Are You an Early Riser?

I used to think people were wired to either be a night owl or a morning bird. There is probably some truth to this idea, but I didn't really find myself in either category. For me it didn't magically happen that I just woke up early every morning ready to start the day or could stay up late with endless energy. I think I just enjoyed sleep. If nothing held my attention, I would go to bed early and still wake up as late as my schedule would permit. I didn't have a set bedtime. Before I had kids when I worked, I got up as late as my work schedule would allow. When my kids were young and I didn't work outside of the home, Mark would get up and do his morning routine for work and I would stay in bed until one of the boys woke me up. There were mornings where they slept in and I got up before them, but it was all left to whatever happened. I didn't really have a plan. If I got into a project at night and didn't want to stop, or there was a good late night movie on, I would stay up as late as desired and I would wake up as late as my schedule would permit. I never felt completely rested and often needed a nap during one of my boys' nap times.

My first few years of marriage were spent in this fashion and the thing that was always true no matter when I went to bed was that I dreaded waking up in the morning. The worst part was the waking up process and if a child woke me up, it was that much harder. I always felt like I needed just a little more sleep in the morning. 

If you have a baby who does not sleep through the night yet, you can't have a sleep schedule. It will be a stage where you will need to nap and sleep when you can. You will live in a fog for a while. Those are difficult months, but they will pass. If you are pregnant, your body will need extra sleep. You may benefit from set bedtimes and wakeup times if you are able to sleep through the night, but will still probably need extra naps. That having been said, I realized in my own life that past the time of when my kids were sleeping through the night, I still didn't have any discipline in this area. I wasn't getting restful sleep, but was always groggy and had a hard time getting myself up in the morning.

Wanting to change this bad habit, I said to Mark one night, "I am praying I wake up early tomorrow." He said to me, "You have an alarm clock." It was at that moment that I realized that I wanted it to just easily happen that I would wake up early on my own. I didn't want the commitment of setting an alarm and make myself get up. I had talked several times to friends about this dilemma about getting up in the morning and hating to be woken up by young children. This conversation usually met sympathetic agreement as they struggled through the same dilemma. I just wished I was a morning person or even a night owl. Then once I was sharing this with someone who said, "Before I had kids I got up early for work everyday. Now that I am a stay-at-home-mom, I think of my family as my job that I need to get ready for, so I get up early to be ready for them." Wow, that just put everything into perspective. Of course if I had something like an appointment or a job I would get up early, but I did have something I needed to get up and get ready for–my family.

It wasn't just going to happen that I would start waking up early, I had to discipline myself to get up early. I started setting my alarm clock to wake up before everyone else in my family. It was hard at first to make myself get up knowing I didn't have to get up that early. After about two weeks of consistently waking up at the same time every morning, it started to get easier and I was even waking up just before my alarm would sound. I started getting tired earlier at night and wanting to go to bed. I learned if I was going to get up at 6:00AM, I needed to get ready for bed at 10:00PM and be in bed before10:30PM. 

The last couple of years, Mark's teaching schedule has changed to where he needs to get up earlier on some mornings. I started getting up at 5:30AM on those mornings, but figured out that it was much easier and more restful for my body to just get up at 5:30AM every morning, than to switch back and forth between 6:00AM and 5:30AM. I still go to bed at the same time and feel very rested.

I have had this sleep routine for many years now and I must say, I would never want to go back. I often don't set my alarm on Saturdays, but I still usually wake up close to my normal time. That is actually a bonus now that my kids are older and sleep in on Saturdays. After my shower, Mark and I can enjoy a cup of coffee together. Those quiet evenings together that we used to have when the kids were small are no longer, so having a Saturday morning together is a treasure.

I have had times where I am sick and have to set aside my sleep routine. If I am up half of the night coughing, I am not going to be able to get up as early as I would like. After a week of not getting up early, I have to reprogram my body. It's like starting over and reminds me of how hard it is to start, but in about a week or two, my body adjusts back to the early schedule and it becomes easy to get up early again.

Helpful tips for staring a sleep schedule.

1. The key to a sleep schedule is to be consistent about when you go to bed and when you get up. Determine what works for your schedule and stick with it. 
2. It is important to know how much sleep you need. Some people need more than others, but the average is 7-8 hours. More is not always better. Getting too much sleep can make you feel just as tired as getting too little. 
3. Make sure you plan to go to bed early enough to get up early. Nobody can be both a night owl and an early bird. Be realistic and humble. God made our bodies to need sleep. So for those over achievers out there (and I know you are) don't think you can go to bed at 2:00AM and get up at 5:00AM.
4. When you are getting started, I would strongly encourage you to commit to two weeks of a faithful sleep schedule. I am fairly confident at that point you won't want to give up.  
5. Get out of the habit of pushing snooze. The longer you lay in bed, the harder it will be to get out of bed. If this is a weakness for you, be very strict with yourself during the first two weeks in order to break this habit.

I am not claiming getting up early is for everyone. Some of you are very productive in those late evening hours and that is your quiet house time after everyone has gone to bed. If your family's schedule allows for that routine, super. You can use these same principles of a sleep schedule to fit your life by just adjusting the times. If you have found yourself not having a handle on this area, I hope I can encourage you to try creating a sleep routine that involves set times for going to bed and waking up. It has so many benefits.

There are overwhelming benefits to having a sleep schedule. 

1. I have restful sleep. Previously I slept more, but always felt tired. Now I wake up refreshed after a night's sleep and I rarely need a nap in the middle of the day. 
2. I started waking up early naturally. After several weeks of keeping a sleep schedule, my body started to wake up on it's own. I hate the sound of an alarm, so I usually wake up a couple of minutes before it goes off and turn it off so the alarm never goes off.
3.  I wake up to a quiet house. I have never liked it noisy when I first wake up. I'm actually a grumpy morning person. Having a child or even my husband wake me up in the morning puts me out of sorts. I need a shower and my coffee before I can talk to anyone or accomplish any task. Waking up before everyone solved this problem.
4. I am more consistent in the disciplines of the faith. Before having a sleep schedule, I would read my Bible during one of the kids' nap times. It usually worked, but sometimes I would get a phone call or have some other distraction that would take away this time. Early in the morning, there are no distractions. My kids were toddlers when I started this, so they were old enough that I could tell them if they woke up early, they were to play quietly in their bedroom until 7:00AM. Sometimes they would wander out and I would just remind them to go back to their room until I got them. Not only did this make me more focused and consistent in this area, but it freed me to use nap times to get more done around the house.
5. It has helped me to be a more patient and helpful wife and mom. I am no June Cleaver by any stretch, but by the time my family is up and moving about, I have been awake for an hour. I've had my shower and a couple cups of coffee and I am ready to help them start their day. This is especially helpful now that my kids are in school and need lunches made and need to keep on task to head out the door on time.
6. Morning has become my favorite time of day. Instead of dreading mornings and the alarm clock, morning has become my favorite time of day. After my shower, I am ready to face the day and I love the quiet house and my time with the Lord before my day begins.

I have been working on this post for a few weeks and was excited to see Chrystal on Money Saving Mom talking about How to Develop a Routine That Works. If you haven't been reading this series, I would encourage you to head over there. She has a lot of helpful advice not only in the area of a morning routine, but helpful tips on developing a routine that makes the most of your 24 hour day.