Have u suffered from 'I need to wake up early but can't get to sleep!' before?

@poohgal (6845)
Singapore
April 11, 2009 3:37am CST
I used to suffer from that quite a lot. I have always been nocturnal. I prefer sleeping late and waking up late to sleeping early and waking up early. However, there are times when I need to wake up extremely early (ie. 5am). When that happens, I will try to sleep early the night before. I need to do so as I get cranky when I do not get enough sleep. Anyway, my efforts were usually futile as I would toss and turn on my bed for hours and couldn't get to sleep. Sometimes, I even end up sleeping later than I usually do. I really hate it when 'I need to wake up early but can't get to sleep!'. Have you suffered from this syndrome before?
10 people like this
51 responses
@abanerji (1026)
• India
11 Apr 09
hey poohgal! even i have a habit of sleeping very late at night. it is not a good habit at all. most of th time i get up late in the morning and then have to rush for for work. when i have to reach early then the day is just ruined because i feel tired. at times i take a nap in the evening but this is neither possible every day nor it is advisable to take naps in the evenings. we need t change habits, i guess, but if i am not surfing the net at night then i end up reading a book but sleep is far- far away.
@poohgal (6845)
• Singapore
13 Apr 09
Yea. I now. I never read books at night as it will make me sleepy. Maybe I should start reading and I can get to sleep earlier.
@Reyah23 (640)
• Philippines
11 Apr 09
Yes i always suffer from that syndrome. Specially now that i spend time on the internet at night. I can't control myself, eventhough i needed to sleep early to be able to come to the office early, i cannot leave my computer.
@poohgal (6845)
• Singapore
13 Apr 09
Haha.. Yea! I only use the internet at night too. I find myself spending too much time on the internet sometimes too.
@MsTickle (25180)
• Australia
16 Apr 09
This happens to me at the worst time ....like when I have to drive a client to hospital the next day...a four hour trip then home again. I need all my wits about me and with no sleep...or very littlw broken sleep....driving can be quite dangerous.I take barley sugar to keep my sugar levels up...stops me from being tired.
1 person likes this
@MsTickle (25180)
• Australia
18 Apr 09
Your blood sugar levels drop to the lowest point at between 2 and 3 pm. If you have some chocolate or a sweet, it will revive you brilliantly. I just have one sweet when I begin to get the yawns. Yes, it works. Drinking water can also fight fatigue. Being even slightly dehydrated puts the body under stress and it starts to go into sleep mode to recover. It makes sense, doesn't it?
@poohgal (6845)
• Singapore
20 Apr 09
I think I'm weird. Sweets make me feel sleepy. Only those minty sweets/lozenges help to perk me up a little.
1 person likes this
@poohgal (6845)
• Singapore
17 Apr 09
Does that really work? When I have too much sugar, I seem to get tired. For example, I usually feel sleepy after lunch time. Exercising does help me to stay awake.
1 person likes this
@ajit25 (1008)
• India
11 Apr 09
Hi phoogal! I have faced this type of sleeping disorder many times, its really annoying situation when i have to wake up early in the morning but i can not sleep. Sometimes i read books, or listen to music before going to bed but its not works all time. What i supposed it may be due to i am working long hours front of computer and busy in online stuff.
@poohgal (6845)
• Singapore
13 Apr 09
Reading books usually work for me. I hate reading and reading makes me sleepy. However, when I need to wake up early the next day, even reading books don't work.
1 person likes this
@ajit25 (1008)
• India
13 Apr 09
I have been advised to use noise maker, its a device which produces natural sound to help sleeping
@ajit25 (1008)
• India
15 Apr 09
You can purchase it from amazon
@indahfth (11161)
• Indonesia
13 Apr 09
I have never suffered like you syndrome. I very easy to sleep and wake up earlier. I always wake up 4 am.
1 person likes this
• Singapore
14 Apr 09
I think it's all in the genes, hehe.
1 person likes this
@poohgal (6845)
• Singapore
13 Apr 09
@indahfth (11161)
• Indonesia
14 Apr 09
why? no reason?
@enciel (368)
• Philippines
11 Apr 09
i am the same as you lol i am nocturnal, anyway i experience that kind of thing a lot especially when there's a certain event for tomorrow that i really have to sleep early so i wake up early but when i do that i just move around restlessly around my bed. i think one cause of that would be either i am too excited for tomorrow or nervous of what is gonna happen tomorrow. But yeah that thing happens to me a lot XD
2 people like this
@poohgal (6845)
• Singapore
13 Apr 09
Yea.. I guess I'm not nervous about not being able to wake up on time.
@ahgong (10064)
• Singapore
8 May 09
You are not alone my friend. It happens to me all the time. And I would be so frustrated! There are some ways to get yourself to sleep early. Try eating some apples. Green ones are the best! If that doesn't work, a glass of warm milk always does the trick for me. If that still doesn't work, then couching out in front of the TV with some boring soaps like shakespere's plays would help.
