Rough Morning?

Monday morning seems like an appropriate time to discuss how difficult it can be to get out of bed in the morning. I'm having such a hard time of it this morning that I'm typing this post on my Blackberry while still tucked away under the covers. I definitely had one of those "Do I really have to get out of bed now?" moments this morning. Luckily for me, the answer was "no," but for those mornings when the answer is "yes," I have discovered a few tricks that may help make the departure from the comforts of bed a little less difficult. Before I tell you, though, I'm going to get myself out of bed because it's time for some coffee.

Okay, I'm back, with my cup of coffee here next to me. I won't tell you how long it's taken me, but I will say it's been a while. Some mornings lupus and fibromyalgia just make it hard to get moving. In the first years of my illness, having pets to feed got me out of bed every morning, and while I didn't always appreciate it, they were one of the few constants at a time when my life had been turned upside down. While I highly recommend having a furry companion, I realize that pets are not for everyone, which is why my little tips will have nothing to do with critters of any sort.

Back when I was still working at a "regular" job, I discovered that my alarm clock was terrifying me awake. Anything that sounded like my alarm clock made me jump and set my heart racing. So I decided it was time for a new alarm clock, and I found a clock/radio with a dual alarm and adjustable alarm volume. Thankfully, that did the trick, and I no longer went into a panic every time I heard an electronic beep. This dual alarm system has become essential for getting out of bed on those mornings when I have somewhere to go.

Having a dual alarm system isn't the whole trick, though. The key is in the music that you choose for the first part of the alarm. You have to choose something you will want to listen to, something that will make your ears perk up a little. Set that first music alarm for 15 to 20 minutes before you need to be awake, and set the volume at a level that will wake you up most of the way, but will not send you leaping out of bed. What you want is to lie there in bed, slowly waking up, without feeling as though you have to be getting out of bed right this moment. Take this time to enjoy the music that you've chosen. Try to ignore all the things that need to be done that day and just rest there in bed for a little while longer. Go ahead and pull those covers back over you head, if you want. Just don't turn off or ignore the music. The idea is that by the time the second alarm goes off, you are ready for it. This may not work every single morning, and really awful mornings may still be awful, but I have found that this trick works really well for me most of the time. Even on the mornings when this doesn't really work, I think it's still better than feeling guilty over hitting the "snooze" button.

There is another trick that I use in coordination with my dual alarm system: my heated mattress pad. If you do not have one of these, I do recommend getting one. This is the time of the year when they go on sale, so you should be able to get a good deal on one. (Make sure you get one that has coils that are supposed to be somewhat comfortable. I also put a regular mattress pad over the heated one so that I don't feel the coils so much.) You may even find that the heated mattress pad helps more than the alarms! Morning stiffness can be miserable, but I have discovered that the heat from the mattress pad helps alleviate some of that stiffness. So when the music starts playing in the morning, I reach over and turn on that mattress pad, making sure that it's set on high. Unless you're already sweating, trust me, and turn it all the way up. Use that mattress pad like it's a gigantic heating pad. Obviously you have to have time for it to warm up that much, which is why this works well in coordination with the two alarms. You need to allow some time for that heat to work. It won't take away all the stiffness, sadly, but hopefully it will help some. I am convinced that the money we spent on ours (we got it on clearance around this time of year) has been worth every penny because it has definitely made getting out of bed a little less difficult.

I may never "bound" out of bed again, but I have found that these tricks make mornings less rough. If you try either of these methods, or if you have tricks of your own, please let me know. We can probably all use all the help we can get, right?

Speaking of help, it's time for more coffee. I hope you all have a good week, and don't forget to laugh!