How to re-adjust my body clock?

[nuttycyclist]

Ever since I can remember I've been late to bed sleep and late to rise.   I can remember back at junior school being quizzed on my bed time, as part of a study, and responding with a question "do you mean bed time or the time I go to sleep?".  I just got bored lying there so read until silly o'clock.

I can go to bed at 8pm, but lie there tossing and turning till 2am.    Other nights I just forget to go to bed

But it's getting silly.  I need to change this.

This morning I can't remember having a shower.   I can remember Mrs Nutty getting cross and trying to wake me up.   I can remember waking up again later lying on the bed and wearing nothing but a towel, I assume I showered.  Later I woke up at 9am, then 9:10, then finally at 9:20 when I think I panicked and fell on the floor.   Yes I do have a 9-5 office job.

So, having staggered out of the front door a bit after 9:30, woken up at my desk, and then wanting to sleep all day... why, at 01:37 do I feel wide awake and dis-interested in going to bed?

Bed times so far in the last few days have been in the 02:00 to 03:35 time range.

I know that if, when feeling really tired, I go to bed at 22:00 and immediately fall asleep, I'll be awake and fully recovered by 22:30; so not able to go back to sleep until 03:00 onwards.   The same for an earlier to bed situation.

Yes I currently drink coffee, but I was in the same boat when aged just 10 and hating any hot drink (including tea and coffee).  Cutting back to 0% caffiene won't make a difference.

How can I re-adjust my body clock?

In the past I've tried holidays abroad (timezones include Europe, Canda (East and West coast), North America (west coast), New Zealand, carribean) but always within days of getting home I'm back to going to bed in the early hours and not getting up again.

[Maladict]

Tell me about it.

Audax works for a few days. 

[Jacomus]

What has helped me, took a long time to work, but works well now.

I established a routine, so that when I do it, it means time to sleep.

Walk round of the house checking windows are closed and locked, but fire escape windows are closed and unlocked. Check the side door is locked but with the key in the lock (often followed by saying night night to my bikes  ) check front door is unlocked. Make cammomile tea for me and Miss JRG, go upstairs, clean teeth, pee, drink tea... sleep.

Breaking this routine by having sex is fine, I still can go to sleep, warmer and fuzzier than without  Sometimes it doesn't work, but most of the time it does - I guess my body just goes, "ah, sleep time" and does it.

I often meditate lying in bed too, a quick mental soirre and it is the land of nod for me.

Sometimes it just doesn't work, like tonight   

I think it is the cup of cammomile that is the signal.

Insomnia is a wierd thing, comes and goes for me - I'm in the very depressed stage of the cycle at the moment, and that always brings on the insomnia.

[longers]

I used to be the same - burning the candle at both ends made me quite tired indeed.

You say removing caffeine won't help. I think it's worth a try. I now have just one coffee in the morning and try to avoid caffeinated drinks for the rest of the day and certainly none after 2pm unless I need to be awake after 11.

I used to shower first thing in the morning but replaced it with one before bed. This seems to help for some reason. Have another one in the morning if that helps wake you up then.

Getting a dog and having a reason to be up early every day helped shift my bodyclock. If you can find a reason to be up early every day you might find yourself going to bed earlier.

Avoiding alcohol during the week has also helped.

[Nick H.]

Nutty, I have the same problem. Sometimes w*anking helps. (Sorry, someone had to say it. You know it's true.) But for a permanent readjustment I haven't been able to come up with any solution other than a meditation course. I have a feeling it would work. I was even prescribed an NHS meditation course but didn't stick at it. I have digitised the course materials, so let me know if you want to download them.

I might even finish the course myself one of these days. 

[Polar Bear]

I slip into a similar routine occasionally.  What I do is then miss out a night of sleep, usually a Friday or Saturday.   By early evening next day I'm completly knackered.  I keep myself awake, without stimulants and usually surrender around 22:00.

I find that eating after about 20:00 and drinking anything with caffeine just makes it worse.   Hence I drink things like green and camomile tea in the evenings.

[Maladict]

What I do is then miss out a night of sleep, usually a Friday or Saturday.

Audax.  You know it makes sense.

[Greenbank]

Force yourself to get up at 7am for two whole weeks (Mon-Fri). You'll soon start choosing to go to bed earlier, and falling asleep quicker.

Yes you'll feel like crap for a few days where you've only have 3 or 4 hours sleep, but you brain/body will soon get the message.

