Daytime sleep deprivation when waking at 5AM / 530AM?

[LOA9]

I've taken on this challenge since 8/27/2011 (530AM). Starting 9/8/2011 (Thursday), I've been waking up at 5AM.

I've already enjoyed the benefits (goal oriented, confidence boost, head start on the day, no rush to work). I've slipped up twice (slept in) and could readily discern the difference.

But this sleep deprivation... i've had to resort to coffee sips during 7AM-1140AM (deliberately refraining beyond 12PM). I was having sleep deprivation even BEFORE this experiment.

[bluestar]

Totally understand!
If you are the sort of person who likes a good deep 8 hour sleep to feel at your best, then the answer really is you will have to get used to going to sleep at night at 9pm. if you aim to get up at 5.
Your best plan might be to deliberately go a whole night and ALL the next day with no sleep at all -just once. Then you sure will be ready to go to bed at 9! (absolutely no napping that day or it might not work) Then set your alarm for 5.
After that it might kick-start a new routine.

Do you find that even getting up really early and feeling tired in the day, you still find it hard to get to bed early? I know -I get that too sometimes.

[ENTP]

Originally Posted by bluestar

Totally understand!
If you are the sort of person who likes a good deep 8 hour sleep to feel at your best, then the answer really is you will have to get used to going to sleep at night at 9pm. if you aim to get up at 5.
Your best plan might be to deliberately go a whole night and ALL the next day with no sleep at all -just once. Then you sure will be ready to go to bed at 9! (absolutely no napping that day or it might not work) Then set your alarm for 5.
After that it might kick-start a new routine.

Do you find that even getting up really early and feeling tired in the day, you still find it hard to get to bed early? I know -I get that too sometimes.

The problem is, you get your second wind invariably when you planned to go to bed. I do at least.

[LOA9]

Hey guys, I did great today. I naturally woke up at 425AM although my goal was 5AM. I took 3 steps yesterday....

1) in the evening, i started feeling more alert. i then recalled all the tired feelings I felt during the afternoon. by submerging myself in those feelings, i undid the alertness

2) i abstained from all computer/internet activity starting at 7PM. all i did from there was read.

3) at 9PM, i went to bed and began reading "criminology for dummies" It's got the combination of being interesting yet a tad complex. i don't do well with boring books.

[SireneB]

One other thought would be to do breathing exercises when you first get up, they will energize you.

I started getting up at 5am for yoga 3 years ago, and on the very occasional day I sleep in until 6:30am (class cancelled, etc) I feel more tired - those are the only days I resort to caffeine any more. Yoga first thing, especially the breath exercises, give much more energy and better lasting energy than caffeine ever did.