One of the biggest changes since my recent move is that I have suddenly become a morning person.
I’ve gone through stages where I’ve woken early but it’s usually been an anomaly and happened but rarely. But, in the month since my move I’ve woken early each morning I’ve been here.
The old me struggled to get out of bed at 8am to make it into the office around 8.30 or 9am. And on non-working days I’d happily remain in bed – unconscious – until 10am or later. Whereas now I’m usually awake at 6 or 6.30am.
There are a number of contributing factors.
You may recall I am a chronic insomniac. I spend months being awake until 2am or later – my mind buzzing with all sorts of important things. I’d tried everything – going to bed earlier, going to bed later, warm baths before bedtime, lavender, meditation and four different phone Apps supposedly aimed at helping me get to sleep. Nothing worked.
Because I’m also pre-menopausal and had some hot sweats at night (and the like) my GP finally gave me some sleeping tablets – something I’d shied away from in the past.
She reassured me they weren’t going to leave me with a hangover the next day, and recommended I only take them when needed (so ONLY the 2-3 nights before I work was my decision). And I was surprised to find they help(ed). I find myself finally understanding what it must be like to go to bed and go to sleep. Rather than factoring in 4-5 hours of tossing and turning.

From @_theblessedone on Instagram
Now that food’s not playing such a big part in my life my nights are also very different and I’m ready for bed much earlier than in the past – almost too early on some occasions.
Obviously the stress of my old apartment complex and my frustrations there are also behind me. I know I’ll have other things plague me from time to time, but that’s all a huge weight off my shoulders.
And my new bedroom is light and airy. It has heavy curtains but it’s still really bright first thing and I suspect that’s helping me wake and feel vaguely human. Plus… there are birds and other wildlife about. In my apartment complex it was other people or the cleaners who – more often than not – woke me. Now there’s silence. And birds.
At the moment I’m using the extra hour or two in the morning to do bloggy stuff – write blog posts, catch up on those written by others and so forth. It’s amazing as it means I can head to work at 8am (already) feeling a sense of accomplishment and productivity.
I’m eventually hoping I might become someone who exercises first thing in the morning. I’m not quite there yet – in terms of motivation or commitment – but you never know. If I can keep my early mornings up I might well start walking on the beach, particularly as summer approaches. It will require a short drive to get there and shower when arriving home AND will cut into my blogging time, but is probably equally important to my physical and mental health, so something I need to work on.
Are you a morning person? Any hints to get myself to exercise? Or is it enough that I’m spending this time at my desk, and my beautiful ocean vista?
I’m linking up with the lovely Denyse Whelan today whose topic is ‘Daylight Saving’. I’ve strayed away from that a little, but – incidentally – I’d love to have it here in Queensland.
October 3, 2016
I don’t think I’ve ever been a morning person. Even in middle and high school I’d wake up, get ready, and then set my alarm and go back to sleep until I had to get on the bus. There was a while in college I was up early to get to the Rec/class/work on time, but I no longer have that same motivation. I would love to not need those extra hours to sleep, and I would use them to read and work on the blog, but if you find yourself wanting to exercise, I’d start by choosing two mornings to exercise and see how that goes.
October 3, 2016
Oh that’s a good idea…. particularly because I’m yet to settle into a routine of ‘when’ I blog but it’ll likely be Tuesdays for a link-up and another day or two. Of course I could also walk those mornings I don’t work, which would give me time to then come home (still early) and sit at my desk. D-oh! Not sure why that didn’t occur to me. At the moment I’m trying to get to the gym on the weekdays I don’t work but I find it disruptive and (because it’s now a distance from where I live) I don’t think I’ll keep my membership once it expires.
October 3, 2016
Historically I’ve been a morning person – before I had kids I was a swimmer and a rower, so early morning exercise was part of my routine. When I had kids my body clock was shot to pieces and I found it hard to get back into routine. However, I have found a few things help me get my exercise done in the morning (and it’s worth it because I feel better for the rest of the day – if I leave it until later in the day I too often find reasons not to go). So, if you can rope someone else in for an early morning walk, that’s ideal. It’s social as well. I also make appointments at a time that means I have just enough time to exercise, shower and get to whatever I have to do – the idea of “squeezing in” a gym session makes me think it will be short, fast and it’s one thing to tick off the list for the day (logic tells me otherwise but don’t dwell on that!). for days I don’t have anything much on, I simply decide I may as well get my exercise done before I have a shower!
October 3, 2016
Yes I remember the days (long long ago) I used to go to the gym before work and I’d feel great driving home – knowing I’d done my exercise and be feeling awake.
I once walked in the morning as well and it was a nice way to start the day.
October 3, 2016
It sounds like the move has been nothing but positive. I find the morning the best time of day to be productive and the longer I sleep in the worse I feel.
