How to wake up in the morning

All of monkeys have been talking about working 100 hour weeks. I thought it would be valuable to get information about how you are getting up early in the morning after going to sleep late the previous night.

I think the answers should be a bit more than "I wake up because I love my job."

Thanks to all who answer.

 

Alarm on work phone. Call from Associate. Alarm on work phone again. Alarm on personal phone. Stumble out of the sack. Point feet towards office.

Repeat.

I am permanently behind on PMs, it's not personal.
 
APAE:
Alarm on work phone. Call from Associate. Alarm on work phone again. Alarm on personal phone. Stumble out of the sack. Point feet towards office.

Repeat.

You forgot the sunglasses to cover your dark circles

Born in hell, forged from suffering, hardened by pain.
 

i'm actually kind of worried about this for my summer, especially cause i'm an insomniac. i feel like the fact that it takes me over an hour to fall asleep can cause for some stressed, rushed mornings.

has anyone tried one of those light wake-up alarms?

 

Problem solved.

"Oh the ladies ever tell you that you look like a fucking optical illusion" - Frank Slaughtery 25th Hour.

"Oh the ladies ever tell you that you look like a fucking optical illusion" - Frank Slaughtery 25th Hour.
 

I think you can train your body if you have to. But jumping out of bed and then doing push ups immediately, works. or doing anything that can get your brain going quickly. But honestly I wish there was an easier way to wake up. I'm curious if anyone has another routine besides drinking coffee or energy drinks.

 

Drink a shit ton of water before you go to bed, so that when you wake up, you HAVE to get out of bed to go to the bathroom. If you can keep yourself from getting back to bed after your piss, you're golden (no pun intended).

 
dunston17:
Drink a shit ton of water before you go to bed, so that when you wake up, you HAVE to get out of bed to go to the bathroom. If you can keep yourself from getting back to bed after your piss, you're golden (no pun intended).
This could end very badly ...
JackDonaghy:
Put your alarm clock on the other side of your bedroom so you have to get up out of bed to turn it off.
Yup. That's the way to go.
iambateman:
one of my buddies swears by the method of setting his alarm clock 15 min early, popping a caffeine pill on the first alarm, then having another go off 15 minutes later.
That's genius. Will try this tomorrow morning.
 

keep your alarm clock as far away from you as possible, so the only way for you to turn it off would be to get out of your bed and WALK to your alarm clock and turn it off. By this time, you should be atleast half awake, and conscious enough to realize that you can't afford to go back to bed... i did this the second semester of school and never missed a single 8 am class

 
quag_mire:
keep your alarm clock as far away from you as possible, so the only way for you to turn it off would be to get out of your bed and WALK to your alarm clock and turn it off. By this time, you should be atleast half awake, and conscious enough to realize that you can't afford to go back to bed... i did this the second semester of school and never missed a single 8 am class

2nd that

 

Also, on days where I have been going on very little sleep, and have to wake up early, I normally set a backup alarm 5 mins after my initial one. If you use your cellphone, then just have a daily alarm at both 7 am and 7:05 am. This way, if you sleep through the first alarm because you are in a deep sleep, you will wake up all the way on the 2nd one, since you were not in as deep a sleep.

Just what has worked for me......good luck with it, don't think you will have THAT much of a problem after about a week honestly.

 

I also would recommend always getting up right when the alarm goes off...don't get in the habit of using the snooze. If you have to put the alarm clock far enough from the bed to achieve this, it's worth it.

I also go straight to the shower right after the alarm goes off. Shower is the only thing to get me awake.

 

My two golden rules have already been mentioned:

1.) Alarm across the room. 2.) Never snooze, ever. Get up on the first alarm, and don't have a backup, so you know you can't fall back asleep. This trains your body to wakeup at the same time each morning, which now happens to me even on the weekends sometimes, without the alarm (dammit).

  • Capt K
- Capt K - "Prestige is like a powerful magnet that warps even your beliefs about what you enjoy. If you want to make ambitious people waste their time on errands, bait the hook with prestige." - Paul Graham
 

I used to have a problem getting up early too - but have solved it with two methods.

The first is you should consider working out more. I find that if I work out for at least an hour for 5-6 days each week it reduces the amount of sleep I need by at least an hour per day and makes it easier to get up early.

The second is I bought an alarm which mimics sunrise by gradually brightening a white light bulb beginning with 30 minutes prior to the alarm going off. The alarm chime also increases in strength gradually. This method allows your body to wake up more slowly and naturally instead of jarring you awake. I find this allows me to basically never need to hit snooze. You can find similar devices online - let me know if you want the name of mine.

Hope this helps.

 

double alarm clocks, make the 2nd one really annoying and out of arms length . if you have a blackberry, "antelope" alarm on escalating is particularly annoying.

one of my buddies swears by the method of setting his alarm clock 15 min early, popping a caffeine pill on the first alarm, then having another go off 15 minutes later.

oh and whatever you do never pull the "im gonna turn my alarm off and just lay here for 5 minutes". you will ALWAYS be late to work if you try that

 
iambateman:
one of my buddies swears by the method of setting his alarm clock 15 min early, popping a caffeine pill on the first alarm, then having another go off 15 minutes later.
2 internets for you. Great advice. I cannot wait to try this one.

I have 2 advices about how to wake up: 1) Don't go to bed. 2) Go to bed early.

P.S.: my last final is always at 8AM (God of class schedules hates me). I never sleep the night before my last final because I am afraid I oversleep. I spend half of the night jerking-off and the other half studying.