If you wimp out and have lie-in one day you'll have to start the two weeks again.

Getting up and going doing something helps (ride a bike, go for a walk or a swim). Even go to work early.

[Kathy]

Force yourself to get up at 7am for two whole weeks (Mon-Fri). You'll soon start choosing to go to bed earlier, and falling asleep quicker.

Yes you'll feel like crap for a few days where you've only have 3 or 4 hours sleep, but you brain/body will soon get the message.

If you wimp out and have lie-in one day you'll have to start the two weeks again.

Spot-on. You have to really force yourself to get up here.

In addition, try to cut down on the caffiene, alcohol and junk food, and get more exercise (it'll help you sleep more soundly earlier). Try not to eat your evening meal too late (i.e. no later than eight o' clock).

[nuttycyclist]

So the small snack of four giant sandwiches filled with left over thick cut pork, washed down with a can of beer, at around 02:00 before bed this morning was a mistake?

[Polar Bear]

So the small snack of four giant sandwiches filled with left over thick cut pork, washed down with a can of beer, at around 02:00 before bed this morning was a mistake?

That depends upon what you were striving to achieve 

[marna]

Force yourself to get up at 7am for two whole weeks (Mon-Fri). You'll soon start choosing to go to bed earlier, and falling asleep quicker.

Yes you'll feel like crap for a few days where you've only have 3 or 4 hours sleep, but you brain/body will soon get the message.

It might not! I have always had problems getting to sleep early enough, and I once spent about six months starting work at 7am Mon - Sat. I *still* ended up never getting to sleep at 2 or 3am, and just made myself really exhausted. It's definitely worth a go, though.

[ian]

There's a simpler fettling solution.

1. With a large cross-headed screwdriver undo your belly button. This takes a lot of turns but you should eventually start to the see the thread of the belly bolt. Once fully loosened, you backside will fall off. This is normal. Put the bolt and your buttocks to one side.

2. You'll need a helper and a bucket for this. Once your butt has been removed, the end of the spine bolt will be visible. You'll need the appropriate extractor for your spine model. With the extractor in place, your helper should carefully start to loosen the spine. Make sure the bucket is ready as the spinal fluid will drain as soon the bolt starts to give. It can take considerable force to loosen the bolt fully.

3. Once the bolt is removed, keep this and retaining washers and seals in the right order, and put the bucket to once side. Very, very carefully have your helper remove the spine.

4. At the top of the spine, you'll see the brainstem. Just under the brainstem you will see two small screws marked 'start' and 'stop'. These should be adjusted tentatively to change your get up and sleep times.

5. Carefully reinsert the spine. Have your helper stand you on your head and pour the fluid back in and replace the seals and spinal bolt in the correct order. Tighten throughly and check for leaks.

6. Refit the butt and secure via the belly button bolt.

[nuttycyclist]

 

But... would you trust me to perform that fettling?   I can see it going wrong.

[FatBloke]

I've alway been the complete opposite; up at 06:00 with the lark but in bed by 22:00.

It means I don't really enjoy going out much as I get too tired, and working in a bar is a bit gruelling. 

Good for early morning bike rides though, before the traffic builds up!! 

[juliet]

Agreed with Greenbank.

Also Jacobus is right about routines helping. 

I've seen it suggested that computers/telly just before trying to go to sleep are a bad idea, because the shiny lights from the screen affect your body clock.  (Computers in particular, because they're closer.)  Try turning the computer off an hour before you want to go to bed, & fill in the time with a warm bath (helps trigger sleep because of the body temperature drop when you get out of it), a book, and something in the warm milky drink line (I find half an hour with a hot chocolate & a book has me dozing off sitting up in bed, although I've never really had problems getting to sleep).

What I do not recommend is staying up till well after 2 with yr best mate drinking 3 bottles of wine and an unspecified quantity of port & whisky between you.  Ouch   today is not a good day.  (Was a v good evening though )

[Greenbank]

I'm restarting my early wake up next week. Current lurgy has had me off the bike since the Elenith (and hiding in bed whilst working from home) so it'll be a whole two weeks by the time I'm finally out on the bike on Sunday.

Sunrise is at 6am. Mrs G wakes up around then. I have no excuse. I could get up and do 40 miles and still be at my desk on time.

[spesh]

There's a simpler fettling solution.

1. With a large cross-headed screwdriver undo your belly button. This takes a lot of turns but you should eventually start to the see the thread of the belly bolt. Once fully loosened, you backside will fall off. This is normal. Put the bolt and your buttocks to one side.

