As I wrote in this post, I was trying a few methods to get back in synch with the normal waking world. Recall, I was trying:
- Open my blinds during the day and rely entirely on sunlight to light my rooms.
- Only use dim lighting at night
- Avoid tv screens and computer monitors at night (especially computer games). Shift to reading paper books and listening to podcasts at night, and do the computer stuff during the day.
- No big meals after sunset
- No matter when I go to sleep, wake up at the same time every day (I chose 7:30 AM)
So, after a couple months, I would say the two most important tactics are (1) and (5). Even when I slip up and go to bed way too late, it really helps to just get up at 7:30 the next morning anyway. The funny thing is that it doesn’t even feel that bad, when your body is more-or-less trained to be awake in the morning. And, whenever I get up, I go look at the sunlight out my window for a minute or so. Supposedly this helps your mind register that it’s morning and resets your internal clock.
I have tried to follow the other rules, but I admit I regularly fail at (3) and (4)… I do a lot of programming/etc and sometimes I want to continue with that at night. I have been better about not eating meals too late, though at times I cheat and eat snacks. I can’t help it… it goes hand-in-hand with programming.
So far, it’s been a complete success… with only a couple exceptions, I have gotten up between 7:30 and 8:00 every day since that earlier post.