October 3, 2016
Oh yes, Char you’re up really early for your runs.
And yes, the move has been nothing but positive! If I wanted to be a wanker I’d do this: #sohappy 😉
October 3, 2016
I’m a morning exerciser and I like it probably for the same reason you’ve been doing blog work in the morning – it makes me feel like I’ve accomplished something before I’ve really even started my day. Also I like knowing that it’s done for the day and isn’t hanging over me. The biggest tip would probably be not to think about it. Just shut off your alarm, roll out of bed and start getting dressed. I find when I start thinking about it before getting out of bed, I’m more likely to talk myself out of it.
October 3, 2016
Yes… from memory when I exercised early in the past (a long long time ago) I had my stuff all laid-out the night before so there was no second-guessing myself!
October 3, 2016
I’m a morning person, but given that I leave for work at 6.30am, these days my mornings are way too early. If I’m behind on writing work I’ll do that at 5am before I get ready for work, but still try & get to the gym a couple of mornings a week- that means an alarm at 4.40am. I’m not THAT much of a morning person!
October 3, 2016
Eek! That’s horribly early. Hopefully things will change for you down the track re those early work starts…
October 3, 2016
I love that you’re being a morning person. I get to “see” when I’m blogging of a morning. As for exercise … I used to have the answers. Now, not so much. The best thing I ever did was create a Messenger partnership with a friend who had similar exercise goals and challenges. We would report in every day as to how far we had walked, what extra bits we’d done etc. I found myself wanting to report in positively and I also wanted to be a role model for her to encourage her (and likewise her for me) and we managed to get fit together but remotely. We would share photos of our walk Maybe you and I could do this Deb! I really really need to get off my butt.
October 3, 2016
Oh yes Leanne. I’m sure I remember someone telling me about some Fitbit group they were part of that checked in on each other every day to see how many steps they’d done / if they’d exercised etc.
October 3, 2016
I’m a bad sleeper. Some nights, maybe once a week, I get very little sleep because I am unable to fall asleep. Haven’t found a cure yet. I sleep very soundly the next night though. For my exercise, I love to swim, so, two mornings a week, I put my swimmers on as soon as I am out of bed and head to the pool straight after a bit of breakfast. Being retired makes exercising easier for me. I found it extremely difficult to get into a regular exercise routine when I was working. Exercise was very spasmodic and fitted in around work commitments which meant that often the only exercise was walking miles at work or, at times, walking home. Yay for retirement.
October 3, 2016
I tend to go for months awake until 2am. I then try to keep myself awake all day and not have any naps so I can sleep the next night but it doesn’t work and eventually I crash and have a 3hr nanna nap several days down the track.
Ah yes, when I last exercised regularly I went to lunchtime classes at a gym in my work building – so I factored the time into my diary and it became a routine, which I think is important.
October 3, 2016
So pleased to hear you are loving your new home.
I’m a morning person. Love to go for an early walk – around 5.30 to 6 a.m. before the sun’s heat has kicked in and the beach is almost my own. I stop to watch the Tai chi group for a while, thinking how great it’d be to do that sort of tranquil mind/body stuff – but it’s just not me. I find the walk clears my mind and I’m ready to focus on whatever the task of the day is.
Although, since I’ve moved to our ‘new’ place, I find the opposite has happened to me. Because I hate it where we’ve moved to – big mistake buying where we did. I miss my bird song in the morning and wildlife in my garden. All we get here is road noise, (not all the time), parents screaming at their children and the sound of developers wrecking the fauna and flora of the area.
October 3, 2016
Oh no… so sorry to hear you hate where you’re living. I’m hoping I don’t live to regret it here. There’s really only one empty block near my place which could be built-on at some point. I don’t think my view can be built-out as my block slopes in the right direction… but you never know.
October 3, 2016
It’s 9.40am and still in bed catching up on blogs. I do have the washing machine going so not totally useless. I too am a chronic insomniac so I know what you mean. I find worrying the biggest sleep killer.
October 3, 2016
Yes… worrying about stuff that might happen or stuff that’s already happened. I’ve tried a heap of things to stop the over-thinking at night in bed but I just can’t do it.
October 3, 2016
I’m an early riser all of a sudden too. I find myself writing from 5am to 7am before the school chaos begins. My hump was 11am but I seem to be getting over that and not crawling back into bed for 20 mins. You get so much more done!
October 3, 2016
Yes, on my days off I get tired around 9am but even though I plan to go for a nanna nap (and talk about it on Twitter – as you do) I never end up doing it. I pfaff about online for a bit and then I’ve got a second wind or remember something I need to do!
October 3, 2016
Definitely not a morning person. Even having children hasn’t transformed me. Glad it’s working out for you so far.
