Night person tries to shoot in morning

[midatlantic]

Hi all,

 

    I’ve been a failure as a morning person my entire life, as my brain only starts to kick in around 11 am.

 

   As denizens of this forum may know, USPSA matches tend to start much earlier!

 

    Anyone have any thoughts about how I can kick my brain and body into match mode at, say,  9 AM?

[Miranda]

Ive been searching for the answer to that question for many years.

 

best I can do is tell you... you can do it

if you have more self dtermination than me.

 

good news is that thinking is not required

for most activities.

 

miranda

[obsessiveshooter]

Try starting your whole routine 2 hours earlier.  Which is counterintuitive, but worth a shot.  

[shred]

I'm also not a morning person.  Best thing I've found is prep everything the day before so you don't have to think in the morning, and try to shift your schedule a couple hours earlier in advance for bigger matches.

 

[waktasz]

Just stay up all night

[TheChef1]

I’m also not a morning person although I’m getting a little better as I get older. I’ve been in the restaurant business most of my life so late hours are typical and with that later mornings as well. 
 

my biggest thing is making sure I pack up everything the night before. I have my water bottle in the fridge

just waiting for some ice, snacks, ammo, guns, everything ready to go. All I typically do in the morning is get the guns already bagged up from the safe, brush my teeth, ice the water bottle, pack the car and do my morning business if ya know what I mean. 
 

In the car I’ll have a banana or power bar and a Gatorade or something similar I also like to put on a shooting podcast and really try to get my brain involved and find a take away to try at the match. Once I’m there I like to help setup. It helps get my brain going and helping set up is always a good thing as far as learning the stages and being all around helpful. 
 

After all that I’m usually pretty good by the first stage. The key for me is just get involved in as many activities as possible.

[Boomstick303]

Try drinking a salt and lemon juice water drink for the first beverage in the am.  I tend to be more alert early in the morning when I am drinking this in stead of a caffeinated beverage first thing.

 

I have recently ran across some research in that if you drink caffeine within 1.5 hours after waking up, the caffeine does not work as one would think.  It has to do with they way the human body regulates cortisol after waking up in the morning.

 

Maybe some things to try.

[tre923]

On 8/30/2022 at 9:00 PM, waktasz said:

Just stay up all night

And he will end up sleeping all day lol

[WFargo]

Pre-workout dude, pre-workout...  

 

No honestly, I struggle with it as well.  I think a good one is indeed to start your routine nice and early so you're as awake as you can be...

[mule169]

It’s a constant battle to shift your schedule but if you really care that much then you will have to set multiple alarms to wake up at the time that you want. 
 

The first step is continuously waking up at the hour you want, now you will be groggy and still tired at first but you’re setting your body and mind to wake up at a certain time. When you wake up I suggest you begin an activity or drink coffee or whatever it is to keep you awake. 
 

The really good days to continually to build is when you can stay awake the whole day from the time you want to wake up because then you will get tired earlier and when you sleep early when you usually do then your new habit is building properly. 

[Farmer]

This happens to me every year. Winter time is slow and spent repairing equipment so I get lax, fat, lazy and off of schedule. Come spring it’s time to get it into gear and at times it’s easier because of the newness of the year but other times….. I’ve found that working your ass off or exercising before bed to tire yourself out helps but don’t do it at 1 am. Eat early and get to bed early so you can devote 8 hrs to sleep.  Also if I have someone waiting for me that gets me up and going. If I know the fertilizer guy is going to be there at 7:00 am I’m up by 5:30 without a alarm. During harvest my hired man is there by 7:45 am (he’s up at 4:00am) we go until 8 pm and by the time I’m done with maintenance, supper and a shower it’s after 10:30 for bedtime and I sleep like a rock. I guess what I’m saying is gradually go to bed earlier, be tired when you do and start getting up earlier. Maybe have someone rely on you for a ride. Also if you drink 16-18 oz of water before going to bed that will get you up in the am! 

[Gunsbygiz]

I personally go to bed early 9-10 force myself to sleep… then get up at 4AM, Sh** Shower Shave… stretch… dry fire 30 min… check my equipment one last time… and I’m usually packed the night before so I don’t have to start really thinking until I get to the match. Then I get a small breakfast somewhere on my way to the match. This has helped me grow a lot this year.

[Sokam101]

coffee works for me you just got to train yourself to go to sleep earlier. But if you want to shoot youll get hyped to do it!

[jlewis39]

I was very interested to read this thread...

 

I have always been a "night owl," even when I was young. Now that I'm (cough, cough) middle-aged, I have been working night shift (7PM-7AM) for the past four-ish years, and I am very comfortable and alert those hours. Anymore, I actually tend to sleep better (fewer wake ups/interruptions and perceived better sleep quality) during the day than at night.

 

However, this schedule is not overly conducive to matches which start in the earlier morning. The matches in my area start at about the time my body says it's time to head to sleep. This has been somewhat of a struggle for me. So, I've read through this thread with interest!

 

For me, I've found having a very set routine which takes a lot of the mental aspect out of match morning prep works better for me. I pack and double check everything the day before. I lay out my clothing and shoes choices. I'll triple check everything the morning off as I pack the car. I plan out what I'm going to have for breakfast, which is always the same thing before a match: a small bowl of non-sugary cereal with 1% milk and one cup of coffee with half/half. A travel mug of green tea steeps while I have brekkie. I'll drink a Premier Protein Cafe Latte protein drink en-route (30g protein, 1g sugar, 160 calories, 24 vitamins&minerals). I have water and Gatorade Zero packed in a small cooler along with some light snacks, like crackers, trail mix, bacon jerky, etc. None of my matches are truly local - all are more than an hours drive away, so I've already check for construction delays and road conditions the night before. 

 

I truly try to take my conscious brain out of the equation for match mornings, knowing myself and my nightshift schedule. Now, I'm a newb and just started attending matches this spring, but this routine seems to work [for me] so far. 

 

[Twilk73]

Get up extra early, like 2 hours. Get up, eat or whatever, get ready. Before taking the drive to the location dry fire for 15-30 minutes. Get in the zone on the way there. Music, pod cast, spec’e silence or whatever.