13:54
It's almost noon, you woke up a few hours ago, but you haven't done almost anything you planned. And for some reason you are already exhausted. Now you feel like you're falling behind, and your day has n't even started. If you have ADHD, why does waking up take so much effort? And what can you actually change so that you don't spend the first half of the day waiting for your brain to finally wake up? In this video, I'll show you both: why this happens and how to fix it. I'm also assuming you work a 9-to-5 job and don't want to wake up early or fit a bunch of things into your morning routine. So this could really work for you. So why are mornings so hard? I actually see three different problems. The first is sleep inertia. Because
waking up and being fully alert are actually two different things. Sleep inertia is the period after waking up when you still feel groggy. Your brain works slower and you are not functioning at your full potential. Everyone has sleep inertia, but if mornings are difficult for you, it may seem like it lasts forever. So, maybe you have stronger sleep inertia. The second problem is your biological clock. Some people with ADHD have a shifted circadian rhythm. In adults with ADHD, production of the sleep hormone melatonin begins about an hour and a half later than average. So you feel sleepy later, and you wake up
later too. And if you can't change your work schedule, it becomes a real problem. If your most productive hours are in the middle of the night and you have to be at work at 7am, of course you're going to feel terrible. And sometimes we make it even worse ourselves. This is called "revenge for procrastination. " When you are most productive at night, you feel like it is the only time you can truly function. And you start to feel like sleep is taking away the best part of your day. So you put off sleep again and again. This can also happen if you don't like your job or feel like you're out of control of your life. It's like you're putting off sleep to show yourself that you're actually in control of your life. It's a psychological thing we do that
actually ruins the next day. Sometimes when I sit down at the computer in the morning, I choose a random task. It's not even the task that matters. I get so engrossed in it for a few hours that half the day passes and I still haven't done the most important thing, and I think: where did all the time go? And the third problem is the number of decisions, because look at what we're trying to do in the morning. You really need to get out of bed, right? Getting ready, maybe packing lunch or something, deciding what to do, getting to work- so much planning and things to do in the morning. The thing is that with ADHD we have problems with executive functions, and the load on them falls precisely in
the morning, which makes it especially difficult for us. Plus, you're trying to do all this executive function work while you're half asleep. So once I identified these problems, I started experimenting on myself, because I'm my own guinea pig, okay? I like to think of it as warming up an engine, and the engine is my brain. I used to always expect myself to wake up and immediately start doing something that required concentration. Almost like, "Oh, I'm good morning." And then straight to work, but I realized that it was impossible for me-I needed time and physical activity first, and that was the most important part. And then it becomes much easier to focus and get things done, because movement helps solve each of these three problems, and here's how. First, movement
really wakes up your brain. This is the answer to the number one problem we had. Research on sleep inertia is still sparse, to be honest, but in a few studies, light activity immediately after waking up helped people feel less sleepy. In one study, people woke up at night and did a 30-second sprint. Only 30 seconds. They felt less sleepy, but their test scores did not improve. And in one study, adults with ADHD rode bikes for 30 minutes, and afterward they responded faster on attention tests than after watching a movie. Another study looked at men with severe ADHD symptoms, and after 20 minutes of cycling they felt more energy and motivation for mental work, but their scores on attention tests did not improve. And I find this distinction quite
interesting because I also experience it myself. When I move around a bit before I sit down to work, I feel like my cognitive abilities don't necessarily increase, but my ability to focus on work and the mental space I get are much better than when I don't move and just sit down to work. I feel much more capable and my approach to work is changing. Exercise changes your level of activity and vigor, but what I'm really noticing in my life is very simple. I always feel very sleepy and unmotivated before training , but after I return I feel more engaged and energized. Personally, for me, running is the most effective option. I wake up and feel like I don't have the energy to run, but after 5 minutes of running I start to feel like I'm waking up more and more, which is
quite annoying because my expectations of the task and the actual feelings are very different, and I can't learn anything, even though I've done it so many times, but I still argue with myself every morning. And studies also confirm this, you know. And don't worry, I won't make you run, so keep listening. So the second reason why movement is so powerful is that the morning is actually a good time to be physically active. This is actually the answer to the problem of the late biological clock. First, the effect of a single workout is actually quite short-lived. According to research, it lasts from 30 minutes to possibly 2 hours.
