To find it impossible to wake up? HELP!

[teethingproblems]

Right, I'm a teacher which means I have to leave by about 07:30. For the last year I've been getting up (no exaggeration) about 8 minutes before I have to leave. My mornings are so rushed and it means I go into work feeling like a mess.

I set alarms for 06:30 but then always end up snoozing them or setting later ones.

Ive tried the trick of leaving your phone on the other side of the room - I simply get it, snooze the alarm and get back into bed.

Ive tried everything, I physically don't get up until I'm cutting it so fine that I may be late to lesson 1. IT is awful!

I would love an alarm clock that would gradually wake me up and perhaps gently play the radio or something, so I give myself 45 minutes to have breakfast, a shower etc. Any recommendations?

Lying in bed waiting for everything to click back together is exactly right, you describe it perfectly My head wakes up and then I need another 10-15 minutes in bed to wake my joints up. I do the zombie shuffle until I get limber up and get used to moving. It doesn't help that I twist into the most weird and wonderful positions while sleeping.

Mine seems to be a family thing
We had a burglar alarm that was one of those giant red business alarms that are like a bell
Got burgled. Mum got up, rang the police, alarm still going off. Police arrive, mum lets them in, police take details, alarm still going off (right above the bed)
My dad? Spark out asleep. The police thought he had taken something and my mum was just "no, that's how he sleeps"

@historygeek

I can recommend a 5 year old that would wake you at 5.30 guaranteed.

amazon.co.uk/COULAX-Sunrise-Simulation-Function-Atmosphere/dp/B07MCKTK1Q/ref=mp_s_a_1_14?crid=Q7NPEES5PYN1&keywords=lumie+sunrise+alarm+clock&qid=1641325324&smid=A2E0VQQOP9ZRX2&sprefix=lumie+%2Caps%2C78&sr=8-14]]
I have one of these. It gently wakes you up with the light getting gradually brighter. You can have bird song or the sound of water (there are other choices too) or the radio. It’s really helped me to get going in the mornings :)

I don’t think that link worked too well. But it’s the Coulax one

Another vote for Lumie here. It was life changing for me. They’re not cheap, but worth every penny.

I was like this before children, if I don't have them to wake me up I could sleep well into the day without waking up. I can't describe how heavy my eyes are on a morning, it really is like being drugged.

Lumie alarm clock is quite good! Would also recommend speaking to GP and having an MOT in case you are anaemic, thyroid underactive or anything like that

Seconding or thirding the Alarmy app. Also in awe of BettyBag’s math ability At 6:30am I can just about handle “2 digit number + 1 digit number” and that’s touch and go most days!

My favorite for properly waking up is the photo or QR code scan, making sure whatever I need to scan is downstairs so I can’t get back in bed, otherwise I will.

It’s brutal and noisy but it works!

(The best trick with Alarmy though is to half wake up, put on a podcast and wait for the alarm to go off. For some reason, when it goes off, the podcast volume will go to max and deafen you, so you’ll wake yourself up by bashing at every button or setting while the podcast and alarm both scream at you.)

Or a cat! Ours attacks our eyeballs if you don’t wake up early enough for him. Could be 4am, could be 7am, could be never. You won’t know until you have a claw tapping your eyelid.

What’s the chance that all the “just get up” people are the ones who complain that all overweight people need to do is eat less and move more… if only we were all as perfect as them!

I found the sleep cycle app very helpful. You keep your phone next to you in bed, it tracks your sleeping patterns and then wakes you up when you’re in a lighter stage of sleep (you give it a window in which to wake you up). It woke me up much more effectively than any traditional alarm. (Past tense as now I have kids who do the job…)

www.philips.co.uk/c-p/HF3531_01/smartsleep-wake-up-light

I've got this one, it gradually gets light from 6-6:30 during which time I snooze the radio continuously, then I set mobile phone alarms at 6:45 and 7, both of which I snooze until I get up at 7:15 to have a coffee and stare into space until 7:45!

It's the best thing I've ever bought. It's still a struggle, but if I time it right, I can at least guarantee I'll get up.

