfish and like time to myself, and really the only time I can get that is in the very early morning. But, if it worked for my family and I was a night person, I'd just plan my schedule with that in mind. I don't think there's any particular virtue in rising early.