MEGAN WRITES: I struggle a LOT with sleeping in. I don’t think it’s wrong to sleep a little extra now and then, but personally I feel like I take advantage of sleeping in the morning to the point that I’m being lazy. For me it’s not always about being tired. I may “wake up” at 6 am, but I’m so comfortable I feel like I can’t pull myself out of bed and so I just go back to sleep. Does anyone have any tips that have helped (or are currently helping) them get up in the mornings? I really need some tips!
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I sure can think of some people to tag here… ;P
I’ve been the same. One thing that helps me is to think of something fun that I can do if I get up early enough to do something fun before making breakfast. Like reading a new book or making another decoration for my wall. Little things that are fun can sometimes drag you out of bed quite well!
That’s a great idea! I wish I could offer some advice as well, but I struggle a lot with this. 😛
or a cup of tea motivates me big time!
I struggle with this too… I haven’t found a solution (unless I’m doing something that day)
Get your sibling to come pounce on you at the appointed time. Just ask my brother; that gets him up every time. Of course, it sort of makes the morale low in the house… jk. Anyway, I guess what gets me up every day is knowing all the stuff I have to do, and of how I have things my mom needs me to do before 7:00 as well as the things *I* have to do before 7:00, so that’s what usually motivates me. I don’t know how to best help though, I’m not really allowed to sleep in, nor do I have the time to!
I’ve got 4 bros who would probably be MORE than happy to help me out! 😉 thanks for the tips! 🙂
Goodness, I wish I was capable of getting up and doing things before seven. *shudders*
I don’t enjoy it every morning, but I usually get to go walking/jogging and do my devotions, and some chores by 7. 🙂
I’m sure, but that’s awesome! I accomplish getting out of bed at 8:30. 😛
Hey, that’s better than some people I’ve heard of! That’s getting somewhere!
Haha, thanks. I’m just such a night owl, I have a really bad habit of going to bed at midnight or later. I know that if I could beat that, I could get up earlier, but most days I don’t even feel like I really wake up till ten pm! XD
Yeah, well I guess I’m sorta freakish. I go to bed at about 10 and get up at 5:30-6:00. 😛
Wow! I’m impressed!! Maybe I’ll try getting up a little earlier tomorrow… 🙂 I remember that a while ago a few of us here made a sort of pact to get up earlier…it worked for all three mornings that we did it. XD
That was a good idea y’all had!
Put your alarm clock on the other side of the room.
Plan to eat breakfast (something you can look forward to)
Get up and shower right away–it’ll wake you up.
Have a list of stuff you need to do that day, and stuff that you look forward to.
Drink coffee (or my substitute, Mountain Dew 😛 )
Set your alarm to be a song you really enjoy (if you use your phone or a CD player clock radio or something), so that at least when it goes off, you’re already in a good mood.
Have a morning routine. For me, I get up about 8:30 (I work until midnight), do my devotions, get up and get ready for the day, eat breakfast, then study until lunch. Some people get up and work out, do devotions, shower, whatever. So that when you’re really tired and your brain isn’t functioning right away, you still know what to do.
Get accountability. A friend messages me every morning at 9. She knows I should be up by then. She expects to hear back from me right away. And I know she’ll message me, so it gets me up and gives me something to look forward to–talking to a friend!
Thanks for all these ideas!! =D Really helpful!!!
Oh that’s a good idea–putting the alarm clock on the other side of the room. My alarm clock is loud and I share a room with two siblings…they would not be happy if I didn’t get up right away and turn it off. Especially because it gets even louder the longer you leave it…
I feel like roommates would be more annoyed by the alarm going off every 10 minutes when you hit snooze than if you get up and have to take the 2 seconds to go find your alarm clock. . . at least, that was my experience in college.
I had a friend who would have her sister hide her alarm clock, so every morning when it went off she had to get up and find it.
