# How Do You Wake Up?



## SifuPhil (Sep 16, 2015)

Partially because of my present medical condition, partially because of my meds I seem to have altered the way I wake up.

I used to be instantly awake, bright-eyed and bushy tailed and jumping into the day.

Now I wake up slowly - take a minute to get upright and put my feet on the floor, another few minutes to let the initial dizziness wear off and then I lurch to the bathroom and kitchen, weaving all the way.

Have you changed the way you wake up?


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## QuickSilver (Sep 16, 2015)

I wake up to an alarm at 4:15.   I do have to walk a few feet before I feel steady.. I'm very stiff in the morning now.  But mentally I'm pretty much awake instantly.  On days I do not work, I usually wake up to a little doggie tail beating against the dresser or the wall.  That would be my little Shorkie.. Murphy.


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## SifuPhil (Sep 16, 2015)

Aww, that's a neat way to wake up, QS.

When I had my cat I could always rely on waking up to the sound of his meows for breakfast. Now it' silent.


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## hollydolly (Sep 16, 2015)

I have always been one to wake up and get going straight away...but no-one can speak to me for at least 1/2 an hour. (that's not changed)  Nowadays my back hurts so much I have to get up carefully sideways out of bed, I can't just jump  straight out as I used to.., and because of the meds I have to take before bed, I too am a little unsteady with dizziness for a few minutes . Once I'm up and going I'm fine but I have to get up for work at 5am to leave around 7 because it takes a little time for my head to clear ..but I do miss just getting straight up and on with the day immediately.


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## Pappy (Sep 16, 2015)

Kinda like this, Phil. Old bones need a little breaking in each morning.


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## SifuPhil (Sep 16, 2015)

hollydolly said:


> I have always been one to wake up and get going straight away...but no-one can speak to me for at least 1/2 an hour. (that's not changed)



Yeah, understand perfectly - I'm pretty much a bear for the first hour. 


> Nowadays my back hurts so much I have to get up carefully sideways out of bed, I can't just jump  straight out as I used to.., and because of the meds I have to take before bed, I too am a little unsteady with dizziness for a few minutes .



Sorry for that, but I'm glad I'm not the only one.



> Once I'm up and going I'm fine but I have to get up for work at 5am to leave around 7 because it takes a little time for my head to clear ..but I do miss just getting straight up and on with the day immediately.



Boy, I'm glad I don't have an outside job.



Pappy said:


> Kinda like this, Phil. Old bones need a little breaking in each morning.



Love it, Pap!


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## NancyNGA (Sep 16, 2015)

I used to be able to almost jump out of bed in the morning, until a serious vertigo episode about a 2 years ago.   Now there is always a little dizziness if I move my head too fast, so I roll out slowly, and balance is not right for a few seconds.   Doesn't look like it will ever go away.  I hate it.


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## ndynt (Sep 16, 2015)

I wake up full of energy..wide awake and feeling blessed I have another day.   Somehow my body just does not get the message though.  Will not move quickly or painlessly.  Like you all...joint by joint..navigate out of bed..stand to get my equilibrium...unsteadily make my way to bathroom.  My inner me trying to walk quickly...while body is struggling to just get there.  :shucks:


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## Falcon (Sep 16, 2015)

Well,  I'm just lying there and realize I woke up.  Probably my bladder is the cause of this.

So I get out of bed and take care of this problem, put on my slippers , pour a mug of coffee, then
move the mouse and here I am.....full of P&V and ready to take on the day....come what may.


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## Debby (Sep 16, 2015)

SifuPhil said:


> Aww, that's a neat way to wake up, QS.
> 
> When I had my cat I could always rely on waking up to the sound of his meows for breakfast. Now it' silent.




I'll bet you could find an app for that Phil.  A 'waking kitty' app?  Loving meows, alternating with contented purrs......


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## Debby (Sep 16, 2015)

NancyNGA said:


> I used to be able to almost jump out of bed in the morning, until a serious vertigo episode about a 2 years ago.   Now there is always a little dizziness if I move my head too fast, so I roll out slowly, and balance is not right for a few seconds.   Doesn't look like it will ever go away.  I hate it.




Oh Nancy, I feel for you right now!  I know exactly what you mean about serious vertigo attacks but unlike you, I recovered from the one I had about a year ago.  Mind you, I'm still nervous about driving anywhere alone now because it came on so fast and for no reason.  You definitely have my sympathy.


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## SifuPhil (Sep 16, 2015)

Debby said:


> I'll bet you could find an app for that Phil.  A 'waking kitty' app?  Loving meows, alternating with contented purrs......



Unless it comes with a fuzzy butt app as well that goes in my face I'm afraid it wouldn't be quite the same ...


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## NancyNGA (Sep 16, 2015)

Debby, I guess there could be a lot worse things, right?

So funny Phil!   There is a window sill just above the head of my bed.  If I sleep too late my cat will sit in the window sill and thump her tail on top of my head until get up.


