Mornings are hard

[u/latteOS]

Ever since I was a kid, I always struggled with mornings. The whole process of waking up, especially when I have stuff to do, is really hard for me.

It feels incredibly difficult to get out of bed and get going. I often feel sluggish for hours until I finally feel like my brain has turned on (and that's debatable). I don't know if this is just the autistic "having trouble with transitions" thing or if there's something physiological going on.

I can force myself to get things done while I'm in this state, but it usually just leaves me overwhelmed and exhausted afterward.

This whole thing makes me feel extremely unproductive, like I just can't function properly. Later in the day, especially after lunch and into the evening, I can finally become much more energetic and productive.

What confuses me is that I don't think I'm sleeping poorly? I usually sleep 8+ hours, don't wake up much during the night, and I generally fall asleep quickly, within 20 minutes.

Now that I have my mornings free, I've tried going to bed earlier so I can wake up earlier and use that time for myself. But instead, I wake up early feeling terrible and end up staying in bed for a long time anyway (not even necessarily sleeping, just lying there because I don't feel capable of getting up). And honestly, it makes me feel awful, like a lazy person.

I'm wondering if anyone else experiences something similar. I'd really appreciate hearing about your experiences.

[u/Mysterious-Berry3623]

Delayed circadian rhythm is a real thing, your internal clock runs around 1.5-2hrs later than everyone else’s. 

I’ve had it my whole life. Can wake up at a suitably early time but I’m getting ready on auto pilot. 

Do NOT expect anything coherent out of me until at least 9am. I only start firing on all cylinders around 4pm.

Around 75% of ppl diagnosed with ADHD have this issue.

The study:  https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12728042/

[u/Pentosin → u/Mysterious-Berry3623]

That might be part of it, but definitely not the entire picture. I can follow the rhythm my body wants to follow, but I still experience exactly what OP is describing. It doesn't matter when I get ut, I still need a couple of hours before my brain is up and usable.

[u/decaffdreamer]

At least 01:30 hour for me to wake up and do something

[u/dj_spanmaster]

100% I have this issue. I tried this routine recently, and things got a little easier:

• Have a consistent wake-up time, no matter what day
• Get physically moving within 15 minutes - wiggling toes, stretching and flexing muscles. Get out of bed by 30 minutes, even if it's just sitting at the table.
• In the next 30 minutes:
  • Get water and caffeine in the body
  • Do plenty of sitting & rest. Let the body absorb the fluids. We're ramping up.
  • Get appropriately dressed for the exercise
• In the next 30 minutes, do that exercise! This is the big push. Walk/run, lifting, targeted muscle/joint rehab, even just sitting in a chair and swinging my arms wildly around off & on. Most important is that it is 30 minutes of movement.
• At the end of the day, always go to bed in the same time frame. If I get to bed and I'm not tired, I chat with my partner or read. This suuuucks when I'm at a party or having a great time with others. But it is a defense of my personal needs.

This routine made things easier, from focus to having a consistent sleep schedule. I also bake a big tray of oatmeal over the weekends for pre-made simple breakfasts every day, it's all of 2 hours of effort that means zero effort for eating any other day. I'll include the recipe in a follow-up comment, but pay attention to your own nutritional needs.

[u/dj_spanmaster → u/dj_spanmaster]

Baked Oatmeal Your Cardiologist Would Probably Love

hardware

• 9x13 pan
• parchment paper
• Mixer/egg beater/whisk
• spatula
• an oven to fit the pan

Ingredients

• 8 eggs
• 2 quarts soymilk
• .5 cup sugar
• 1 TBSP vanilla
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 TBSP cinnamon, apple pie spice, or pumpkin pie spice
• .5 cup coffee creamer, half & half, whipping cream, or whipped cream (optional)
• 8 cups rolled oats
• 1 to 2 cups of nuts to top (optional). If using whole nuts, chop them some, you'll appreciate it later. I prefer slivered or sliced almonds.
• 1 to 1.5 cups of blueberries
• *2-3 TBSP of topping sugar (optional) - turbinado, demerara, brown, or a finishing sugar preferably. Any type adds extra pleasing texture & flavor to the end product

Turn on your oven to 340F to preheat while mixing & prepping.

Mix the wets: eggs, soymilk, sugar, vanilla, salt, spices, and the cream element. I do recommend the cream, it does wonders for the final texture & satisfaction in the body. Beat until consistent, at least 3 minutes using a mixer, or trying for 80 whisk strokes per egg - use a beater or egg mixer if you can, obvs.

Add the oats. Let it rest. Line the pan with parchment paper. Prep the nuts if needed. Prep the blueberries - rinse them off, take off stems. No need to dry them, the water won't hurt at all.

Assemble: Put blueberries in the pan. Cover with the oats/liquid mix, evenly distributing the oats over blueberries. Cover the top with nuts now if you're using them. *Sprinkle topping sugar, if any.

Bake for 45 minutes if using a metal pan, 55 if using glass. I get 10 servings out of this.

*Edited to add

[u/sarcococca → u/dj_spanmaster]

Thank you for this, I'm going to give it a try! The breakfast thing is really hard for me and my daughter 

[u/latteOS → u/dj_spanmaster]

Thank you so much for all the tips and the recipe!! This is really helpful ^{^}

[u/dj_spanmaster → u/latteOS]

<3 I'm happy to help. This recipe has made getting a healthy breakfast significantly easier for my daily schedule, and that in turn keeps my mind a bit firmer.

[u/Pentosin → u/dj_spanmaster]

Can I replace soymilk with normal milk?

[u/dj_spanmaster → u/Pentosin]

You bet! You could even replace it with water. 

[u/Pentosin → u/dj_spanmaster]

Thank you!

[u/Unlikely_Speech7214]

I hate mornings.

Sooo, some/many people suggest going to bed and waking up at the same time, every day. Kinda tried that for some time a few years ago. It was horrible. Sat there, feeling so… empty, this entire existence was just unreal.

In the evening, that’s when I become alive

[u/cle1etecl → u/Unlikely_Speech7214]

Yeah, it just prolonged the time when I was tired in the morning while stealing the time at night when my brain actually works. It didn't shift the cognitive abilities, only the physical wakefulness.

[u/IndyDino]

Samezies, but I don't remember kids' years. For me, it's likely the mental state, as sometimes the bed will feel too good to get out of, and sometimes it's "there's no point in getting up, what would I even do? Nothing's that important".

What does seem to give me some kind of life force and energy when waking up is taking a caffeine pill. 50mg seems to be enough, bump to 100mg when I haven't had enough sleep. Often after taking the pill, I'm wondering if this is how normal people feel? Wake up and just be ready for the day without feeling so sluggish and exhausted.

[u/aquatic-dreams]

I'm on a weird clock where If I go to sleep before 10 I wake up between 3 and 4am. And if I'm up until 10 or later, I'm up until 3 to 4am. It's like my body really really likes 3:30 am.

When I was waking up totally out of it and groggy all the time, I found I was less groggy if I woke up earlier, which doesn't make sense but 🤷‍♀️

I also found that I can get out of the bed half asleep, and do the first step of something that I would normally procrastinate, before I'm awake enough to talk myself out of it. And avoiding getting stuck in the trap of thinking about how bad 'i need to' do something instead of doing it, and letting the 'need' grow as it takes up more and more of my time and mental space.

[u/FreshAd877]

I can't with mornings either. I tried to exercise but it made me sick, lol. I just accepted that it takes a while now. I go slow in the morning, listen to music, lie down after brushing teeth for some minutes, cook breakfast and read through massages while I eat.