So here is my “routine”:
- snooze the alarm and can’t get out of bed for 25 minutes
- protein shake, Lisdexamfetamine immediately
- usually guarana / black tea right after
- sit down and wait for the kick - but that takes an awfully long time!
- managed to avoid dopaminergic things like doomscrolling while waiting
- often watch a show as a compromise, though
- manage todos, like even starting the list for the day helps a lot when the kick comes
- start drinking a lot (no caffeine) within ~10 minutes, fast fill-up 1l, then slow down
A faster way is to take the meds immediately with water only, or even in bed, but it doesn’t last as long as with the protein shake. Maybe a mix of both would work, like meds on empty stomach, but then protein shake and food 10 minutes later?
Showering works great for some reason, but I lately prefer an occasional bath at night. Is it the “thinking time” with no screens and the simple routine?
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Natural light and consistent bedtime are part of the answer. It’s difficult for everyone in this world. Keep at it.
Consistent wake and sleep times have been key for me. Once I figured out my body’s sleep cycles and managed to get the timing just right I’ll get my first alarm and be up and ready to go.
Using a sleep tracking app with a smart watch helps a lot.
I find the snooze habit just makes everything worse for me. I added some smart lights that slowly start ramping up brightness 10 minutes before my alarm actually goes off, and I forced myself to never hit snooze. I found that I ended up actually having less desire to hit snooze since I was already woken up more gently by the increasing light.
Exercise. A small workout clears me up pretty good in the morning. Sometimes, when I’m in the mood after a couple of minutes, I even go for a fully body workout.
Exercise first thing in the morning makes me feel like shit all day and I can’t stay awake.
Not your best poem
Take meds with first alarm, get up and eat within 30 min.
And this may sound extreme but I promise it’s not that bad: best way to get going early is a cold shower right to the cooch.
When I dont want a full morning shower I still get in and squat down (to avoid wetting my legs as much as possible), turn on the shower and immediately aim it at the open crotch before the water heats up. Exhale hard at the point of impact (to not wake the whole house by yelping). It’s a quick 30 sec wake-up-and-rinse-off routine. Try it! Works similarly with cold water face washing, but after the shower you might as well put on your day clothes and your halfway ready.
You wake up by cold shocking your ghoulies? There must be another way! Haha
Trying meds upon alarm again might be one of the most promising tips, thanks.
Got to take a rain check on part II, but you keep up the good work for the both of us until then!
When on stims I set my alarm for an hour before I gotta be up, take meds and go back to bed. Wake up as the meds are already kicking in.
After that it’s just doing whatever works for you to release some of those sweet sweet brain chemicals your meds are effective on.
this may not be for everyone nor actionable, but I managed to raw-dog ADHD for years by having dependents (small children and pets) that need cared for.
Move the alarm ten feet from your bed. Once you’re up, stay up.
I once had a special alarm clock: It was a red punching ball that would blink and go off like a siren. Hanging from the ceiling. To snooze, it had to be punched. But every time, it pulled itself closer to the ceiling, so I had to get up more and more to hit it.
Crazy times, but I managed to switch to softer methods. Your idea is still the way I go for the “last resort” alarm, #3.
A slam my dex down with a coffee. The coffee kicks in faster, and wears off as the dex comes in. Sharp start. No peaks and troughs.
Also, get in the shower. That makes my brain realise I’m vertical.
Surprising - coffee is something I quickly adjust to, and after a couple of weeks, it’s just what I need to reach normal. Guarana works more even, but I keep reverting to 0 caffeine every 1 - 3 years, lol. The endless circle …
I’m confused if I am just depressed or have ADHD.
@zeroConnection @AddLemmus why not both?? 🎉
Never use the snooze feature, it just makes you take longer to wake up. If you feel like you need the extra half hour of sleep, just go to bed 30 minutes earlier, or set your one and only alarm to your snooze offset time.
Screens are actually stimulating and can help wake you up. Whether extra screen time aligns with one’s personal philosophy is up to them, but better to have screens in the morning when you’re trying to wake up than at night when you’re trying to go to sleep.
As noted, a shower in the morning will also help wake you up. Even if you take a bath the night before, it can help just to do a quick rinse in the shower (don’t need to do your full cleaning routine if you don’t want to). Bonus that you can wash off some of the night sweat that everyone gets (even if you think you don’t).
I got used to my bodys wake cycle and timed it around that. I still use an alarm but I always wake up before it. It’s in case I forget to wake up as usual. Wake up hour before, Medication, sleep and get ready, caffeine, fruit and meal replacement
I found that, for me, some orange juice with stimulant meds (may help activate the drug, at the suggestion of my psychiatrist) and on an empty stomach for at least 30 minutes before food works better. Also as another commenter suggested, as much natural light as you can get, or maybe some “daylight” fade-in type lamp. This is all frustratingly trial-and-error, but I hope you find what works for you!
Not saying you should switch medications at all, but they make a methylphenidate one (like focalin/ritalin) called Journay that doesn’t release until it hits the colon, so you take it the night before and it starts working when you get up. Not sure if there’s one like that with the vyvanse yet, but worth asking your psychiatrist.
Stop setting an alarm, go to bed earlier. Make the times consistent and get into a routine.
Showers are good, don’t worry about having a bath in the evening, do both. Have 5 baths if it works for you.
Go outside soon after you get up for a small walk, get some daylight into your eyeballs.
For a while, the start of my wakeup was a shower. It was a nice relaxing point to start the day. I’m lucky in that by the time we had a kid, my body had decided that it needs to get up in the morning.
Eliminate all caffeine and stimulants. Concentrate on sleep hygiene.
Sir, this is a Wendy’s.
