late for work due to not waking up on time

I'm chronically late for work because I don't wake up. Depression exacerbates this; I sleep all day long on my days off because of the meaninglessness I feel in my life. So I'm not sleepy during the time I should go to bed. For 3 hours in the morning I hit the sleep button. I've never had a healthy sleep routine. And when I was a child I was enamored with the idea of staying up late or all night.... maybe had something to do with shyness or getting to be alone. Sometimes I'm able to get on track but it doesn't take much to fall right back into my erratic sleep. I don't have as much trouble falling asleep as I used to; now it's just the waking up part.

It's getting ridiculous. I've gotten by without punishment or discipline for a long time. I'm not sure why. Maybe my bosses know I care about my job and I do good work. I think the not getting in trouble for it kind of enables me. I have a new boss starting Monday and with the time change in about a week right now is the ideal time to start.

But here I am after midnight messing around on my computer when I should be awake by 6am tomorrow morning.

Maybe time to get a bedtime routine in order and getting the alarm clock out of arms reach so you need to get out of the bed to shut it off? Consistent sleep and wake times are good too.

I've always kept two alarms plugged in and one is where I have to get up to walk to it. IF I can just roll over and hit the button I'll turn it off and not even remember lol.

Are you on meds? I agree that a good sleep routine is important, but depression can really mess up our sleep.

I have fibromyalgia in addition to depression, and it really messes up my sleep unless I have the right med to combat the sleep disruption. I used to take Ambien but now am using 7.5-15 mg Remeron/mirtazapine at bedtime.

If I don't take a med for sleep, my sleep "clock" will move to my wanting to sleep from around 4 am - 11 am.

I've been in that spot where I couldn't wake up with an alarm clock. If you live alone, it's especially problematic, because even if you do wake up with the alarm, you may not be fully awake and the part of you that needs more sleep will win out.

Thanks guys. I do set two alarms and they are across the room. If I over sleep once a precedent has been set and it is extremely hard to wake up on time after that. In my sleepy state it is easy to justify 10 more min., 30 more min. and so on. Especially knowing I won't get in trouble. But it is really embarrassing walking into work so late, but I kind of use the depression as an excuse not to care. I am a manager of my own department so you could say I have a little leeway but it just gets out of hand and snowballs. Other department heads get there on time consistently.

I am on meds. I take them in the morning because one of them energizes me. I drink sleepytime tea and read something non-stimulating about an hour before I go to bed. Which is helping fall asleep.

Two days in with the new boss and so far so good. I get up when the alarm goes off and don't reset it. I'm off tomorrow. So now the thing is can I get up when I have nowhere to go; so then I'm sleepy at bedtime. Sleeping all day is my way of avoiding the bleakness of a life alone. I am doing better emotionally now and I've conquered some of my other hang ups. But this one is rough. I think the best way to solve it would be to intellectually change how I view what I'm doing.... I just don't know what that would be. I already feel bad, like a loser because of it, I don't know how to just wake up with a lust for life. I guess I don't know what to do with myself, my time, my life. So I just sleep it away.

Do you have a friend or family member that could call you in the morning? Tell them what time and then they keep ringing until you answer and are ready to leave. I used to do that for a good friend of mine until they figured out he had narcolepsy. Now with meds he's pretty good about getting himself up.

Would have mentioned it in my earlier post but foggy brain sucks

For me, sleeping too much became a huge problem on drugs. It got so that I couldn't even wake up with an alarm. Unnatural sleep. I wonder if that could be a factor for you?

Medications made me chronically late for my volunteer work, I didnt realise until later that the meds had that much effect.

Melatonin helped me reset my body clock and now I have moved, I sleep with the blinds open so natural sunlight wakes me up. Then at least 30 minutes outdoors to stay up.

Thanks everyone. Thanks Supanova, it is good to know I'm not alone.

I used to have a friend I worked with who would text me but he quit when it wasn't getting me to work on time- I would just ignore him like my alarm. I have taken melatonin but after a while it makes me wake up in the middle of the night or not sleep deeply. My meds.... I am on Klonopin so I think that makes me a little sleepier than I used to be, so that may be why I don't have as much trouble falling asleep. I take it in the morning to help me cope at work. I've heard some people have trouble waking up if they take it at night.

So far this week so good. I didn't sleep all day on my day off either. The alarm goes off and I get outta bed. If can continue to do that then hopefully I can make a habit out of it. And I will try to continue my nightly wind down.... knowing that if I stay up late I will get myself all out of whack again.

glad this week has gone well

Fall back day is my favorite holiday! to me its better than xmas thanksgiving ny eve or even my birthday! I know most people dont consider it a holiday per se but hey that just proves most people are... not me! And i am definitely a night owl. The first week after fall back was like the only chance i ever had of being on time for work.

!

unaluna that's like me. I count down to it. Although vacation days are my favorite holiday. This sounds weird but when I was in school I loved it when I got sick so I didn't have to go in. I can't hardly call in at work when I'm sick but I can leave early; which usually makes me happy- it feels like playing hooky. Kinda bad when I rather be sick than go to work, lol.

The clonazepam is definitely going to have an effect.

It is hard to change habits that are caused by medication, dont beat yourself up about it if it is too difficult.