@ahgong (10064)
• Singapore
14 May 09
They are not that sour. My favorite way to consume green apples are juicing it and adding some sour plums to it! Very nice and refreshing. And definitely a good way to getting the zzz monster to visit you!
@poohgal (6845)
• Singapore
8 May 09
Apples? Green apples? I never heard of that method before. I never like green apples as I find them too sour. I have heard of milk method before but I'm always too lazy to make my milk warm. I think boring soaps work well. So do boring books.
1 person likes this
@Loverbear (4918)
• United States
12 Apr 09
I am a nocturnal person too. I schedule all my appointments for afternoons, which are my mornings. I tell people NOT to schedule me for anything in the morning if I'm not getting paid for it. The ONLY times I get up early is when I have to make the 5 hour drive to go to Stanford hospital and when I serve on the elections board. Those nights I try to get to sleep early and have the same problem. I finally got a sleeping pill from my doctor that will relax me to the point of going to sleep but it allows me to wake up at the time I need to get up. If I tried to do it on my own, I would simply have to stay up the whole time rather than toss and turn in bed! Too bad that the elections and the trips to Stanford aren't able to be scheduled at night .
1 person likes this
@poohgal (6845)
• Singapore
13 Apr 09
Haha.. Same here. I start work late and end work late too.
@poohgal (6845)
• Singapore
19 Apr 09
Haha.. same here!! I get much more done at night.
• Philippines
30 Dec 09
Hello poohgal! Years back, I have been of a night person. Because of that, I really do not get to sleep that early even if I needed to wake up early the next day. Recently though, I found myself sleeping earlier in the evening. Well of course that is if I do not have to accomplish some paperworks until late at night. There are still instances when I can't sleep early even if I need to wake up early the next day.
1 person likes this
@poohgal (6845)
• Singapore
22 May 10
It's good to sleep early. I'm still trying to acquire that habit but it's still kind of difficult.. Thanks for sharing.
@kun2349 (23381)
• Singapore
12 Apr 09
lol =D YEah, i'm just like u.. I'm someone whom likes to sleep late and waking up late.. BUt even if i were to sleep early, i will still prefer to wake up late too, because it's my habit now.. lol =D For a case of 'I need to wake up early but can't get to sleep!', it always happens to me when my ICT starts.. lol =D Imagine i'm someone whom always been sleeping at 2-3am and waking up at 11am, i have to totally change my sleeping pattern and wake up at 6am instead.. lol =D Most of the time, i just give up, and sleep as per normal, for i will catch up on my sleep when i reach my camp.. lol =D
1 person likes this
@poohgal (6845)
• Singapore
13 Apr 09
Haha.. You sleep for 10 hours usually. I'm so envious. Anyway, it just happened to me this morning! A long Easter weekend and I found it difficult to sleep last night. Obviously it was difficult for me to wake up too.
1 person likes this
@kun2349 (23381)
• Singapore
14 Apr 09
lol =D Dun be envious for i sleep as hard as i'm working, and thus it's equal.. hehe ^_^ haha, with long weekends, it's always like that and everybody faces the same problem like u do ^_^ After all, it's a public holiday and who will wanna wake up early in the morning only to end the day just like any other day.. haha =D U will recover and be back to normal within these two days or so ^_^ hehe
• Philippines
17 Apr 09
ALL. THE. TIME. I'm insomniac. My body refuses to sleep until certain wee hours in the morning, even when I've been striving to familiarize myself with an 8am waking schedule. In the end, what happened is that I get to sleep at about 3-4AM and wake up at about 6-7AM. In order to have more hours to rest, I usually take catnaps so that my body won't burn itself out. I've tried using meds to sleep before, but I can't rely on them too much. I still have an uncommon body clock, but I'd like to think it works for me. xD
1 person likes this
@poohgal (6845)
• Singapore
18 Apr 09
What? Only 3 - 4 hours of sleep? That's certainly not enough. You should get more sleep! Try to mediate before sleeping. It might help.
@poohgal (6845)
• Singapore
18 Apr 09
typo ** meditate
• China
13 Apr 09
Yes, i encounter the problem that you described sometimes. In order to get up early in the next morning, i will go to sleep one hour or more eraly than usual, but i find myself can't get to sleep as soon as i expect, then i just lie on the bed and count the sheeps with my eyes closed, this feeling is not so good, hope that i can get some method useful for me from this topic.
1 person likes this
@poohgal (6845)
• Singapore
13 Apr 09
Counting sheep doesn't work for me. Does it work for you? Some members here suggest drinking milk, aromatherapy and sleeping pills. I think the first 2 methods are good.