2. You'll need a helper and a bucket for this. Once your butt has been removed, the end of the spine bolt will be visible. You'll need the appropriate extractor for your spine model. With the extractor in place, your helper should carefully start to loosen the spine. Make sure the bucket is ready as the spinal fluid will drain as soon the bolt starts to give. It can take considerable force to loosen the bolt fully.

3. Once the bolt is removed, keep this and retaining washers and seals in the right order, and put the bucket to once side. Very, very carefully have your helper remove the spine.

4. At the top of the spine, you'll see the brainstem. Just under the brainstem you will see two small screws marked 'start' and 'stop'. These should be adjusted tentatively to change your get up and sleep times.

5. Carefully reinsert the spine. Have your helper stand you on your head and pour the fluid back in and replace the seals and spinal bolt in the correct order. Tighten throughly and check for leaks.

6. Refit the butt and secure via the belly button bolt.

 

Next week, ian demonstrates how "early to bed and early to rise" solves a slow rebound damper in a Pace RC39 suspension fork... 

[teethgrinder]

Some people are naturally larks (like to get up and go to bed early) where others are natural owls (late to bed, late to rise)
Altering your body clock isn't easy and some people can do it easier than others.
Your body clock is primarily (but not entirely) controlled by light. Daylight is better, but any light works.
Forcing yourself out of bed early for two weeks is probably the best solution. You can augment it by opening the curtains as soon as you get out of bed, if it is light.
Some excercise will also help. Nothing servere, but a few sit ups or something to get your heart rate up a bit. Start gently and no need to go mad, it's not a training session, just a wake up. I used to jump up and down a few times, then listen to music on full volume via headphones when I had to get up to do shift work.
Then have breakfast. Preferably a high carbohydrate one. That will start off your metabolism which will wake you up a bit more, along with the raised blood sugar levels, which will act as a stimulant. A strong coffee would be a good idea too. Or just a caffiene pill.
Having a routine before you go to bed might also help. Getting yourself to sleep is very psychological too. If you are excited, afraid or stressed, then that can spoil your sleep. Even being too happy can prevent you from sleeping.
Jigsaw puzzles are supposed to be the best for helping sleep. Not exciting, but enough to take your mind away from everyday hassle. But a routine may well be helpfull. A cup of cocoa, maybe a small nightcap, but not getting drunk.
You might not ever be able to alter your bodyclock. Maybe you could work your life around your bodyclock, rather than try to alter your natural sleeping patterns. It's probably a lot better for your health. Can you get away with not altering your sleeping patterns without changing jobs or any other important part of your life?
That would be better, I think.

[nuttycyclist]

Well, since I'm not going to be going to bed tonight, I thought I should get an early night last night.

I didn't feel at all tired, so picked up a book (was a puzzle book a good idea?).  Later I tried a nightcap.  Then another few

Finally I spotted it was coming up to 3am

[juliet]

What time did you get up this morning?

[nuttycyclist]

About 9:00

Yes, as said above, I do have a 9-5 job.

[juliet]

The theory is that if you can force yourself to keep getting up at 7 (or whatever) even when you have stayed up late the previous night, then eventually you'll get knackered & start going to sleep earlier.  Second alarm clock or similar?

[nuttycyclist]

Over the years I've tried everything.

A second alarm clock only works the first couple of days then I learn how to turn it off without waking up.

This morning for example I woke up alone.  I hadn't heard the alarm clock or Mrs Nutty getting up... and her hair dryer is noisy.  (I slept through the '87 "hurricane" too, just waking up to the carnage the next day).

[TimC]

Sounds like learned behaviour to me, Nutty. And it can thus be un-learned - or replaced with different behaviour!

It seems much like so-called jetlag, which is simply a misalignment of the bodyclock. The simplest cure is to force the body to work to local time, by going to bed - and getting up - at appropriate times for the time zone you're in. Catnaps during the day are fine during the re-adjustment period, but should be progressively reduced. Herbal or other sleep aids might be helpful.

I went through something like this quite a few years ago, and my Mother lived her life up all night and out of it during the day. For both of us, there was a bit of defiance in the way we refused to comply with normality. Is that a factor for you? Of course, I dealt with it by adopting a job and lifestyle in which 'normal time' changes every day. That may not be possible for you, so I suggest that making a serious effort to align with conventional sleep patterns might be a good idea!