My “strategy” consists of going to bed at a fixed time and a modern electronic alarm clock that is 100% reliable.
Go to bed at 8:00 p.m.
How early? When I had to get up at 5, it just sucked no matter what. At 7? Just do it for a couple of weeks until you can be sleepy at 11pm, it will work itself out.
It doesn’t just work itself out for everyone.
Sure, but it’s certainly the first thing to try. Get up when you need to, go to bed when you get sleepy. And I do think there is some “7:00” for everyone, some earliest time that can feel good, unless you have a literal sleep disorder, in which case asking the internet doesn’t seem like the best strategy.
Definitely the first thing to try, along with not looking at screens/the blue light spectrum.
Don’t forget that whatever method you adopt repetition and time are the most help. Like exercise or quitting smoking, eventually your body will get the message that now it’s time to go to sleep, and now it’s time to wake up. But it takes practice to make a habit. I heard once a habit takes on average 36 consecutive attempts, so expect at least a month or more before you don’t feel like you’re trying anymore and it just happens on it’s own.
Get up. Don’t fuck around with snooze, those few extra minutes don’t help.
Allow time to reward yourself for getting up. For me it’s word puzzles and coffee before I get ready.
There’s always going to bed earlier.
Doesn’t work for everyone.
Some people always go to bed early and wake up early. They complain if they sleep on because it is too far from their natural sleep cycle.
Some people go to bed late and wake up late and getting up early sucks even if they get the same number of hours of sleep.
Some people can adjust. Maybe even the majority of people can adjust. Not everyone is able to adjust.
Do you mean regularly or exceptionally?
If I need to get up early as an exception I just go to bed earlier and automatically tend to wake up before my early alarm.
My only strategy is to try to get enough sleep. Coffee provides less of an effect and more of a feeling of an effect.
You can’t make yourself sleep. You can make yourself get up. Force yourself to get up early the going to bed early part will take care of itself.
Oh and you should stop drinking liquids a couple of hours before bed. Unless your a man over 50, in that case if you want to sleep through the night you’ll have to avoid any fluids after Tuesday.
YMMV but personally, I’ve never found that no liquids thing to be good advice. My body seems to wake me up if I need to pee in between sleep cycles, and I have no problem getting back to sleep. But I can get busy and forget to drink enough, and then realize how thirsty I am as I’m getting ready for bed.
This is not the way.
Force yourself to get up early the going to bed early part will take care of itself.
Maybe for you, for me I get exhausted in the middle of the day, and when night rolls around I get a second wind that lasts until the wee hours anyway.
Make a clone of yourself to wake up early for you
My puppy. First thing at 0430, get up, take him out to pee, get dressed, go for a short walk, inside for training (all kibble is used to training), then hand him over to my wife at 0530. That hour really gets me going, but only because I want to give the puppy three best life, which also brings me joy!
No drinking definitely helps me.
Ignorance is what helps you.
Try Melatonin and Vitamin D about an hour before bedtime.
Melatonin is a hormone. Taking it consistently can fuck up your body’s natural production of it. It should be used sparingly.
Wait, why vitamin D before bed?
I thought your body produces it in response to daylight, so I always thought that should be taken in the day?
Actually, yeah, that may well be a “me” thing. I shouldn’t presume. It really helps me feel more alert in the morning when taken before bed, I’ve noticed, having tested just Melatonin and the two together repeatedly, but I shouldn’t presume everyone would need it. Though, it’s Vitamin D, so it probably won’t kill you.
- I just need a good 7 hours of sleep at least. You can’t cheat sleep duration. Eventually, you’ll need to catch up if you aren’t getting enough and it’ll compound the bad feeling.
- I fall asleep faster if I’ve had a drink, but not necessarily better. I might wake up in the middle of the night if I do.
- Pattern is important. If you usually wake up at 9 or 10am and want to wake up at 5 or 6am instead, you’ll probably have some meh feeling regardless, but the more you do it, the better it gets. Maybe consider moving your normal wake up time closer to the earliest times you want to wake up.
Wake up early consistently every day for at least a week before then. Also go to sleep early every day for a week before then.
If I might add: Jump out of bed the moment your timer goes off. No 8 timers to wake up bullshit. Just one. When it rings -> you’re already on your way to the bathroom.
It’s kinda inhumane the first few times but the shock will wake you up. You will be too preoccupied with shivering and can’t feel like shit.
This is not the way.
This is technically the best advice.
I just got back from 4 weeks in a +5 timezone and after a week home I’m still waking up at 5:00 fresh as a daisy.
So if you’ve got the money, time, inclination maybe go for a trip to help.
