There are some great suggestions in this thread, but some that might not work for you and even if they do I advise against methods that are harsh on your body. E.g. LOUD alarms are unnatural and will spike cortisol, a bad idea first thing in the morning! Having gone through a similar process (being forced to a rhythm that helped me get up early, then out of the Rat Race and working from home on my own business with no set schedule), I identify with your situation.
Some background: I'm self-employed, an entrepreneur for 10 years now (started in my early 30s). While I've generally eaten organic / non-GMO for many years now, freed from a required arrival time my bedtimes got later and later. I'd often sleep after 2am and operated that way for nearly a decade. I also wasn't consistently exercising, supplementing, and managing stress well. I would meditate but wasn't taking the best physical care of my body.
By 2014, I was very likely in early stages of adrenal fatigue. While beginning a winter business trip for a demanding customer, I started getting bumps on my ribcage that were extremely tender to the touch, even to have my shirt brush across them was very painful. It turned out to be shingles (herpes zoster) which no doubt occurred from overwork, improper stress management, inadequate supplementation, and a fucked up sleep cycle. I was lucky that it didn't turn out to be as debilitating for me as I've read but it was a BIG wake-up call. This was, as the Japanese say,
my harajuku moment. I got serious about sleep, supplementation, and exercise after that.
I did a ton of research and got my labs done which showed low T and high cholesterol. Was motivated to make changes after that. I would highly recommend if you really want to optimize your life and health, you get a baseline assessment of where you are now (I use privatemdlabs.com, look up Mike / Danger and Play for health and testosterone). Then after 6 months you can check again to see where your measurements are at.
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Here's my outlook on resetting your body clock and maintaining a natural sleep rhythm without causing more stress in the process:
1.
Lizard of Oz's bright light therapy recommendation is excellent. I haven't used a light box but I make sure to be outside at least 30-45 min every day.
2. I HIGHLY recommend getting fresh air and Earthing / Grounding to pull free electrons into your body. This makes sure your system has the ability to turn off its inflammation response. The topic of Earthing, like light boxes, doesn't get enough attention which it absolutely deserves. Best of all, it's free! Just take your shoes off and put your feet directly on the earth, or concrete that is laid on top of earth. Asphault and wood are insulators not conductors so those aren't effective media. The very best way to get free electrons is in contact with sea water and that's my preferred method.
http://www.earthing.com
3. Yes to f.lux to filter out blue light from your laptop/desktop/mobile devices. It's a great app. As it gets past sunset, you want to ONLY use devices that filter the melatonin-disrupting blue wavelengths. You'll be amazed. I also like using the 'darkroom' mode if I'm just writing / journaling / blogging. That also gets me very sleepy. Also generally staying off the phone right before bed.
4. Supplements to promote relaxation: Pay attention to your supplement balance and especially later in the day the amount of calcium and magnesium you're taking in vs. sodium and potassium. Most night I use a serving of 'Natural Calm' magnesium powder in some warm or hot water. It is ridiculous how fast it puts me out! On nights I really want to sleep deeply I take (1) 1mg melatonin but I don't use it every night. There are also amino acids you can take to help promote sleep such as L-Arginine, L-Glutamine, GABA, etc.
5. If you're drinking you need to restore electrolytes, vitamins, and minerals to your body plus maintain adequate hydration.
6. Triggering your growth hormone cycle and maximizing your restorative sleep: to promote growth hormone, especially since you're working out, there are various methods.
More links here:
http://www.aminoacid-studies.com/areas-o...mance.html
This link is a gold mine but for some reason the main site isn't accessible so I used the internet archive:
https://web.archive.org/web/201604301527...naturally/
7. I use Azumio's Sleep Timer (free version) as an alarm clock. You can select relaxing music to help you fall asleep, and the alarm is also a quiet / increasing volume that goes off when the app detects you're in a lighter phase of sleep. It may not be precisely '7:00am' but it would be within a small window around that time and best of all it's not shocking your system. You'll also see statistics on % light and % dark vs. total sleep time. This natural method is how nature intends us to wake up without shocking the system, which may not be the 'same damn time every day.' I like Steve Pavlina and have done a workshop with him, but he's a bit too dogmatic for me at times. I've been using it for a couple years and it's a very useful app. You can also enter your previous day's activities and what you did right before bed so if you sleep poorly you can track what you did / ate and help diagnose why.
8. How to use coffee effectively. It's an incredible anti-oxidant and has more health benefits than negatives as long as your stomach and system allow you to drink it. I used to do decaf, but research on the synergy between caffeine and theanine prompted me to switch to regular coffee. I limit myself to 2 cups a day and take 200mg L-Theanine with each cup. The combination synergizes to promote more efficient brain activity. I sometimes do have coffee/theanine after 3-4pm but only because I trust my body will be sleepy by 10-11pm naturally (or I use the other methods to get sleepy). Everyone has different sensitivities and need to experiment on their own. By really getting a lot done earlier in the day you're more likely to feel good about doing less toward evening.
9. Exercise - absolutely. Even walking - there's a great presentation on Youtube called '23 1/2' on the incredible benefits of just 30 minutes of walking every day. Also take care not to overexert yourself with running too hard or too often. I feel making sure you get some movement / exercise in the 12-3pm window is important to tell your body you've "spent your physical energy" well and you'll be more relaxed as your hormone cycles calms down. It's also not a good idea to work out late. You didn't mention when you're eating dinner but that obviously has an impact on sleepiness. I find yoga great for overall wellness.
10. If you have get a professional massage once a week closer to bedtime that'll help you relax, too. I co-sign with masturbating a few times a week before bed if your system is wound up - can use that time for visualizing, designing your life, imagining a woman you want to meet, etc. I also believe it's important to let your sexual energy build so having a discipline about not doing it all the time otherwise it can become a habit / addiction.
11. Meditation, known health benefits, an aid to spiritual awakening, and good for visualizing what you what to achieve the next day, or during the day if you do it in the morning. You can also do some self-hypnosis / biofeedback such as 'I am calm and relaxed.' Also listening to relaxing music later in the evening, I like Emancipator, Amethystium, Enigma (also great for when you have company!).
12. I drink very little alcohol, prefer to put electrolytes (in via juicing, etc.) than taking them out. Alcohol ages you and kills brain cells more than it has health benefits. An occasional beer or wine or hard drink is reasonable - some may differ, but I hate how more than 2 drinks a night makes me feel.
You'll find what methods work for you and I know others will be interested in your feedback. Good luck!