For all of you who have sleep probs or just can't seem to get up, how do you do it?
I've suffered from insomnia for as long as I can remember and can now fall asleep around midnight, but it's not a sound sleep. That dosn't happen until 4 or 5 and then I can't get up in the am.
There are times when I'm going to have to be in class or somewhere at 6am and I just can't seem to find a good trick to waking myself up. If you let me, I'll hit the snooze for an hour even though I know it's not good for me!
Does anyone have any suggestions? I'm not a coffee drinker and sleeping pills make me feel worse! I do exercise and I've been to sleep clinics...I end up with them saying I'm just a night person, well, that's not gonna work for school!
BTW-when I'm a nurse, it's nothing but nights for me!
I have three alarm clocks all around my bed...all set to go off around 5 minutes of each other. I did that partly because I needed a battery-operated one in case of a power failure during the night, but also because I tend to sleep through an alarm clock. I get the loudest, most obnoxious alarm clocks I can find.
Babs, you are not alone. I have a dual alarm across the room & another by my bed all set a few minutes apart & all are loud & obnoxious.
Specializes in Stroke Rehab, Elderly, Rehab. Ortho.
Originally posted by SnowieRN
I trick myself since I know in the morning I wont be paying attention.. first.. set your alarm clock +20mins. So when you set it to wake up at 5am, it will really be 4:40am. Next, always set it way before time to get up, that way you wake up, hit snooze, and then it seems like you got sleep in Works for me anyways..
I have severe insomnia d/t pain, but I still wake at 0700. My shrink told me that in order to maintain your inner clock you can't make up lost night time sleep by stretching it into the daytime hours. If I can't sleep then I get up. He said not to read in bed or watch TV. Bed is only for two things.....
Sometimes I will take a Melatonin if I really need to get some sleep for something big the next day. Otherwise my internal clock is set for 0700.
Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.
I don't. I work 3-11, stay up till 1 or 2 AM and watch TV or play on the computer to wind down. Usually get up around 9 or 10. This suits me just fine, I've hated mornings since I was a teenager, and now I can obey my own circadian rhythms instead of the rest of the world's.
I just don't function well in the morning which is why I work nights. I don't know what to tell you, have you thought about talking to your doctor about a sleeping medication?
I have suffered from "chronic insomnia" my entire adult life. I tried everything- good sleep hygiene, aromatherapy, herbal teas, meditation, warm baths, yoga, reading good books, reading boring books, watching the same movie every night (that worked for a while), white noise, blah blah blah. When my sleep deprivation became so severe that I started seeing things that weren't there, I got myself an Rx for sleeping pills.
Took those, off & on, for 3+ years. Started with Sonata, which worked well for a short period of time but eventually just made me hallucinate, then moved on to Ambien, which at times worked really well but tended to leave me feeling hung-over in the morning. Made getting up very difficult. Throwing myself in a cold shower worked on the sleepiest mornings! Following the alarm clock tricks already discussed in this thread worked too.
Finally I graduated nursing school and got a job working evenings, and now nights. I stopped fighting my natural sleep clock. Problem solved! Unless of course I have to get up in the middle of my night for a mid-day meeting
When I have trouble sleeping I take the herb Valerian (half the amount suggested) and that works pretty well within the hour.
As for when I have to get up at 5AM in pitch darkness, I put a bright lamp next to my bed & set it on a timer that goes on 10 minutes before my alarm clock does. This really makes a difference for me, but I am a light sleeper.
I set my t.v. timer to turn the t.v. on the weather channel or the news channel at least fifteen minutes before my alarm goes off. I usually get out of bed before the alarm sounds because my bladder is telling me if I don't get up and empty it, it will do it for me. :rotfl: So then I'm up and at 'em whether I feel like it or not.
I do the same as snowie and sue. I set my clock beside my bed 20 to 30 mins fast, and always set the alarm about 20 mins before I really have to be out of bed. When it goes off, I turn on my tv and listen, then watch, until I get more woke up. Then I can ease on out of bed. Just seeing the late time in my dazed state, seems to fool me.
Oh, and I use my snooze alarm every morning.
I never could understand how some people can just reach over, turn off the alarm, and jump right out of bed. I envy them, but just don't understand it.
Periodically, I will take Benadryl 50mg, if I really feel like I need it. Works everytime for me.
Exercise and melatonin have been a godsend for me. The melatonin doesn't "knock you out" like a sleeping pill does, it just naturally helps to "reset" you're body's sleep schedule back to normal. NOT recommended for night shift workers though.
It also took me a good 2-3 months for my body to readjust after working nights/rotating shifts for years.
Good lick iliel and let us know how you are doing.
I would ask myself, (not trying to step on toes and you can ignore this if it doesn't fit) what is it I don't want to face or don't want to do that day?
It's just that this much difficulty getting up in the a. m. seems to me, to boild down to something I don't want to deal with.
We all have the kind of night you describe from time to time. If i am having it all the time there is a another underlying problem in my life. (maybe it is just me)
I would ask myself, (not trying to step on toes and you can ignore this if it doesn't fit) what is it I don't want to face or don't want to do that day?
It's just that this much difficulty getting up in the a. m. seems to me, to boild down to something I don't want to deal with.
We all have the kind of night you describe from time to time. If i am having it all the time there is a another underlying problem in my life. (maybe it is just me)
I know I can choose to ignore this, but I won't. Unless you live the way some of us do, with REAL sleeping problems, you have no idea what it's like.
I'm sorry, but how rude. I've seen many pro's regarding sleep problems. This has been going on with me since I was very little. My grandmother was the same way. There is nothing in my life that I don't want to face!!!!
Works for me anyways.. 
valk
73 Posts
Babs, you are not alone. I have a dual alarm across the room & another by my bed all set a few minutes apart & all are loud & obnoxious.
This usually gets me out of bed on time.