# Sleep and Dreams > Sleep and Health >  >  I'm sick if I get up early, but I have to. Advice needed.

## Hyu

First of all, I have a slightly messed up sleeping rhythm.
If I go to bed when I'm tired and wake up without an alarm clock I usually sleep from
between 4:00 - 6:00 until 12:00 - 14:00
So this is my "natural" sleeping rhythm so to speak.

This is obviously bad considering I'm attending university.
Fortunately most of my teachers are late sleepers as well, and most courses start at 14:00, so this usually isn't a problem.
For some reason I'm also immensely productive after midnight, I have a very easy time studying and I'm super concentrated if I work on projects.
If I try to do such work in the middle of the day it usually results in utter failure. :/

This semester I had an early class one day of the week, at 9:30am.
This meant I only got 4 hours of sleep. (4am - 8am)
I didn't feel insanely tired in the morning, but I did feel terribly sick and had diarrhea like every second time.
So I tried going to to bed earlier, which was very hard, but I managed to fall asleep at ~1am a few times, getting 7 hours of sleep, but I felt just as sick in the morning.
It's been like that for a few years now, and I've consulted 2 doctors due to the problem.
Both of them were unable to help me, but I feel like they didn't really try.



This semester I have a course at 7:30am, which means I have to get up at 5:30am. (need 30 minutes more due to certain traffic jam) 
I have absolutely no idea whatsoever how I'm supposed to pull this off.
I'm afraid I may feel even more sick, which would be unbearable.

I'm considering skipping sleep completely the night before that course, but that would mean taking a 90 minute drive to school and a 60 minute drive back sleep deprived, and that feels quite dangerous.

I'm open to any advice / suggestions / ideas.

Thanks,
Hyu

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## StonedApe

I used to have bad insomnia and wouldn't be able to sleep until 4:00 all the time. I had school at 8 then every day so I usually slept until 7. I would get super tired and fall asleep at 9 or ten every few nights(21 or 22 on a 24 based clock).

Just get in the habit of getting up early and try to be productive during the day. Sleep schedules are more based in routine than actual  time.

It might be different for you but for me the reason I could never be productive during the day and would stay up late and do things was because I like the privacy you get at night. No one bitching at you to do this, and why didn't you do that. It's calm.

I've been meditating twice a day now and I can sleep whenever now. My mental state is calmer and adaptive so if I feel at all tired I can sleep regardless of what time it is. Maybe try that if you don't think it's a bunch of nonsense.

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## saltyseedog

Yes I've also found that meditating makes it easier to fall asleep.

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## StonedApe

Yeah, the only other thing that worked for me was smoking lots of weed. Melotonin worked for a few months but after a while my mind was able to keep me up even when I took it.

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## Hyu

Thank you for the suggestions!

It is indeed quite possible that I am so productive at night because nobody is interrupting me, in which case it wouldn't be a big deal to change my sleeping rhythm.
If I really have to get work done I can just unplug my phone and disconnect my messengers/skype etc.
I live alone so no-one should bug me during the day.

I suppose I'll try it. I think the easiest way would be to skip sleep one night where I don't have school the next day,
so I will get tired quite early the next day. Then I just have to try to stay in that new rhythm.
I'll see how my body takes it.

I don't smoke pot, so that isn't an option.
I haven't tried meditating yet, but if I have trouble staying in the new rhythm I'll give it a try.

Cheers,
Hyu

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## sunshine326

i would say it has something to do with eating? do you eat breakfast before your early class? i get really sick in the mornings if i eat before about 10am i always have my entire life including as a baby. the symptoms sound the same, if your not eating before early class might mean you need to. something bland though you dont want to eat a whole spread for breakfast. i could be wrong just letting you know what i think i could be. also to help with your sleep problem try relaxing your body i do it by starting with my toes telling myself my toes are relaxed, my toes are getting tired my toes are asleep and work your way all the way to you head your brain and eyes should be last. im the same way everything i need to do through out the day is way easier for me to do after about midnight, if i try during the day i fail miserably

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## Hyu

I don't know if it's eating related, but I can't eat breakfast at all.
My body refuses any food shortly after getting up, regardless of the time.
I immediately feel like throwing up, even if I only take a single bite from a cookie. :/

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## Vertebrate

This was me last semester; I didn't go to class. I still sleep like this on the "weekends" (thursday, friday, saturday, and sunday nights). I have to be up at 8:00 for class on tuesday wednesday and thursday, so I always try to go to bed at 12:00AM (24:00 or 00:00? Not sure what to call it).

I would say the number one thing to try if you want to get into a new rhythm is changing your eating schedule. If you're like me you eat lunch at 14:00 and dinner at 20:00, and then eat a snack sometime later like 1:00 or 2:00. I was able to go to bed at 23:00 and wake up at 7:00 by changing my eating habits. I had a job, so I didn't really have a choice. And I did feel really sick for a while when I woke up, but that went away after a couple weeks. I just made sure that I ate at least something for breakfast, and then never skipped lunch or dinner. Otherwise I'm hungry all night.

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## StonedApe

Danm, I never schedule classes that early. 10 at the earliest and I live 10 minutes walking from school. I can get up that early, but I like to dream journal and meditate, take my time and make a nice breakfast.

Once had a 9am, skipped at least every other class. I still passed somehow because the teacher thought I was sweet at guitar(was an electronic music class and the grade was mostly based on your final project which was an original composition).

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## Hyu

Yeah, I've skipped a fair amount of those 9:30am classes.
Unfortunately this one is quite important. :/

I usually have lunch at 17:00 and dinner at 2:00.
This is obviously not possible with the new schedule, I'll try to figure something out.

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