I have a few habits that I’m not particularly fond of, just like most people I’m sure. However, I’ve recently developed one decided horrendous habit — waking up at 4:00 in the morning.
The thing is, I’m not really sure why I wake up in the first place, nor have I discovered what exactly keeps me up. It doesn’t seem to matter much when I go to bed. Sometimes I’m feeling stressed or have a lot of “things to do” running through my mind, but there are several times when I just wake up and *POP* I’m ready to get up.
Lying in bed just seems to stress me out more. I sit and stew on things that I can’t change or work on problems that can’t be solved while in bed. So I end up getting up, going downstairs, and opening the laptop. Interestingly, some of my best work time is in these early hours.
Of course, the bigger problem comes early that afternoon. I start to drag as the world catches up with me and I get way tired. Some days, I’ll nap. Others, I “fight through it.” Neither method helps the next morning when I pop awake again.
In the past, I’ve been able to deal with changing the schedule fairly well as my responsibilities have been flexible. I could choose to take a small nap in my office or go to work a bit later as I try to catch up with a few quick Zs. However, with my new teaching adventure beginning soon, I’ll have a calendar laid out months in advance that I need to stick to. I’m afraid that I’ll continue my sloppy sleep patterns and have difficulty handling all the normal stuff PLUS a rigid teaching schedule.
Suggestions?
