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Tools For Waking Up?

NAS73163

I have been terribly struggling waking up in the morning without help. I have an alarm that wakes me up at my lightest point of sleep, getting plenty of sleep, have tried setting many multiple alarms, even when I wake up I can fall back to sleep after I eat or shower. It is very debilitating relying on others for this but I feel really stuck. I NEED to get up early for my job (hour and 20 mins drive) so I need time to drive there, get ready, and some time to walk in ect. Like most autistics I struggle prioritizing, deadlines, and sensing what is important. When I am half conscious in the morning this is 10x worse, sometimes I just want to go back into my dream (I have vivid dreams) and don't think about the fact I have stuff to do. I have been told I just need more motivation, to just DO IT, or that I must not care. But I do!! But executing just getting up is just so... HARD?? It feels so simple and my friends do it, I need to too. Any help would be amazing

Parents

  • I'll share some things that have worked for me, yet I do still struggle with this sometimes. I go through phases of it being harder and easier. When it gets harder I try something new. Here's some of the things I've explored that have worked:

    • If it's cold at night, I set the central heating for the house to come on about 15-30 minutes before I need to wake up. The temperature change helps.
    • 10 minutes of laying flat during the day (once or more) to increase restfulness during the day. This isn't exactly instead of sleep, but I read that naps can help some people, and on many levels, and that seems to apply to me. (Getting myself to lay down and rest during the daytime is another issue though haha!)
    • A wake-up light that gradually increases in strength to wake you up naturally would probably work. I currently can't block out natural light, so I am waking with the sunrise. What I do instead during summer months is grab an eye mask (super soft) for after I wake with the sunrise which helps me then get back to sleep until a normal hour. Then I raise the eye mask slightly, shifting it toward my forehead, after my (first of may) alarms go off. This seems to be a good equivalent to the wake-up light.
    • What I've eaten in the hours before bedtime seems to impact my sleep. If I've been snacking on high glycaemic foods (sugary things or crisps) then I can sleep 'stiff' and find it hard to wake. So if I notice it's getting harder to wake, I'll adjust this habit. If I'm hungry in the evening, instead I'll make sure it's a high protein snack. Plenty of plain water all day as well as this also helps.
    • I am going through a tougher phase at the mo and I'm contemplating letting myself sleep in for 1-3 days to see if I simply need extra sleep for a while. Dreams have been especially intense, but I've been processing a lot during the day, so maybe it's that.
    • Could try a brain dump in a journal, just in case this helps get subconscious thoughts out and help the sleep experience be a little easier. Or talk it out. I usually do the latter with my spouse.

    Not sure if any of these will work for sure for you, we're all different, but I hope it gives some ideas. Good luck.

Reply

  • I'll share some things that have worked for me, yet I do still struggle with this sometimes. I go through phases of it being harder and easier. When it gets harder I try something new. Here's some of the things I've explored that have worked:

    • If it's cold at night, I set the central heating for the house to come on about 15-30 minutes before I need to wake up. The temperature change helps.
    • 10 minutes of laying flat during the day (once or more) to increase restfulness during the day. This isn't exactly instead of sleep, but I read that naps can help some people, and on many levels, and that seems to apply to me. (Getting myself to lay down and rest during the daytime is another issue though haha!)
    • A wake-up light that gradually increases in strength to wake you up naturally would probably work. I currently can't block out natural light, so I am waking with the sunrise. What I do instead during summer months is grab an eye mask (super soft) for after I wake with the sunrise which helps me then get back to sleep until a normal hour. Then I raise the eye mask slightly, shifting it toward my forehead, after my (first of may) alarms go off. This seems to be a good equivalent to the wake-up light.
    • What I've eaten in the hours before bedtime seems to impact my sleep. If I've been snacking on high glycaemic foods (sugary things or crisps) then I can sleep 'stiff' and find it hard to wake. So if I notice it's getting harder to wake, I'll adjust this habit. If I'm hungry in the evening, instead I'll make sure it's a high protein snack. Plenty of plain water all day as well as this also helps.
    • I am going through a tougher phase at the mo and I'm contemplating letting myself sleep in for 1-3 days to see if I simply need extra sleep for a while. Dreams have been especially intense, but I've been processing a lot during the day, so maybe it's that.
    • Could try a brain dump in a journal, just in case this helps get subconscious thoughts out and help the sleep experience be a little easier. Or talk it out. I usually do the latter with my spouse.

    Not sure if any of these will work for sure for you, we're all different, but I hope it gives some ideas. Good luck.

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