Thank you. I just read this comment and realized that coffee sounds amazing…
Oh boy. Erm, well I could probably win awards for sleeping in too late sooooo… yeah. I guess, getting a sibling or parent to wake me up helps though. Also, staying in bed and reading a book, or doing devos helps me wake up a bit before I actually physically get up. Then I am solely reliant on coffee to wake me up. 😉 Idk if that helps or not, but that’s all I can think of right now 😛 God Bless!
You’re my kinda girl! Coffee is God’s most loving gift to us… 😉 okay, maybe I’m exaggerating a bit….lol
Lol =D And God said let there be coffee… for non-morning people like Megan and Haylie.
and morning people like Danny!
HAHAHAH! YESSSS!
Ooh, my problem is I get really grumpy when people wake me up. XD
Yeah, i’m just not a morning person in general… at all. So if it’s before 9:00 AM, converse with me at your own personal risk 😛
Lol! Thankfully once I’m up I’m fully functional no matter what time it is…it’s just the actual getting up part that I have trouble with!
Try going to bed earlier. I am naturally a morning person, but when I’m exhausted I have the same problems getting up as you described. I have to make going to bed on time an absolute priority, despite anything else I have going on. Staying up once in a while is okay, but in order to get up earlier, I have to go to sleep earlier.
(Not my favorite Idea at all BUUUT it does work) I do devotions from 6-7 every morning & after getting into the routine of it, you’ll start automatically waking up and then you’ll kind of be a lot more awake. But the first week was rough and I had to (although it was unintentional) shock myself awake. Like set your alarm louder, or even better- turn it on vibrate. It kind of forces you into waking up. And if that doesn’t work there’s always cold water 😉
Thank you!!
Alright. Ask your brother/sister/whoever to pour a huge bucket of cold water on your face if they find you in bed at 6:05 AM. This makes it a game and it’s really fun. After the fifth time of hanging out the bedsheets/blanket/carpet to dry, you may be persuaded to spring up in time =vD
HAHAHAHAHA! This made me laugh!!! Are you actually serious?? Did you really do this??? LOL
Nope; not serious at all–my purpose was to make you laugh =vD Mission accomplished!
Haha… 😉 yes! You definitely accomplished your mission!!!!
I like waking up to a worship song on my iPod…if I set my clock alarm it tends to make me want to hit snooze continually because it is so loud. HTH. 🙂
If you feel like spending a couple dollars, you can get this app for iOS or Android: http://www.spinmealarm.com It literally makes you get up and spin around a couple of times. Plus, it’s loud! XD And you can’t cheat it either because you have to put both thumbs on the screen as you do it! I started using it this school year along with a regular back-up alarm, and it’s been working well for me!
Whoa!!! That’s AWESOME!! It may actually be worth it… 😛 Thank you!!!
It’s definitely been worth it for me! I set the alarm to Lecrae’s song “Tell the World” and it’s awesome!
I’m seriously going to look into this!!!!
I should mention, if you do decide to get it, make sure your device isn’t on silent or vibrate. That happened to me this morning… lol.
That app is genius! That is such a great idea… makes it impossible to not get out of bed!
Ooo, that sounds like a good idea!
What… this sounds great!
“How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you rise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little clasping of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber and want like an armed man.” I literally have this taped to the bed post so I can see it every morning. If I can make myself sit up and do something I wake up. I fall back asleep if I try to read or pray so I try to work with my hands. I make the bed, tidy my room, whatever, but I can’t stay in bed or I’ll lose the fight in a second. Oh, and when you go to bed pray that you’ll be able to get up in the morning. I’m horrible about this, but I hope it helps anyway. 🙂
Thanks Okie Gal!!! =D This is helpful…! And I might even be a copycat and post this verse in my room too…. 😉
The verse I had on my alarm was “Awake, sleeper, and rise from the dead, and the Messiah will shine upon you”. I think yours is more applicable…
Haha, nice. I thought about using the proverb about the lazy guy turning over in bed like a door on its hinges, but my brother already took it.
Honestly, I have 3 alarms in the morning…. My iPod plays a song really softly a few minutes before I need to get up, so it kinda gradually wakes me up. Then I have my watch that goes off at the actual time I need to wake up (both of these are on a table across the room so I have to get up to turn them off). Then I have my phone, out in the living room, that goes off a minute or two later. That way I have to get up and out of my room. It’s a lot, but it’s practically always worked for me.
