Can you really teach a “late night” dog “early morning” tricks?

I’ve always been a night person…a LATE NIGHT person. I worked in restaurants and bars for many years, and was used to the hours. Until I started a job 3 years ago that I had to wake up for at 2, 2:30 or 3 am! That’s the time I was used to going to bed, so it was a struggle for at least the first year–I was a zombie!

As much as I hate to admit it, I’ve adapted some of these suggested steps into my daily routine in a nerdy way. They’re pretty much a mirror of my grandparents wild ‘n’ crazy lifestyles. See if you agree with these “tips” for FORCING YOURSELF to become a morning person (I can vouch that they work!):

1-Force yourself to get up 2-3 hours earlier than usual. Then immediately get sun, because it signals your body to stop producing melatonin (a sleep hormone).

2-No caffeine after 3 pm. Nuff said.

3-Keep lights down low or at a minimum at night. AND: try to get to be 2-3 hours earlier than usual.

Hold on a second! Between going to bed 2-3 hours earlier, and waking up 2-3 hours earlier, how long am I actually awake and productive? And forget it if you’ve got kids…

4-Stick to your sleep schedule. Don’t stay up too late or sleep in on the weekends because it’ll screw you up again and you’ll have to start over. “They” say you need to give this sleep schedule change the ol’ college try for at least a month!

5-Move up your meals. If there’s any step I was dragging my feet more on, it’s this one. My grandma used to make “dinner” at 2:30 in the afternoon. Guess who’s cooking like Granny now?!