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Early awakenings - Why can I never sleep in?

R

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Bluelighter
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Feb 20, 2009
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A couple weeks ago I finished an internship that required me to get up at 7 to work 9-5 and began school. While I was working, my body began waking itself up at 5 or 6 every morning, even on the weekends. I still can't seem to get out of this rhythm, even though it's been weeks.

I'm going to bed a little later and waking up a little later now, but I still wake up on most days before the sun is fully up. I can't describe how frustrating this is. I lay in bed for hours after waking up every day, trying to go back to sleep. I've tried taking melatonin before bed, and once waking back up but it didn't seem to help.

I never had such a regular sleep schedule until I began working this summer, and I now want to get out of it and get back to getting 10 hours of sleep a night rather than 6. What would happen if I stayed up really late one night? What will it take to get my body to forget my old circadian rhythm?
 
we probably start up a thought process or inner-dialog before we think we wake up, and this getting to you as it rightfully should, would probably be a nagging contributing part of any pre-waking thoughts - so try not to worry about it too much
;-)
and - try being more active and eating larger meals in the evenings...
 
Unfortunately as you get older, your body begins to adapt to waking up earlier and it becomes extremely difficult to get back into a later sleep pattern. When I was growing up my dad could never wake up later than 6, normally waking up around 4. Just start going to bed at different times, hopefully you'll find one that works well for you.
 
I'm only 20 years old and I lift weights and consume 4000 calories daily. I didn't have this problem until I started waking up at 7 every day for work. As I mentioned, that internship is over and I'd really like to sleep later now that I'm in the school year. I never had such a set circadian rythym before, and I don't like having one, since I get more sleep and feel much better and less lethargic without one.

I'm curious about what the effects of staying up very late one night would be, and whether it would disrupt this annoying cycle. Any idea?
 
I don't think there'd be any long-term ramifications of staying up quite late to force yourself to sleep in, but what's the issue with going to bed a little bit earlier? I too am up before sunrise most days because of my work schedule this summer, of getting up around 5 or 6a to work at 8. Now I'm stuck in this habit of getting up around 6a, but I just make sure I'm in bed by 9p. And for the times I can't make sure I'm in bed by 9, like when I'm hanging out with my girlfriend, I deal with the lethargy the next day--Which isn't really that bad for the first day.
 
addictivepersona said:
I don't think there'd be any long-term ramifications of staying up quite late to force yourself to sleep in, but what's the issue with going to bed a little bit earlier? I too am up before sunrise most days because of my work schedule this summer, of getting up around 5 or 6a to work at 8. Now I'm stuck in this habit of getting up around 6a, but I just make sure I'm in bed by 9p. And for the times I can't make sure I'm in bed by 9, like when I'm hanging out with my girlfriend, I deal with the lethargy the next day--Which isn't really that bad for the first day.
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There are two problem with simply going to bed earlier. Now that my body has learned this circadian rythym, if I go to bed earlier I wake up early. Over the summer when this was actually useful, I'd sleep from 11-5, even though I didnt need or want to be up until 7. Also I'm in college and have mostly afternoon classes so I'd like to push my sleep schedule back since the nights are more useful than mornings for me.

Until this summer I'd typically get 10 hours of sleep regardless of when I went to sleep. I want nothing more than to get back to that.
 
It's simply what you're used to. It might take a long time to get back to a sleep schedule of waking up later rather than earlier. I personally usually wake up early because of work schedule setting my internal clock. If you want to sleep in something that helps me is blocking all the light out of my bedroom. Put thick sheets or something over your windows so the morning sun doesn't wake you up!
 
You're waking up early since that's what you're used to getting up at.

I wake up pretty much nightly at 4AM or I have been recently since my cat has been howling and waking me up then and even when he doesn't do that I wake up then since I'm used to.

I've had other times when I would wake up at certain times in the morning/mid afternoon or late afternoon depending on my sleep cycle.
 
my body's idea of sleeping in is 6-700a but usually I am awake before my alarm goes off at 6a during the week
I get about 7 hours every night and that feels good to me
wait until you get older, dude
 
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