NICE!
Set Your alarm for a stong that starts out really loud so that when it goes off you about have a heart attack. Believe me. You cant fall asleep after listening to ‘Thats How You Change The World” by NewsBoys and fall back to sleep. Also having your alarm across the room helps. Also showering immediatly. Ive made getting up about 7:20 a habit for this school year.
yep! music can help!
HAHAHAHA! What’s SO funny about this to me is that “That’s How You Change the World” WAS my alarm for a while! I find for me, even crazy songs like that I become immune to after a while….=P (Can you beleive I became immune to that one? LOLOL) So I just keep changing the song around….. Showering in the morning is a great idea too! =)
Oh Wow! Well im pretty sure its going to not become immune to me. Lol this morning i woke up before my alarm. I think my body knew it was gonna go off and decided to save the stress on my heart lol.
hahahaha!! Totally understand… =P It did scare me every day for the first couple weeks…. 😉
I would love to wake up to Mandisa’s “Good Morning”! 🙂
HAHA! I had that one for a while too!! LOL…that one really did last a while because it was so…I don’t know, energizing!!!!
Lol, that’s a good word for it! That song has a way of raising my spirits no matter what time of day I hear it. 🙂
I set about four alarms on my phone at five minute increments. Or I set one for thirty minutes before I get up, then fifteen, then ten, then when I need to. It helps me kinda get into a more wakeful attitude.
Like that idea!!
Haha! I set one alarm (sometimes I don’t even set an alarm) and then when it goes off I turn it off and go back to sleep. 😉 It turns out to be such a productive day. 🙂
That was my move this morning. Then panic when the phone rings at 10:00. 🙂 Yeah, glad that only happens rarely now… 😀 I’d never get anything done!
I am personally terrible about sleeping in- getting me out of bed in the morning is quite a trial for my poor siblings when we actually do need to get up (go homeschooling!). However, when I am getting up at five forty-five to play in my church band on Sundays, I’m always amazed at how simply asking God to wake me up at the right time in the morning works. I often wake up a minute or two before the alarm goes off, or sometimes long before it does.
I sometimes wonder why snooze buttons exist…I mean, doesn’t that defeat the purpose of setting your alarm?
And five forty-five–consider me impressed! I don’t have to be at church till eight and I still struggle with that. 😛
Thanks Regan! This is very encouraging…and also a bit convicting! Not that asking advice of all of you was wrong of me, but maybe I should’ve been asking God to help me first…. =) Thank you for pointing me back to Christ!
Good point! And that’s a pretty awesome thing for your friend to do! 🙂 Putting the alarm across the room never works for me either. I get up so fast to turn it off that I feel like I’m going to pass out, and then I collapse back into bed.
Unfortunately the phone-related suggestions don’t work for me either. My mom has me turn my phone off at night for health reasons. I guess I’m just out of luck! XD
Lol, I’m glad it’s not just me!
You know what never fails to get me out of bed instantly? Waking up and realizing I slept through my alarm and have to be somewhere in five minutes! (Which happens far too often, I’m afraid.)
YESSSS….Haha…I do the SAME thing when my alarm is across the room… =P And, I don’t have a phone (i have an iPod) so phone calls might be difficult…but I’m sure I could work some sort of accountability out…My family is always here… 😉
Haha! Great question, btw. 🙂
My problem isn’t ME getting up… for the most part. My problem is getting my younger brother up, who won’t A. wake up for his alarm. and B. if he does, he demands I turn it off… :p oh well.
(maybe he needs to get a “smart” device that has puzzle unlock or something… The division ones always take me a while first thing! I get SO confused when that turns on.)
Division… good idea. Mine only does “put the numbers in order” and that’s pretty easy to figure out when you’re half-asleep.
TOTALLY understand!! the struggle is VERY real sista!!!
