Dizzy and I are always happy to sleep the morning away, especially as we feel sleepy all the time with our fatigue anyway. But we have realised that on the days where we do get up earlier, we do actually get more done. 🙂 The other issue is that we always require a nap in the afternoon, so if we get up late and then nap all afternoon, there’s not much of the day left to do the things that we need to. 🙂 With this in mind Dizzy and the donkeys have been off finding ways to help us be more morningy. 🙂
Get more sleep
This is one that Dizzy and I can surprisingly neglect (as we do spend a rather large proportion of our lives sleeping!). But because we often feel slightly more awake in the evenings it can lead to us going to bed later than we should. Which results in us sleeping badly (because our minds are still all busy), and waking up feeling even more sleepy than usual. :/ For this reason we have been exploring ways of helping us to relax and wind down in the evening, instead of making our minds go at a hundred miles an hour. 🙂 Luckily there are lots of methods for this to help, and to help us fall asleep earlier. Having a nice, hot bath is one way to relax your body and to help get it ready for sleep. You can also promote the production of melatonin (the sleepy hormone) by using fragrances, such as lavender (which also smell lovely), and by also turning off all screens a couple of hours before you go to bed, as these can trick your brain into thinking it’s still daytime. There are even melatonin pills for those that feel they need a supplement to help.
Set your alarm to your sleep cycle
Dizzy’s getting technical now! But when we sleep, we go through cycles of light and deep sleep (a whole sleep cycle usually last around 90 minutes, where we pass through 5 different stages). Waking up suddenly whilst you are in deep sleep can often leave you feeling groggy, and just abit rubbish in general, because your body is less ready to wake up. By setting your alarm clock to wake you up at your lightest point in the sleep cycle, you’ll be able to wake up much more easily and feeling (hopefully) fresher. To help you can use apps such as Sleep Cycle, which can monitor your sound and movement through the night and wake you up when you are in light sleep (how clever is that!). You simply set the time in which you want to wake up and the alarm clock will choose the lightest point within thirty minutes of this. 🙂
Invest in some morning luxuries
Having some luxuries in the morning definitely helps Dizzy and I to get abit more motivated. Dizzy just requires a few extra ginger nut biscuits. 🙂 But you could try investing in some other luxuries too. If you love coffee you could consider taking out a Two Chimps coffee subscription allowing you to enjoy a cup of luxury coffee. Meanwhile, on a cold morning, you could consider ways of making your home cosier (as it does feel pretty much impossible to get up on cold, dark mornings). You could also consider doing a little bit of meditation of yoga (in bed) to help clear your mind for the day. 🙂
Give yourself time in the morning to relax
Rather than rushing around and getting all stressed out, give yourself enough time in the morning to relax. This could be watching TV, reading or even taking a long hot bath. I use to not be so keen on this one, as it does mean waking up a little earlier, and Dizzy and I don’t do it on the days where we don’t have much to do, but if we do have work or an appointment, it can really help us to start the day feeling much more calm, rather than stressed before we have even left the house.
Do some morning exercise
If you’re not a morning person (like Dizzy and I) the idea of getting up early and having a workout may sound like one of the worse things ever! But exercise can be really good for helping with energy levels throughout the day. This can depend on you, and especially if you are living with a chronic illness, but my nurse recommended me doing a little each morning to help and it really does. And on the days where even that is a little too much, we do some simple yoga in bed (mostly lying down ones 🙂 ).
Are you are morning bird or a night owl? And what are your tips for helping you to get up in the mornings? 🙂 xxx
Great tips Heather and Dizzy. I really love a bath in the early evening and getting into my pjs. I am a morning person but my rising time gets later in winter. 🌼 xx
I love a bath too. I’ve started using salts too in the bath, even more relaxing! ❤then i get tucked up into bed with a good book. I 😊xxx
Perfect. xx
I’ve always been a night owl, and one of the symptoms of my illness (ME) is unrefreshing sleep, so I really struggle with getting out of bed as well! Haven’t found a good solution for it yet, but that Sleep Cycle app sounds really useful. Think I’m gonna give that a try!
It’s really difficult. I’m the same, waking up feeling refreshed is a thing of the past, but waking up when I’m in a heavy sleep definitely makes it worse! X Let us know how you get on with the app. 💕xxx
Very funny photos!
Hehe, thanks Cathy. ❤ xxx
Im better in the morning and fizzle as the day goes on.
The afternoons are not good at all, but as long as I nap through it, the evening is not too bad. 🙂but I have to have about a 2 hour nap. Xxx
I’m a night owl and I’ve no tips because I currently suck at getting up in the morning. 🙂 I feel very unwell in the mornings but as the day wanes on it does get a bit better, thankfully. I do enjoy my first cup of tea the most. It’s a great way to start the day, peacefully.