Therefore, the best time to exercise is right before work that requires mental effort. And for most of us, it's morning if you go to work around 9:00 AM. But, to be honest, no ADHD studies have compared morning exercise with evening exercise, so it's not necessarily true that morning exercise is significantly better than afternoon exercise. Okay, we don't have numbers for this, or at least I haven't found any. Research only indicates that this should be the time immediately before work. And secondly, morning light shifts your biological clock to the morning time. This is also true for adults with ADHD; In ADHD studies, bright morning light shifted the biological clock earlier, making people more " morning people." And morning exercises can also
help. In one small study, people who exercised in the morning went to bed earlier, while those who exercised in the evening went to bed later. And this actually coincides with my experience as well. When I look at the times when I wake up much earlier and actually function better, I realize that I get a lot more sunlight. And I actually like to exercise in the morning. I can really understand that because, first of all, the sun, the actual light itself wakes you up, right? And since I work out in the morning, I get tired and go to bed earlier. So, as soon as my cortisol levels drop, I become sleepy and go to sleep, which is in line with my biological clock. But when I exercise in the evening, and my tracker shows it, I notice that it
disrupts my sleep and my peak hours shift to late at night, causing me to stay up all night, go to bed later, or worse, the quality of my sleep to deteriorate. So now I like sticking to my morning workouts much more. And reason number three-a physical task requires fewer decisions. This is the answer to the decision-making problem. When you're sleepy, your self-control is pretty low, and studies show that when self-control is low, people are more likely to follow their habits, right? It's like you're switching to default mode. You're not really following the plan. For me personally, a familiar physical task seems much easier than desk work. For me personally, sitting still is very difficult. I don't know if this is familiar to you, but sitting is just
really hard. It's much easier to do things on the go or when I'm moving around the house. As soon as I move a little, even just washing dishes or doing some housework, it becomes much easier for me to get down to work. It's almost like I'm slowly warming up the engine while I walk around the house. And by the time I sit down to work, I've already "cooled down" and am ready to go. A few years ago, a morning jog was unthinkable for me because I do n't like running. And I thought that morning workouts weren't for me. I tried lifting weights in the morning, but for some reason it made me very sleepy. Maybe it was because of my
all-or-nothing attitude and I was gaining too much weight, which made me even more sleepy. So I left it and thought, "Okay, I shouldn't workout in the morning." But after I actually tried running, well, easy runs, my pace is terrible, my zones are terrible. I don't even run much, but even a 20 minute walk or run around the block really, really helps me. So I was actually able to start running in the mornings because I made gradual changes to my morning routine. First, I started with light therapy in the morning. I purchased a 10,000 lux lamp that simulates sunlight to wake up your body while you are indoors. And I started sitting in front of it for 20-30 minutes in the morning, eating breakfast or doing housework, receiving this light.
This alone helped me set my body clock and made waking up easier. And it became part of my morning routine. And after that, I gradually began to increase the level of difficulty of my classes. And now I run about twice a week. Okay, I know I do n't run every day, and twice a week isn't that impressive, but we're taking it one step at a time here. So now I'm much more energetic in the morning. Of course? Actually, around midnight, I feel like sleeping, which is a big, big, big achievement in my life, okay? And now my ideal morning routine is to wake up, eat something light, and then go for a run. But, you know, running is quite real for me because I work from home and my schedule is very flexible. So what should
you do if you're not very physically active? And secondly, if you work 9 to 5, because nobody wants to wake up early, right? I could n't stand it. I propose three different situations. If you work a 9-to-5 job and don't want to or can't wake up early, I would recommend getting that light therapy lamp I mentioned. This one is 10,000 lux, okay? Don't buy it for 5,000. It's not that powerful, so you'll have to sit in front of it for a lot longer, which is pretty annoying. I want you to take that standard dose of 10,000 lux and sit in front of it for 30 minutes. It is recommended to do this in the first 60-90 minutes after waking up. So it's best to turn it on as soon as you wake up. But note: you will only get 10,000 lux if the lamp is
about 30 cm from your eyes. If you double the distance, the light intensity will decrease by about a factor of four. So you can't just put a lamp in the corner and walk around the room. The lamp should be where you do your work. I recommend putting it on, I don't know, your desk or kitchen table to eat breakfast or plan your day while you're getting ready. Keep the lamp in sight, but do not look directly at it. So, you start with physical work, and then gradually move on to desk work. If you have bipolar disorder, be sure to check with your doctor before using light therapy, okay? In some people, bright lights can trigger mania.