It helps to let water run on your face or do some kinda of exercise. Coffee perhaps… 😉 Also, I motivate myself by telling myself that I’ll be late for fill in the blank if I don’t get up, even if I’m not actually going anywhere. Sometimes the simple fact that if I start school early I’ll get more time, is a motivator in itself!!
Hope that helps some Megan! Good question! 🙂
Thanks Gabrielle! =D
@programguy:disqus !!!!! HIIIIIIIIII!! 😉
Did you get up at a decent time?
How’s school going for you? When did you start?
HAHA!! I understand. I’m still getting used to getting up every morning and starting school about 8am. My alarm’s on a quarter to 6. Sometimes I get up around 6:15, 6:30 or 7. Depends.
Oh ok. I started right after Labor Day. We may have already talked about it, but you’re home-schooled right?
I still think we’re related!! 😉 Just kidding. But hey, we’re both in God’s big family right?!!
Me too!! My sister is a very light sleeper, I am a very heavy sleeper, and we share a bunk bed. So far the only thing that works is to have my mom come in, get me up, and make sure I actually get out of bed. Alarms don’t always work because eventually I get used to the sound and don’t even hear it.
(And come to think of it, I’m pretty sure I’ve prayed that my alarm would go away more than once…)
Thanks Sam! This is a good point….I have a room to myself, but my alarm does still disturb everyone else… =/ thanks for the tip!
Yesss! Good point! =) Thanks!
I find that having something in the morning which I can’t be late for can be used as a motivator. I go to a gym class at 6AM and have to do 20 burpees if I’m late so I start to freak out if I start sleeping in…
I’d just keep trying new thing eventually you’ll find something that works for you 🙂
Thanks for the encouragement and advice! =D
I had a hard time with this, too. I LOVE sleeping in. It was actually having so much homework that got me waking up early. I have a habit, now, of always waking up at 5:00 am (except for Saturdays and Sundays, when I get up around 6:00) to spend time in God’s Word, prayer, and writing. The first five minutes are awful for me, but it’s totally worth it.
Here are 8 things that have helped me:
1. Having my alarm on the other side of the room so I would have to get up.
2. Turning on my light immediately.
3. Going and making breakfast and coffee.
4. NOT getting back in bed, even to read my Bible.
5. NOT praying in bed. 🙂
6. Having my dad keep me accountable.
7. After my quiet time and breakfast, going straight to writing or homework.
8. Resolving before I went to bed that no matter what I felt like, I would get up at 5:00.
I hope some of these help!
Thank you!! This does help!! =D And it’s encouraging to know I’m not the only one who struggles… 😉
Oh this is easy. You don’t even need an alarm! Just get a kitten who worries.
She will think you are dead if you sleep in past 4:30am and then proceed to meow at your door until you are not only awake but ready to play with her.
LOLOL!
Lol, one of my cats went through that stage too!
“Are you still asleep? At three in the morning?! I’d better walk across your face!”
As annoying as it is…I can’t deny the cuteness. XD
Yeah, it’s annoying… It’s a handy way to make sure you don’t sleep in though!
I am very glad to know that cats grow out of that stage… I thought it was permanent. XP
Haha, yup–cats don’t have snooze buttons. XD
It feels permanent, lol! Unfortunately, I think I snapped two of my cats out of it by being rather mean. :/ I don’t think very rationally when I get woken up in the middle of the night. I didn’t do anything bad, but one of my cats is very sensitive and I think she got the idea that I didn’t want her to sleep with me at all–ever! Now she’s rarely slept with me (or cuddled at all) since she was a couple months old…
Wow, that got rather long. It might be silly but you have no idea how bad I actually feel about that. 😛 lol..
Awww… poor kitty…
Yeah…honestly the guilt is just awful. And I can’t apologize because…you know… XD But she was just a couple months old when we got her, and she would sleep with me and wake me up by nibbling on the back of my neck. It was so cute but so annoying. But she was just a baby…
Ugh…I’m going to go pet her now. I feel so awful!! 😛
Awww…
Thanks for listening, lol. 🙂 This is my baby https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/6e39e1f3e4d4131cd589bc374ba6185d04e221acbf3251d123f2fa4a018300c1.jpg
He looks exactly like my kitty!!!