• China
14 Apr 09
It works for me in most times, agreed with you, i think talking pills to help someone to go to sleep seems not so good for the body. Have a nice day.
• United States
17 Apr 09
I would rather be up at night for the most part but I have to be able to wake up and take the kids to school and then spend the rest of the day with the baby so I have tried to make myself sleep at night. Sometimes I have no problems with it because Im so tired but other nights I just cant sleep and I know I have to get up early. Even on weekends we have to be up early for games and stuff....I would rather be able to stay up late though
1 person likes this
@poohgal (6845)
• Singapore
18 Apr 09
Is that your kids? So adorable. It must be tough raising kids. My colleague recently gave birth and she could only get 2 - 3 hours of sleep a day. I can never survive with that little sleep. I need 10 hours of sleep!!
@atv818 (1980)
• United Arab Emirates
22 May 10
Yes, I do! It is really frustrating that this happens right before a very important meeting or event. The reason for this is that your body is in a panic mode that you might not get up on time. To fix this, I make sure that I have two alarms and would repeat to myself that everything will be okay and I just need to relax so I can wake up on time. It works 80% of the time. Why don't you give it a try? Calm down, assured yourself that everything will be fine and doze off. Good luck.
1 person likes this
@poohgal (6845)
• Singapore
26 May 10
Yea.. usually an over active mind is the main cause of insomnia. It's important to calm down and not think too much. Thanks for sharing.
• United States
13 Apr 09
Oh yes and I hate when that happens. I usually can't go to sleep any earlier than my usual time frame anyway. I just have to try to fall asleep and hope my body wants to get up early. LOL And most of the time when I need to get up early is when my body just doesn't want to fall asleep that night before. Thankfully I don't have to wake up early like that often so when I can't get to sleep I just try to sleep in a little the next morning.
1 person likes this
@poohgal (6845)
• Singapore
14 Apr 09
Same here. Thank God it doesn't happen very often for me too.
• Singapore
14 Apr 09
Hi pooh, Sure I have. Like you, I am a creature of the dark. Having to wake up early means either sleeping early to get enough rest or skipping sleep altogether. The latter is quite drastic and I don't usually like to resort to that. So what I do is try to sleep early. But since I am not "supposed" to sleep so early, I still have lotsa energy in me and it can be quite impossible to sleep. If you always have to wake up early, then you have to set the larky pattern and be a sleep-early-waky-early person.
1 person likes this
@poohgal (6845)
• Singapore
14 Apr 09
Sometimes I'll think of doing the latter too. I've tried once and the next day was hell for me. I rather get little sleep than no sleep at all. Thank goodness, I do have to wake up very early very often.
@mflower2053 (3223)
• United States
14 Apr 09
all the time. Sometimes I will just lay in bed trying to go to sleep and can't for nothing in the world so I usually get up and go on the computer and take care of something that is running through my head. Or just get tired trying by being on the computer.
1 person likes this
@poohgal (6845)
• Singapore
14 Apr 09
Being on the computer, somehow, only makes me more awake.
@applefreak (3130)
• Singapore
15 Apr 09
yes yes yes! it has happened to me so many times that i lost count. it is especially so when i have to wake up really early the next day. i'll toss and turn but just can't get to sleep. now i learn to deal with it the 'normal' way. i'll just lie on the bed and wait to fall asleep. i console myself that i can always make up my sleep the next day. this way, i find that i can fall asleep easier when i don't feel so anxious.
@poohgal (6845)
• Singapore
16 Apr 09
Haha... That's what I do too. I also console myself I will sleep more the next day. However, things usually do not turn out as I wish and I don't usually get to sleep more the next day.
@ank_47 (1959)
• India
13 Apr 09
i also have a habit of sleeping very late at night .it is not good habbit i know , but upto late night,i wiil see net more or see tv as i am free at that time. in mornings i will get up ,at 6.30 and i prepare breakfast for my husband and when he goes to office,i sleep again for 2,3 hours .with this i can maintain my sleeping hours. i can't control my sleeping hours by sleeping early in night ,but want to change my sleeping hours.
@poohgal (6845)
• Singapore
13 Apr 09
Yea. I usually reach home late so I have not much choice but to sleep late.
@csrobins (1120)
• United States
13 Apr 09
Yeah, it happens to a lot of people, it used to happen to me when I was younger. I looked forward to the first day of school a little too much as a child and had a hard time not thinking about where I would be in a few hours. Now though I just crash as soon as I get to bed no matter what is going on. My boyfriend can never get to sleep on the nights before a five am shift. I say take a sleepong pill or a few because it must be a terrible feeling to finally get to sleep at three am and get up after a two hour nap.
@poohgal (6845)
• Singapore
13 Apr 09
Yea. It happened a lot when I was a child too. I have never taken sleeping pills before as I hate popping pills. Thank God it doesn't happen often so I can still bear with it.