Also consult a doctor if you have eye conditions or are taking medications that increase sensitivity to light. This is the first thing I recommend: light therapy combined with moving around the house so that the light gets into your eyes. Option two: If you can get outside, I highly recommend taking a walk around the block to get some sunlight. This is the best option. Is n't that right? Of course, sunlight is much better than light therapy, but I recommended it to those who may live in places where you can't go for a walk. Maybe it's dangerous. Maybe there are no sidewalks there. Or maybe it's winter now. Maybe you are watching this video and your country doesn't get much sunlight. Who knows? But if you can walk a block,
sunlight is much better than a 10,000 lux lamp. Because the sunlight has, I forget how much exactly, but a very, very high lux value. So even a 5-minute walk around the block will invigorate you much better than 10,000 lux. This is an ideal option. You move while walking and get sunlight. Morning walks are the first thing my psychiatrist advised me to do for depression, and also to wake up naturally. So do it. It's free and useful for you. Personally, I find it hard to stick to morning walks because they just bore me. The landscape doesn't change fast enough for me to be fascinated by it. I know. That 's why I usually run. I tell myself I'll just go for a 5- minute walk around the block, and
end up running for 20 minutes because I get bored when the pace is too slow. But you do it your way. If you enjoy walking and it suits you, then this is a perfect habit to form right now. And if you want to start running, well, that's the third option, then start with less than you think. Most people who quit a workout plan do so at the beginning, when it gets harder. So for my running, I don't even set goals for distance, pace, heart rate zones, or anything like that. My only goal is to just wake up. So I don't care. I don't even run to lose weight. I just run to cheer myself up and be more focused first thing in the morning. That's all. If you have that light-hearted attitude about it, then running is actually not that bad. Because when I think back, the times
I hated running were usually when I was trying to run a certain distance, keep a pace, prepare for something, try to lose weight. But if I run simply as a way to wake up, then there are no obligations. So my "all or nothing" attitude doesn't get in the way. Therefore, running becomes much more enjoyable. Another important thing I've started doing to make my mornings easier is preparation. Since I am much more active in the evening than in the morning, I decided to prepare the next day in advance, as surprising as it may be. Wow, such a cool life hack that I've never heard of. But you know, you start to rediscover the advice your
mother gave you. For example, since I have zero energy, zero capacity, and zero patience for anything in the morning, I started planning the next day in the evening. What will I do and what is most important, right? And the order in which I'm going to do things tomorrow, that may change, of course, and I'll adjust as I go. And I like not only planning my day, but also simplifying my life as much as possible. So if I want to go for a run tomorrow morning, I put my running clothes right next to my bed or in a visible place to remind myself: oh, I need to go for a run to wake up. I also fill the bottle with ice water so I can drink it right away. And I leave everything I might need in the morning, whether it's my vitamins or anything else, in a
prominent place. I don't hide things in drawers or other places, because if I can't see them, I just forget about them. And if I'm really tired in the evening and don't want to plan much for the morning, I just review my tasks and responsibilities for the day and the week to decide what will have the worst consequences if I don't do it tomorrow. I'm just highlighting this case. I make it visible so that in the morning I immediately know what I need to accomplish by the end of the day. And that in itself- preparing the night before so you have a clear vision in the morning-helps a lot, a lot. I still hate mornings, of course, but this has helped me a lot. So: morning light, morning activity and planning the day in advance. These are three
main things. But I feel like it's getting better now. I am much more functional in the morning, and the situation is improving every day. If you want to plan your day from the evening and do it in an ADHD-friendly way using a specially designed system, I suggest you check out my Kaizen system. On my website rudyhuyn.com you will see what this system is, how it works, and how it is useful for people with ADHD. Here are also reviews from people who have already purchased my Kaizen system. It will help you prioritize tasks based on the consequences of not completing them. That is, what will happen if you don't do it today, or how to adjust to your energy level instead of using " time blocking." Like the old Google Calendar methods that don't work for the
ADHD brain. If you are interested, you can go to my website or watch the following video to learn more. So, if you hate mornings too, tell me why you don't like them as much as I do. And I also want you to try adding physical activity, sunlight, and planning your day from the evening. And I can guarantee that these three things, if you do them, will have some impact. I won't say that it will change your life, but I'm sure it will have a certain impact on it. So let me know in the comments.