I’m sorry the mornings are rubbish for you, but glad it gets abit better as the day goes on. x I always feel worse in the mornings than when I go to bed. It never makes any sense to me, as even after a good nights sleep, I always think that should surely be a good thing and make me feel abit brighter? But coupe of hours nap in the afternoon and I can feel loads better after it. xxx
It is curious. Three hours sleep or eight and I feel no different. One thing I’ve noticed since wearing a Fitbit is that the more deep sleep I get, which isn’t much (well below what’s average), the better I feel. I’ve been wondering if a lack of deep sleep somehow contributes to these illnesses. The brain flushes I think during deep sleep and maybe the lack of flushing isn’t helping our cause? I dunno. One thinks through a million scenarios trying to figure it all out. 🤔😊 Happy weekend🌻
That is interesting. I don’t have a fitbit so I’m not actually aware how much deep sleep I have, but it does make sense, as the deep sleep is what we need the most. Is there anyway of helping to get more deep sleep though? x Happy weekend to you too! 🙂 xxx
The narrative with the photos here really tell your story – Dizzy on the bed with the dinosaur pics on it really made me smile Heather. Dizzy and friend doing yoga also made me smile. Try some warm milk with some honey before bed – you’re not taking any medication that way and the warm milk will make you nod off very soon and into dreamland. I can’t try the app as I don’t have a smartphone … yes, I am dinosaur. 🙂
Hehe, we love that dinosaur blanket. It’s very soft too! 🙂 And we shall try the warm milk with honey. I’ve never tried that before! 🙂 Thank you. xxx
It is sweet – I like it. My mom was on different meds and she sometimes had problems sleeping and getting a good night’s sleep so was told to do that – it was not something that interfered with any medications and she slept like a log.
I sleep so much better if i have a bath, bliss. I actually stopped using an alarm clock about a year ago, i now naturally wake up at about 6.30am and I feel much better than being rudely woken by the alarm clock.
Baths really are bliss. 🙂 And it is funny how our bodies get into a natural pattern of waking themselves up at the same time. So clever. You wake up early though! xxx
Great post and pictures as always! Thank you Heather and Dizzy! 🤗
Thank you Christy. 🙂 xxx
Great advice! (Clearly you don’t have cats or you’d know you get up when their tummy clocks tell them it’s “kitty food time”!)
Hehe, no, no cats! 🙂 Just dogs, and they never seem that keen to get up too early. 🙂 I hope they at least alert you in a gentle way that it’s their breakfast time? 🙂 xxx
Mostly! A little kitty massage mostly, walking on me up and down my body till I rfeact….
Aww, see that sounds quite sweet now! 🙂 A little kitty massage. xxx
It is a pleasant way to wake up most days. If I ignore them too long, they know a little butt-in-fce or claws helps make the point.
I’m great in the morning and the night as well…but those hours in between that’s another story….lol!! Around 1:30-2 pm I start drooping but I get my second wind I am usually pretty good till I go to bed.
2pm is my afternoon nap time! 🙂 I get a second wind, but only if I have my nap then. 🙂 xxx
I’ve always been a night owl haha I found it so difficult to get up 😂 Having a routine and an alarm is important I think. Thank you for sharing ❤️
Hehe, so have I. I’ve never been a morning bird, but my getting up time has definitely been getting later and later… 🙂 xxx
Sleep late,the is shorter- suits me fine😬
xxx
Again, really great info given in a billiant way. Love readying your blog.
Thank you so much. We’re so glad you enjoy reading it. xxx
Hmm – my comment from yesterday may be in cyberspace … I had suggested drinking warm milk and honey. I get e-mails from a newletter called “Eat This-Not That” and I saw this paragraph which may be of use to you Heather for making you fall asleep faster:
During the colder months, your circadian rhythm may be thrown off by the decrease of natural light. This might make it harder to sleep at night and to stay on top of your game at work during the day. Research shows that chamomile tea not only brings on better sleep but also improves your cognitive functioning during your waking hours, too.
Here is the link – the paragraph is within – I will forward the entire e-mail to you as well. It is the #1 item. Actually the story was about brain fog and I get that sometimes, especially if I’m doing something boring – I just tune out a little (or a lot). 🙂
https://www.eatthis.com/foods-for-brain/?utm_source=nsltr&utm_medium=email&utm_content=foods-for-brain&utm_campaign=etntNewsletter
We’ve found it! Thank you. I got brain fog sometimes too, so this will be really helpful! 🙂 xxx
Good – I worry that maybe it ended up in cyberspace somehow – I’ve done that before and then you’ve written something and it vanishes off the screen. I have a Facebook friend and she rarely if ever uses e-mail anymore – all Facebook. And I know her from high school and it’s been years since I saw her, but we will get into a conversation on Facebook and I’ve hit a stray key and lost a long conversation I was typing. Sometimes I just type something long in Word so it doesn’t get lost. I’m glad you found the article interesting. That site is super as you can go on the website and it is searchable (https://www.eatthis.com/) and it is on Twitter too.
I’ve done that too! There’s been times when I’ve typed out a massive reply and then it’s just disappeared! It always takes me a few moments to recover from the experience. 🙂 The typing out in word is a great idea! xxx
I hate that – it is the worst Heather! I know I’ve done it several times on Facebook with my friend Carol and it is very frustrating. If I have a lot to say, I open up Word and type it there and cut-and-paste it. But I’ve been here and forgotten to hit “send” and just hit return like in Facebook and come back and see the comment is still there. Gee, you have to be on your toes all the time!
These are great tips. I’m not much of a morning person. These may help. 😘
Let us know how you get on with them. 🙂 xxx
Great tips! This will help me sleep as I have trouble sleeping at night.
I hope some of these help. 🙂 xxx