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## jujube (Sep 16, 2015)

I wake up to "snap, crackle and pop".....which is strange because there are no Rice Crispies in the house. 

I've been housesitting/petsitting for my sister and two mornings I've waken up to two dogs who are most indignant that breakfast is late.  Apparently, I'm supposed to fling myself out of bed no later than 6:00 a.m. and immediately head to the kitchen to dole out kibble.


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## Lon (Sep 16, 2015)

I wake up fine and am alert, but it takes the body a bit to loosen up and get moving. The shower sure helps.


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## Cookie (Sep 16, 2015)

For the past several weeks I've been waking up to the not so sweet sound of jackhammering and drilling right outside, where there is garage and driveway renovations going on in my building.  I'm not ready for that, so I put in my ear plugs and go back to sleep for another hour or so, and wake up when the workers break for coffee.  I stumble into the kitchen and make my coffee, trying not to spill grounds over the counter or splash boiling water on myself.  I go to my computer, relieved to sit down and wake up gradually while I check email and read the news.


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## AZ Jim (Sep 16, 2015)

Phil, I could have written your post.  I wake up the same way now as a beat up ole guy.


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## SifuPhil (Sep 16, 2015)

AZ Jim said:


> Phil, I could have written your post.  I wake up the same way now as a beat up ole guy.



Come to think of it, yeah, it IS like having been beat up the previous night ...

... I remember that feeling well ... :boxing:


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## SifuPhil (Sep 16, 2015)

Cookie said:


> For the past several weeks I've been waking up to the not so sweet sound of jackhammering and drilling right outside, where there is garage and driveway renovations going on in my building.  I'm not ready for that, so I put in my ear plugs and go back to sleep for another hour or so, and wake up when the workers break for coffee.  I stumble into the kitchen and make my coffee, trying not to spill grounds over the counter or splash boiling water on myself.  I go to my computer, relieved to sit down and wake up gradually while I check email and read the news.



There's something about early-morning jackhammers ...

The city was well over-due to fix a piece of road in front of our apartment. It was about10' long and 5' wide, and was holding a sewer grating - just barely - and the road section had sunk down a few inches. As a result, every time a car drove by they would hit the pothole with a loud "CLUNK".

It's been almost two years in the making but finally they came around one day a month ago at 7:00am and started the jackhammering. I lurched upright out of bed like Frankenstein, my arms held out while "AAARRRgggghhh" came from my lips.


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## fureverywhere (Sep 16, 2015)

I'm so happy to wake up most mornings. It means the nightmares weren't real. I get monster hot flashes in my sleep, vivid dreams of fire, flames, oh and I can't find the dogs...horrible. We keep the bedroom like an icebox. Just one of the joys of menopause and medications, I'm self-heating. Put foil around me and set me in the fireplace...could warm the whole house

Something a customer told me one time..." If you wake up in the morning in your own bed and you aren't in the hospital or jail, then you already have the start for a great day".


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## SifuPhil (Sep 16, 2015)

fureverywhere said:


> ... Something a customer told me one time..." If you wake up in the morning in your own bed and you aren't in the hospital or jail, then you already have the start for a great day".



Wisdom, indeed! 

I've been in all three and have to agree.


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## venus (Sep 18, 2015)

Sluggish I need at least two cups of coffee before I come round   I would love to wake up fresh and alert.


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## SifuPhil (Sep 18, 2015)

venus said:


> Sluggish I need at least two cups of coffee before I come round   I would love to wake up fresh and alert.



I just read an interesting article about how quitting caffeine makes you a better person.




Guess I'll never know.


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## Jackie22 (Sep 18, 2015)

Most mornings Bella wakes me up, ready to go outside.  I'm at my best in the mornings, especially after two cups of coffee.


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## Pappy (Sep 18, 2015)

A couple of times.......


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## Shirley (Sep 18, 2015)

I wake up slowly. I'm sort of half asleep and half awake for a while. Then I'm more awake. I stretch, turn over and lie there thinking and pondering for another few minutes. That's when I solve all the world's problems.  When that's done, I sit up on the side of the bed, stretch and yawn. Then I get up and get my day started.


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## SifuPhil (Sep 18, 2015)

"Solve all the world's problems" - love it! :neat:


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## chic (Sep 19, 2015)

Phil what causes the dizziness you feel upon awakening? I too, had vertigo once and it was pretty terrible but went away after I did the head roll exercises for it. I never blast out of bed anymore because of my vertigo experience and when I awaken I do tai chi exercises while preparing breakfast. It's a good way to ease yourself into the day.


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## SifuPhil (Sep 19, 2015)

chic said:


> Phil what causes the dizziness you feel upon awakening? I too, had vertigo once and it was pretty terrible but went away after I did the head roll exercises for it. I never blast out of bed anymore because of my vertigo experience and when I awaken I do tai chi exercises while preparing breakfast. It's a good way to ease yourself into the day.



LOL - sorry for laughing but I'm a retired T'ai-Chi teacher!