Too funny! Then I can attest to the fact that we both have very cute cats. 😉
She’s so pretty!
You have keen observation! 😉 lol, thanks!
Aww… I know how you feel. That is sad.
Precious never cuddles literally at all. She will play with us, but she will not cuddle… XP
Aw! Yeah, I have one cat though that lets me cuddle all the time, so that makes up for the other two. XD
And Precious! That’s such a sweet name! 🙂
Lol thank you! I’m hoping that she grows into her name someday….
My kitty meows at my mom in the morningsXD I escape:)
Oh my word yes… that is so it…
this is why i HATE cats!
So I know I posted this question and it isn’t customary for that person to post a comment, but I just have something funny! Many of us have expressed our undying love for coffee….And just this morning, my dad and I left the house and he said, “I have to go back for my coffee…I forgot it…I don’t care that we have to open the gate and go all the way to the house…I NEED MY COFFEE!” haha…you all can see where I get that love now… 😉
=D
Lol
Story of my life. A few weeks ago we had to leave early for a trip and I made iced coffee. It wasn’t as cold as I wanted it so I put it in the freezer while I helped getting ready to leave, but by the time we left, I forgot my coffee! I was SOOO upset! Mainly because I had convinced my brain that I was going to have coffee and then I didn’t. But we stopped for brunch/lunch later at a little cafe and I got the most AMAZING caramel iced coffee, and all was right with the world:) Sorry for butting in, I just wanted to share my coffee story=P
hehehehe! I love it!!! Totally me! <3 LOL!
I think the best way to fight sleeping in is to go to sleep earlier. I know that you might be busy with homework, but that leads to my second point. Sometimes, whether it’s about homework or waking up, you just have to force yourself to get up. That’s just how life is sometimes (especially on Mondays). I also find that thinking about the consequences of not doing what I have to do helps me.
that’s if the problem is getting out of bed. If it’s waking to the alarm, I find music very effective for that.
Thanks Joseph! =D
“(especially on Mondays)”
I.K.R?!
Totally 🙂
Force yourself. That’s what I have to do. Also, if you make it a habit by getting out of bed consistently, it will become easier and second nature to the extent that you won’t need set an alarm clock. Granted, set one just in case. 🙂
If you get enough sleep regularly and always go to bed around the same time, and get up at the same time routinely, you’ll find it easier to get up in the mornings. Going to bed earlier also helps! 🙂
First of all, I think you need to go to bed early one night, just to get you started. That way, you’ll hopefully have enough “momentum” to begin a habit…
What I try is putting my alarm clock some distance away from my bed. Until recently, I was sleeping on a top bunk, so I put the alarm clock where I’d have to climb / jump down the ladder to turn it off. After I’d done this, I’d be a lot less likely to go back to bed – especially since it meant climbing back up the ladder, when I could just as easily get up for good.
And, as others have said, when you get up early on a regular basis, it gets easier.
So definitely not one to give advice, except that when I was younger I really wasn’t to bad at getting up early. One motivation, being homeschooled and all, I used to like to see how much school work I could get done before breakfast which was at 8am. Or if I was in the middle of a really good fiction book and couldn’t wait to continue it, but didn’t want to get in trouble by my mom by reading when I hadn’t done my homework than getting up really early before my mom was up was a good way to do that. 😉 Now obviously this last one is not recommended, but the first idea might be a good motivational method. 😉
Of course, now I have two classes each week that start at 8am, church on Sunday’s that starts at 9am, work to go to on other days and always homework, so all these things eventually force me out of bed at a fairly decent time in my opinion.
hehehe…. 😉 Thanks Hannah! =D
You’re welcome! 😉
You sound busy! 🙂
Haha! Yes, I am! Sometimes too busy! 😉
🙂
Wow! I remember a few years ago I read books ALL the time! I would always be up late into the night thinking “just one more chapter…” Though with everything that I have in my life right now I feel like I don’t have time for pleasure reading anymore:(
I have my alarm clock across the room like many of you, and right next to it I always have a cold glass of water which I drink right away. It wakes me up even if I don’t always love it. (Not to mention it helps morning breath and I think I read somewhere it kickstarts your metabolism? IDK, it wakes me up)
Then, since I have Bible before breakfast, I usually have a piece of fruit to eat during devotions. Otherwise I get nauseous from being awake too long without eating, and it helps keep me alert.
