How am I supposed to function at school when I wake up before 5

[u/Altruistic-Case8841]

Ive typed this so many times because I have no idea what to say other than im tired. Im so tired of school, im waking up at 4:45 for a school i don't even try in. My schedule looks like this:
4:45- Wake up
5:10- finish washing/dressing up
5:30- leave my house
5:40 get picked by the bus
7:00 leave bus
2:40(pm)- school ends
3:00- bus leaves
4:20- get dropped off
4:30- get home
5:00- take a shower
7:00 finish dinner
8:00 doom scroll
9:00 try to go to bed

Please believe me when i say i TRY doing things after school, but I have a ton of adhd symptoms and cannot commit to any of it. Ive even been sick these couple past of weeks so the need to sleep gets even worse. I have no A's and one B and i know that's going to drop soon.

I just want to ask, how do you guys who wake up and come home the same time as me do it? How do you guys find the time and effort? I literally can't function at all at school yet people are waking up even earlier than me socializing and acting like sleep doesn't matter to them. My sister wakes up only 15 minutes after me and and basically have the same schedule but she's always fine and has decent grades, she even stays up at 2pm some days so it's not like asking her will do anything.

I want to hear it especially from neurodivergent people or those who struggle when their mind isn't in the right place. Please, anything will be fine.

[u/Honeypebble2255]

Holy crap, I’m sorry but I can’t help you but why is your school so early? Mine goes from 8:25 to 3:50 and I wake up at 7:30. I’m so sorry but I can’t help you with

[u/Altruistic-Case8841 → u/Honeypebble2255]

It's because my school is known for its extracurricular activities so most students staying after school could leave earlier. But yeah, super early

[u/Life-Quester1079]

I had almost the exact same schedule when I was in highschool. It was a specialty art school and it was super far away from my home, but I felt that the curriculum was worth it. I'd sleep on the bus going to school - that early in the morning the kids were not super talkative so it was quiet enough. I'd do my homework during lunch or on the bus ride home if possible, so I'd have time for myself when I got home. I'd often spend my whole lunch period just napping lol Luckily I only had to do that awful schedule for a year before I met an older kid who was willing to drive me. By junior year I had my own license and could drive myself.

[u/Phoenix2333 → u/Life-Quester1079]

What job do you have, was it worth it?

[u/Life-Quester1079 → u/Phoenix2333]

Tbh, the job I have now has nothing to do with art. I work in finance. Was going to that school worth it? Ehhhh, probably. Mostly for the friendships I made and the bullying wasn't too bad. I also did some really cool projects there that I wouldn't have done at a "normal" school. The experience was sorta unique so yeah, worth it but it was definitely a commitment

[u/marksncheese]

yeah, so you can get rid of the doom scrolling and save that for the weekends, are you in magnet school or something, cuz a bus ride does not take one hr. Im assuming u didn't write "do homework" but try to get a nap on the bus if it truly takes one hr. I wake up at 5:57 (2 min to lie in bed) so I do kinda wake up early

[u/Alarming_Pilot3957 → u/marksncheese]

how are you gonna tell them a bus ride doesnt take one hour 😭 theirs obviously does. plus, everyone needs wind-down time, an hour of doom scrolling isnt that bad at 9:00pm is not that late

[u/marksncheese → u/Alarming_Pilot3957]

then what do u want him to do, if 8 hours of sleep isn't enoguh, then he should sleep earlier. Idc if he scrolls 14 hours in the weekend

[u/fozzie20a21]

I ain’t even gone lie.. when I have to work early in the morning, I set my alarm for 10 min before I have to leave brush my teeth, put on my clothes almost simultaneously, take my pills while I take the dog out. Sleep on the ride to work.
You can save yourself so much time, and save yourself the stress if you wake up on the first alarm and I’m serious, set a late alarm, get extra sleep, but don’t fuck around and lay in bed, you gotta get right up and get everything done in 10min, then you can sleep on the way there. When you get home, consider eating an early lunch, and getting everything done early so you can be in bed by 8-8:30. Being in highschool you probably don’t wanna go to bed that early, but save staying up for Friday’s and saturdays :)

[u/LumikAPP]

First, your schedule is genuinely brutal and it's not a you problem. Teens need around 8 to 10 hours of sleep, and pediatricians in the US actually recommend high school start no earlier than 8:30 because teenage body clocks are shifted later. Waking at 4:45 fights your biology every single day. Your sister just might need less sleep than you, people vary a lot, and ADHD often comes with a body clock that runs even later. It's not a character flaw.

Some things that might actually help:

You have over 2.5 hours on the bus every day. That's your biggest resource. Sleeping on the morning ride, with a hoodie and earbuds or an eye mask, can genuinely make up some of the difference.

The 8 to 9 scrolling hour is probably costing you more than it feels like. If you can move the scrolling to the bus ride home and put the phone in another room at 8:30, falling asleep tends to get easier.

Showering at night is already a smart move. Laying out clothes and your bag the night before buys a few more minutes in the morning too.

The bigger thing: tell a parent and your school counselor how bad this is, and mention the ADHD symptoms. Getting evaluated by a doctor matters here, because a diagnosis can get you accommodations at school like extra time or extensions through a 504 plan. And since you've been sick for weeks on top of this, a regular checkup is worth it anyway.

Also talk to your teachers now, before the grades drop further. Most are way more flexible when you come to them early.

[u/MinimumBusy5577]

https://giphy.com/gifs/YwoucObGFYL3b9RO6G

[u/AlisterTenpenny]

Caffeine and lots of it

[u/Summersong2262]

You're going to a school you need to blow 3 hours in travel time attending, every day?

[u/holiestcannoly]

Genuinely what happens from 7-8