October 3, 2016
Ha yes… I noted (when I shared the post on FB on my personal page, I added ‘at the moment’ cos I don’t know how long it will last)!
October 3, 2016
I used to be a morning person – but that was a long time ago before I, too, became a chronic insomniac. These days, I find it difficult to be bright and chirpy much before 8 am… But it is surprising how much one’s environment alters behaviour, etc – so I’m delighted that you are now able to wake up and consider going down to the beach. It’s only a short drive for us, too. But sadly, I don’t manage to get there!
October 3, 2016
When I was getting to sleep at 2am or so I really struggled to get up by 8am and I was so tired. I hadn’t realised what a big difference it made to my day until I actually got the medication I mention. It’s not something I’d want to become dependent on, but… like I said… it made a big difference.
October 3, 2016
You know I am not sure I am one or another. I tend to sleep better now I do not have work/other worries on my mind but still play on iPhone, read a bit and often not asleep till around 11.30-midnight. I sleep right through until 6.30-7 and feel OK. I wanted to get up to do sunrise pics this winter but the bed was warm so no pics were done! I blog for the next day during the arvo/evening before and set it to schedule post at 5am. Blogging has been my one structure in life since making my big transitions from work/Sydney/family and give me purpose. I do my art as I feel like it, make sure I am outside at least a few times a day walking or pottering in the garden and try to continue to interact on blogs and social media (as well as get inspired to write!) throughout the day. Glad you are enjoying the light and waking up to the birds. We do here too and I like it better than when we lived on the waterfront because all I heard then was people walking up and down and yelling at their dogs!! Thanks for linking up today for Life This Week. Denyse x
October 3, 2016
I used to blog at night but then my nights became all about reading, dinner and TV – now more often than not, reading (dinner in front of one show) and bed. And yes – we have a lot of dog-walkers out and about here as well! There are two little yappy dogs next door who seem to get overly excited between about 5-6pm as people walk their dogs past!
October 3, 2016
Is it possible to be a morning person and a night owl? I’m both I think and naturally seem to need little sleep so am quite lucky like that. And, as long as work stresses aren’t too bad, I do sleep through the night. Unfortunately my daughter is also a morning person – usually up before me at around 5.30 AM! Pre-child, I would use my early mornings to catch up on work so I didn’t have to work late and could have evenings to myself. Now I spend them watching some of the worst children’s television on the planet and work after she’s in bed. Somewhere in between there might be time for exercise. I think if you can get blog stuff done on a morning that sounds like a perfect time, especially if motivation to exercise comes later in the day. Good luck figuring it out. Emma
October 4, 2016
Thanks Emma. I suspect it’s all about balance…
October 4, 2016
So pleased to hear things are looking so positive for you in the new house. I’ve always been a bit of a night owl and have had terrible sleep issues. Giving up coffee kind of helped for awhile and I ended up a bit of a morning person for a bit. One that almost needed a cat nap and to be in bed at a decent hour. But it didn’t last long and I missed my coffee a little too much.
October 4, 2016
Ah yes…. I was always a night person before. It just seems to be a combo of things at the moment getting me to bed earlier and up earlier.
October 4, 2016
I wake up at about 4am as I am a light sleeper, and once my husband gets up for work at that time, I usually just stay in bed and read until it is time to go for my shower and then wake the kids before school.
I have always been a very early riser, but as I get older, I do feel exhausted by the end of the day. I try to go to sleep at a fairly reasonable time.
October 5, 2016
I used to really struggle to get to bed before 11pm or midnight. I’d be glued to something on television or spend time on my computer or reading, but that’s changed now, so kinda weird!
October 5, 2016
I’ve never really been a morning person but I’m also not an evening person. I get tired by about 9pm cos I’m up again at 6!
October 5, 2016
Well, moderation is probably a good thing.
October 5, 2016
interesting article thanks a lot for sharing
October 6, 2016
I am a morning person but since having my son four years ago I have had disrupted sleep and find I need to sleep in to catch up on what I lost during the night. I am just now getting back into a habit of going to bed early, around 9.30, meditating and then sleep. I have also had sleep issues, I can get to sleep but wake up around 3am wide awake. At the moment I am getting up early and listening to my body as to what I feel like doing, sometimes yoga, exercise class, or just reading a book before the rush of the day starts.
When you don’t sleep well the last thing you feel like is exercising, so it’s good to address the sleep issue to have more energy. I have found mindfulness is really helping me and also deep breathing throughout the day, I was breathing more shallow and have just noticed these changes are helping with my sleep. Good luck.
October 6, 2016
I’m lucky I’ve never been one to wake during the night Carly. I had a friend who had that problem. Mine is just getting to sleep in the first place. Once I’m asleep I’m usually okay until morning…