Why not adjust your go to bed time up, even on weekends - you've got to manage your sleep like someone who works shiftwork........ Trading discipline includes discipline in other areas of life..... Sometimes easier said than done!
I'm pretty regimented with my sleep times, weekends too. I just need to get thru those troubling two hours. Once the sun's up, I'm OK. I'm gonna make a trip to GNC in a bit. Maybe they have something.
I agree. If you're doing this every day, "aids" are going to mess with you big time. Eat dinner earlier. Tape whatever shows you watch in prime time. Go to bed at 8, or at least 9, then watch the tapes the following afternoon. Your schedule is no different from that of a baker or short-order cook or any of a number of other early-morning jobs. You definitely can't stay up past ten.
Personally, I do not even eat breakfast and rarely lunch. Drink coffee thats about it. Hunger (Not Starvation) is the best natural upper. If anything, eat light. If you have the standard "healthy" American breakfast, this is what happens. As you sit down and get ready to trade, most of the blood rushes to your stomach and intestines, hence leaving your brain to operate less efficiently. I used to eat 2 eggs in the morning, and a container of cottage cheese during lunch, so I never filled myself up and felt a dragdown when the food gets digested. Now I have had a serious lack of appetite just cause personal issues, but I'm very awake in the morning even after 4-5 hours of sleep. I do not fall asleep during the trading day, but this market has been making me very bored and woozy lately.
db-- I know what you're saying. But I'm not looking to drug myself up for the whole day. Just a little stimulation for a specific period. I think the main difference between a baker or short order cook or the like, is in the physical activity level. You're always moving in those jobs, not really getting a chance to get sleepy. Until I actually rent some office space where I can blast my music or bounce a ball off the walls, finding something to keep me awake would sure help.