One day during the holidays, I set a mobile phone alarm without the wake up light and I had no chance, I just couldn't bring myself round without it x

@Bettybantz

The sleep cycle app has been a game changer for me. I set a window, say 6-6:30 and it wakes me when I’m in the lightest sleep during that time, with a gentle tune.

It’s also about getting enough sleep though.

Yes to sleepcycle - this works for me. Versions for android and iPhone. You wake up feeling as if you've already been awake - completely different sensation.

Also tried a task orientated alarm - lots for phones. Set to go and take a picture of keys, which were downstairs in front door. That worked too but sleep cycle is more pleasant.

And totally get where you are coming from - good luck.

Get a dog - If your lifestyle suits, ie you can afford doggy day camp, dog walker, or there are other people in the house so they are not alone all day. I've been a 6am riser all my life - until my dog died 18 month ago. Knowing you have that responsibility, plus a wet nose in your face, and paws tap dancing at the side of the bed at 6am does the trick, plus a quick walk wakes you up good and proper. Since mine died, I struggle too. I also agree with PP who suggested low mood and stress at work, can greatly affect ability to get up.

@teethingproblems a teasmade or coffee machine with a timer? Sit up and have a drink watching TV before getting up?

I used to set my alarm ages before I needed to get up so I could snooze it for an hour or so first. These days I get up immediately as the alarm goes off, started when I went on a diet in 2020 and was so hungry when the alarm went off

Get a sunrise simulating alarm, I have a Lumiere one.

Much more effective than noise.

Try the app sleep cycle! Pretty sure it’s free. It uses motion sensor & sound sensor to work out when you’re in the lightest phase of sleep (within a 30 min period) and wakes you up then. It also has music which gets gradually louder & louder. I really struggle too & have to fight the urge to stay in bed so hard in the mornings!

I used to be like this, knew to the minute when I absolutely had to get out of bed in order to throw clothes on and run for a bus and snoozed my alarm.until that minute no matter what the hack. What fixed me was (unfortunately not the very helpful advice of 'learning to be an adult' or 'just don't do that') finally taking an iron supplement for my very low iron levels. If you are as pasty as a vampire and are reeling with tiredness/can't wake up easily it is one to check out

Not read the full thread but I can use my fitbit to set an alarm and it tracks your sleep cycle to wake you up at the optimum time (it won't let you sleep longer than the time you set though), and it wakes you up by vibrating on your wrist.

I used to be the exact same before pregnancy, then during pregnancy had the opposite problem of waking up very very early, and now that I've just started maternity leave my sleeping pattern has gone up the wall with all the naps and I'm now getting up very late again!

Oh just thought of something else I used to do - make a flask of coffee and keep by the bed. Still hot in the morning to sleepily get some caffeine in your system.

Nothing to add, sorry- except to ask if you are in fact me 😁

I have a lumie sunrise clock and it helps. I set several alarms too. I also plan when I wake based on a 90 minute sleep cycle. I'll lie down 15 minutes before what would be a 7.5hr sleep until my alarm or 6hr sleep (not as ideal). If I wake up less than 90 minutes before my alarm I have to force myself to get up. It's not easy but it's a hell of a lot easier than if I go back to sleep for another hour which leaves me feeling groggy.

Lumie alarm clock - the light being on is a god send. Otherwise, strict sleep hygiene and set bed time to help make it easier for the lumie. Pre bed I also find that evening exercise helps me, and drinking some water before bed- much kinder on the body to wake up hydrated.

I'm also not a natural early riser- my body clock seems to be set to midnight-8am unless I work at it. You do have to acknowledge that on a certain level, you need to work around it, too. For me, that's prepping everything I need to walk out the door the next day when I get home of an evening. I "reset" immediately. Much easier!

I haven’t read the whole thread so not sure if it’s been mentioned, but it could be worth taking a vitamin D supplement (just realised I’m assuming you’re in the UK), as we don’t get enough of it at this time of year. I’ve been deficient before and really struggled to wake up in the mornings (and stay awake during the day!).

About the lumie alarm clocks- I’m interested in buying one but I need to get up before DH. Just how bright are they? Do they disturb your partners sleep or is the brightness subtle?
I don’t think he would appreciate being in a light room before he needed to be if you see what I mean?