It's the meds they have me on - as usual, they are supposed to solve one problem but cause another.  The exercises certainly help but are no match for taking 10 different meds PLUS a daily insulin shot. All that stuff together can NOT be good for ya'! :distress:


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## RadishRose (Sep 19, 2015)

Elevate blood sugar can cause dizziness in the morning.

  Otherwise, unless it's certain medications causing the dizziness in those of you who mentioned having it, I don't think it's a normal thing. Maybe have your blood sugars checked, dear folks?

I wake up ok, but need a few moments to get the body moving and straight into the kitchen for coffee!


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## SifuPhil (Sep 19, 2015)

You might be right about the blood sugars, Rose. I haven't checked them since this all began (3 months?), so I might be using too much / too little insulin. Thanks!


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## Denise1952 (Sep 21, 2015)




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## tnthomas (Sep 21, 2015)

fureverywhere said:


> If you wake up in the morning in your own bed and you aren't in the hospital or jail, then you already have the start for a great day.



I like that.    I have a fairly quiet little alarm on my cell phone(it "peeps") that gently nudges me into action.   It takes 2 cups of coffee and a 60 mile drive to work to get fully functional.  :shrug:


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## SifuPhil (Sep 21, 2015)

I woke up yesterday morning at 3:00am. Not intentionally.

My roomie was in the kitchen and I had fallen asleep on the sofa in the living room. She dropped her cane on the floor and I was instantly standing with my spring-assisted knife open in my hand. 

So much for waking up slowly ...


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## imp (Sep 21, 2015)

*"How Do You Wake Up?"

*Glad to find I am still breathing and alive! After all, is it not true that what Kenny Rogers said fits perfectly? "The best we can hope for, is to die in our sleep"!   imp


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## SifuPhil (Sep 21, 2015)

imp said:


> *...  *After all, is it not true that what Kenny Rogers said fits perfectly? "The best we can hope for, is to die in our sleep"!   imp



It depends.

Sometimes I wake up and find myself sprawled across the bed with my ponytail in my mouth and a pool of drool on the pillow.

I'd rather go by having a safe fall on me ala Wiley Coyote - at least when they find me it wouldn't be so embarrassing.


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## Butterfly (Sep 22, 2015)

Because of arthritis, I get up more slowly than I once did.  I'm also kind of stupid when I first wake up, and that has always been the case.

At least I don't have to get up at 5:30 to go to work any more!  I still get up fairly early, though, to take my dog for a walk before it gets too hot.  She gets quite indignant if for some reason we can't go on a particular morning.  I don't think she ever got taken on walks before I got her back in April, and she was a bit suspicious at first (I think she may have worried I was taking her back to the shelter), but now she absolutely loves it.  When she first came to live with me she was 7-1/2 and was pretty out of shape.  We walk a little farther every day and she has built up her strength and stamina.  She has to sniff every single blade of grass along the way too.


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## Butterfly (Sep 22, 2015)

SifuPhil said:


> You might be right about the blood sugars, Rose. I haven't checked them since this all began (3 months?), so I might be using too much / too little insulin. Thanks!



Yikes!  DOn't you have to check your glucose levels before you take the insulin?  My husband always had to do that.


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## Butterfly (Sep 22, 2015)

fureverywhere said:


> I'm so happy to wake up most mornings. It means the nightmares weren't real. I get monster hot flashes in my sleep, vivid dreams of fire, flames, oh and I can't find the dogs...horrible. We keep the bedroom like an icebox. Just one of the joys of menopause and medications, I'm self-heating. Put foil around me and set me in the fireplace...could warm the whole house
> 
> Something a customer told me one time..." If you wake up in the morning in your own bed and you aren't in the hospital or jail, then you already have the start for a great day".



My neighbor, who is 88 and gets around and does all kinds of things like building furniture, always says if he wakes up on the right side of the dirt it's a good day.


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## SifuPhil (Sep 22, 2015)

Butterfly said:


> Yikes!  DOn't you have to check your glucose levels before you take the insulin?  My husband always had to do that.



Technically I think you're supposed to check it twice a day, but I never received any instructions on adjusting my insulin dosage so it could very well be that I'm off.


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## Denise1952 (Sep 22, 2015)

SifuPhil said:


> It depends.
> 
> Sometimes I wake up and find myself sprawled across the bed with my ponytail in my mouth and a pool of drool on the pillow.
> 
> I'd rather go by having a safe fall on me ala Wiley Coyote - at least when they find me it wouldn't be so embarrassing.



LOL, yeah, I remember some story about a gal that dolled up to die, and when she overdosed she first headed for the bathroom thowing up.  That's how they found her, lol!


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## SifuPhil (Sep 22, 2015)

nwlady said:


> LOL, yeah, I remember some story about a gal that dolled up to die, and when she overdosed she first headed for the bathroom thowing up.  That's how they found her, lol!



Oh, geeze! Talk about embarrassing ways to go ...


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