But I have several brothers, all of whom would be thrilled to roust me out of bed, so I might try that!
That’s a good idea about the water Esther! Thanks so much! =D We must be a bit similar because I too have many brothers… 😉
How do you keep the water cold? I tried that but drinking a glass of lukewarm water was never very appealing…
Well, I live in an old farmhouse in Maine so for most of the year I have no trouble keeping it cold! In the summer I usually fill the glass when I wake up.
Ahh, okay, thanks for answering. 🙂
I set my alarm and what I like to do is set it like 4 min. earlier than when I have to get up so I lie in bed for 4 min. then force myself to leap out of bed (quite literally sometimes!) It took me awhile to actually start responding to it but eventually I just trained myself with the help of having to remember all the things I have to do in the morning, my first morning priority includes my brother who will get me up if I don’t so I don’t have much of a choice! Having a sibling or parent get you up is a good way to start, it takes about 21 days to form a habit so if you’re consistent with getting up earlier, eventually it’ll become easier.
When I was about ten or eleven I got into the bad habit of staying in bed until it was time for breakfast, and it definitely wasn’t a good way of getting up in the mornings! I think the longer I stay in bed the more groggy it makes me feel later in the day. If you get up early, it makes you feel like you have accomplished something and you have a good, fresh start to the day. Then we will feel more motivated to do things like witnessing, praying etc. I get up at 6:45 now – my alarm goes off at 6:25 and then I read my Bible. I felt so pleased when I passed the one-year mark of reading my Bible every morning/might this month! (I was motivated to do this by Ray Comfort at the UK Mega AIG Conference last September) You may also be interested to know that I go to bed at 8pm. 😉 and I’m nearly 14. I highly recommend trying to go to bed early and making sure you get a good eight hours sleep – you will feel so much better!
Hope this helps 🙂
P.S. This worship song is very uplifting and motivating about arising for Christ 🙂
http://open.spotify.com/track/4MMaR9faCFfYDE8YbsAKh3
I set two alarms, one about five min after the other. ( they are also both across the room) The first alarm is Mandisa’s ‘Good Morning’. It helps me be semi-awake and then my second alarm is a very annoying beeping sound. I have tried many things and this is what works best for me. Hope it helps
Also I have to leave my house at six each morning to catch the bus for school. The bus stop is at the end of our road so I have about a half mile walk each morning. I think the light excercice helps keep me awake.
I try to keep this in mind: “It is our centered focus on God and the finish line that should motivate us to get out of bed in the morning.” It’s pretty motivating for me, sometimes!! 😉
Lately I’ve really struggled with this. For awhile it was really helpful for me to have someplace to be in the morning to “get me out of bed”, but over the past few weeks even with morning appointments I’ve still waited to get up until I had 20 minutes before I need to leave. I feel bad because in some ways I feel like the laziest out of all my siblings. I don’t help with chores as much as I should, and when I try to play the “I’m a senior, I have school the do” card, it seems I never get my work done. I want to be able to work hard but it’s constantly a battle, I simply lack discipline:(
go to bed earlier.
I am a night owl through and through! But I have to get up early so I can be really grumpy if I haven’t gotten enough sleep.
Or have a little sister and brother and dog who come and jump on me if I sleep in too late. I’ll rent them to you! 😛
I’m a night owl too… =P That’s why this is so difficult for me…However, even though I am a night owl, I personally feel like my day is much more productive if I get up early….
Hahaha! thanks, but my 4 little bros got me covered… 😉 😉 LOL!
same here. I’m actually more cheerful the earlier I get up! Oh my goodness!! 4 of them?? I’d never get any sleep! 🙂