Sunday, January 24, 2010

When did I start rising

with the sun?



I have never been a morning person, not even in toddlerhood. My mother takes great delight in telling all and sundry about her constant battles to get me to sleep (she is an early to bed, early to rise advocate), and her endless mornings trying to get me to wake. I was one of those kids whose parents stumble past their bedroom on a wee hours wee run to find said child with torch under the covers still reading. At 2am.



My body clock was thus perfectly synchronised for my teenage years and twenties, even into my thirties. Late to bed, late to rise, late for work, sleep in the compactus and hope no-one went looking for files (have you seen those massive metal filing monsters? I could have lost weight in a very dramatic fashion, not that I needed to in those days). Ah yes, the party days. I was known at Uni for stumbling into my 9am lecture, complete in the black lycra and leather (photographic evidence here) and promptly falling asleep in the back row. And snoring.




Marriage, babies, well the broken sleep was not pleasant but the late night/very early morning feeds... pfft, no worries! Was not so impressed with having to wake at a decent time to feed the little buggers again, but followed the rule of when they sleep, you sleep and revelled in the daytime napping.



But my forties seem determined to change me into an early morning person. In the last six months I have awoken when the sun comes up (as early as 4.30am in Queensland) more often than not. Something is going seriously skewiff with my system! I am not a happy morning person, noooooo. I am a very grumpy, mumbling sort of early riser, the type that people avoid as they wander aimlessly around in pyjamas muttering curses under their unbrushed teeth bad breath. To make matters worse I do not drink coffee. Or tea. And it feels unseemly to imbibe coke at 5am, just not right, you know?




Something is very wrong in my world, and I think God is laughing at me! I know my mother definitely is... Payback is a bitch, right?








7 comments:

Kellyansapansa said...

I've been getting up at 5:00am for the past two months. It's surprising how quickly I have adapted to it, as I am sooo not a morning person. I get a lot done in those early hours, but there is a massive downside - I'm ready for bed by about 8:00pm.

Unknown said...

I can so relate to this post. I'm not a morning person either. In fact, I truly believe it shouldn't be allowed!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. Thanks :)

Cathy said...

Me, I really liked my sleep. As a baby, Mum used to check on me to see if I was still breathing. After getting married it was really hard to sleep in as DH has always been a morning person - up by 6am. But then being a tradie has always started work at 7 or 7.30am since he was 16. Once having kids though I got used to waking up early, even after having a late night before. For me 7am is a sleep in!

Kakka said...

Same, same as my littlest grand-daughter would say - always a night owl, always slept in even when my kids were little I was not up until 7.30 (neither were they or if they were they knew to stay and play in their rooms until Mummy stumbled out of bed). Last 6 months up at between 4.30 and 5.30 every morning, now I am taking advantage and going water walking at 6 am - I think I have been taken over by a body-snatcher!!! Maybe you have too - sigh. Hugs from Perth xxx

Anonymous said...

my body clock turned me into an early riser years ago when I was studing for my professional qualifications. I would wake at 4am naturally and once awake can't go back to sleep. These days I wake sometime between 4'ish and 6'ish and often before the kookaburras start up!! I would love to sleep in

Kimmie said...

Ditto here also. Since relocating from Melb to Qld I hate that it is so light and hot so early. I too am not a morning person but have been forced to be since moving.

PinkPatentMaryJanes said...

I'm seriously thinking about installing shutters on my windows to prevent the damned sun from sneaking in - and a cone of silence for the birds who wake me pre-dawn...