I finally managed to do this almost a year ago. Really, this comes down to understanding (and accepting) that your body is built for adaptation. The more steadily you feed it regular inputs, the more it will embrace those inputs and come to expect them.
- Force yourself to wake up at the same time every day -- no sleeping in on weekends.
- You should know roughly how much sleep you need in a night, and arrange your life so that you can get in bed X + 1 hours before the time you want to wake up.
If you can't do these two things at least 90% of your days, you won't succeed. Later (2-3 months later), once you've established your pattern and are well adapted to it, you'll have a bit more flexibility with your schedule and still be able to maintain it.
A few things that helped me accomplish these goals:
- Exercise (cardio) first thing in the morning. You will find yourself getting sleepy much earlier in the day. Don't exercise at night, as the endorphins can take several hours to disperse and will keep you awake until then. After about three weeks of morning cardio, your body will begin to adapt the timing of your energy cycles and you will find yourself springing out of bed ready to run. I have used this to my advantage to replace my "night owl" tendencies with "morning person" tendencies on the days off from the gym. I also find it more productive, as my mind is fully rested.
- Melatonin. Presumably, you're staring at a screen of some sort many hours a day like most people on HN. Blue light inhibits natural melatonin production, so to compensate, take a melatonin supplement 1-2 hours before you intend to actually fall asleep. (You should experiment to find out what the lowest dose is for you which still helps you fall asleep.) Also, turn off as many room lights as you can at that time, and dim any screens you're viewing.
Like I said, it can take a few weeks to initially shift your schedule, and a few months to fully adapt to it, but it can be done if you're dedicated. Best of luck.
- Force yourself to wake up at the same time every day -- no sleeping in on weekends.
- You should know roughly how much sleep you need in a night, and arrange your life so that you can get in bed X + 1 hours before the time you want to wake up.
If you can't do these two things at least 90% of your days, you won't succeed. Later (2-3 months later), once you've established your pattern and are well adapted to it, you'll have a bit more flexibility with your schedule and still be able to maintain it.
A few things that helped me accomplish these goals:
- Exercise (cardio) first thing in the morning. You will find yourself getting sleepy much earlier in the day. Don't exercise at night, as the endorphins can take several hours to disperse and will keep you awake until then. After about three weeks of morning cardio, your body will begin to adapt the timing of your energy cycles and you will find yourself springing out of bed ready to run. I have used this to my advantage to replace my "night owl" tendencies with "morning person" tendencies on the days off from the gym. I also find it more productive, as my mind is fully rested.
- Melatonin. Presumably, you're staring at a screen of some sort many hours a day like most people on HN. Blue light inhibits natural melatonin production, so to compensate, take a melatonin supplement 1-2 hours before you intend to actually fall asleep. (You should experiment to find out what the lowest dose is for you which still helps you fall asleep.) Also, turn off as many room lights as you can at that time, and dim any screens you're viewing.
Like I said, it can take a few weeks to initially shift your schedule, and a few months to fully adapt to it, but it can be done if you're dedicated. Best of luck.