 

This post still cracks me up, I saw it on a Wall of Fame thread...

you need to come up with a ritual. by numi Certified User(Senior Baboon, 248 Banana Points Points) on 3/31/08 at 7:25pm

I used to be a night-owl when I was in college too, but once I hit the working world, I knew I had to come up with some other solution. I developed a morning ritual that I go through before the "big day," which we all know is every day that we work at the great institution known as the investment bank. I call this ritual "The Terminator." First, I crouch down in the shower in the classic "naked terminator traveling through time" pose. With my eyes closed I crouch there for a minute, visualizing either Arnold or the guy from the second movie (not the chick in the third one because that one sucked) and I start to hum the terminator theme. Then I slowly rise to a standing position and open my eyes. It helps me to proceed to a state of awakening to as an emotionless, cyborg badass. The only problem is if the shower curtain sticks to my terminator leg. It ruins the fantasy.

T4 coming out 5.21.09 fuck yeah

 

I've tried putting my alarm clock under my desk across the room, it still didn't work. I'd either fall asleep on the floor or go back to bed, even if I just hit snooze, I would get up, hit the alarm clock, go back to bed, and hit it again for a few hours. I think I just need to go to bed earlier.

 
big unit:
I do pushups and such, and use a really hot shower. Me and my roommates all use the same method and have gotten into many hilarious morning time confrontations (we all wake up around 7:30 am and need to be at work before 8:30 usually)

By "hilarious" do you mean "gay"? I can only think of the type of confrontations that involve multiple guys doing pushups and taking hot showers, and it's really unpleasant.

 

I love to sleep but once I wake up, I just feel fully functional, it doesn't matter whether I have snoozed for half an hour or whisked out of bed directly.

I guess you should got to bed earlier.

 

Yeah, try not to wake up at 1 pm every Sunday too...usually I try to make it to bed by 3:30 - 4 on Saturday nights (even if I'm not planning on drinking a bunch I feel bad about not being out with my friends) and to wake up by 11 am on Sunday. Monday's always suck, but not being able to go to sleep until 2 am when u have to wake up at 7:30 am sucks much worse.

 

My typical morning:

I set my alarm around 23 minutes before the time I should wake up. First alarm - Snooze and sleep for another 10 mins. Second alarm - Snooze and sleep for another 5 mins Lie awake for 5 mins waiting for the third alarm, alarm goes off for the third time, I get out of bed very slowly.

I could get to the bathroom quickly (and on the first alarm) if I actually WANT to wake up though, e.g. for an important event, for a well-planned vacation. Even if I didn't sleep much for the night.

So yes it's actually about whether I want to wake up or not.

Fortes fortuna adiuvat.
 

I could get to the bathroom quickly (and on the first alarm) if I actually WANT to wake up though, e.g. for an important event, for a well-planned vacation. Even if I didn't sleep much for the night.

So yes it's actually about whether I want to wake up or not.

Basically. 8am tee time with my buddies that I need to get up at 6 for? I'm out of bed before my alarm even goes off. 7am alarm to go to work on a Tuesday? Hand me a gun and I'll end it before the first snooze.

This to all my hatin' folks seeing me getting guac right now..
 

Waking up doesn't phase me anymore. Somewhere along the line, I reversed my internal clock completely and now wake up at 5am without an alarm. My entire life, I was a "night owl" and not a morning person whatsoever. Now I'm ready to roll before the sun comes up.

Commercial Real Estate Developer
 

It does work. The problem is nailing your sleep cycle. Not everyone's is 90 minutes (could be longer or shorter) and you also have to consider time it takes you to fall asleep. If you miss it by say 20 minutes, you'll wake up with the sleep inertia and your day will be F'd.

On the other hand, if you nail the sleep cycle, you may only get 4 hours of sleep, but you'll feel well rested and ready to go. With that said, if you only got 4 hours of sleep, you are going to wear out pretty early in the day.

Like the legend says, if you wake up at the end of your sleep cycle, you'll be ready to go.

 

Have a kid. That way you can have the Holy trifecta: no sleep, no snooze and always miserable.

Just drag your ass out of bed. Like it's gonna suck no matter what. Once you hit the shower you should be fine.

 

I have the same problem. I think to me, it depends whether I have anything important and urgent that day. If not, I will probably lie there for thirty minutes before actually getting out of the bed.

 

I have the same problem. I think to me, it depends whether I have anything important and urgent that day. If not, I will probably lie there for thirty minutes before actually getting out of the bed.

 

Sounds like a great weekend. Every once in a while I do this on the wknd... the 48 hr hibernation is soo necessary for anyone who is over worked constantly.

 

If i set my alarm and kept hitting the snooze for an hour I don't think I'd have a fiance anymore.

Also, I have two dogs that sleep on me that don't really care for the snooze alarm either.

make it hard to spot the general by working like a soldier
 

Get. The fuck. Out of bed. Seriously. As much of an effort it is to get out of bed, you're worse off by hitting the snooze repeatedly and/or contemplating how much your life sucks. I used to do it, now I get up and go to the gym instead. Snooze for an hour, or burn 1000 calories? One is significantly better for your well being/happiness/mental state and the other just makes you feel lazy and worthless until lunch. Get out of bed.

 

Read a book called The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg. A trick I picked up from the book was putting my running clothes/shoes right next to my bed so that it's the first thing I see when I wake up.

Or... go to bed hungry and eat something you crave for breakfast (steak, chocolate, ice cream, etc... whatever your lazy Snorlax heart desires).

Or... use different songs as your alarm so you don't get used to the same noise. I find alternating between EDM (Skrillex) and classical music works well.

Or... program a Fitbit to vibrate as an additional alarm. This one is especially useful if you have a significant other.

There's also an app that makes you solve math problems of varying difficulty in order to turn off your alarm. I personally hated that app, but maybe it'll work for you.

You can also buy a machine that emits light similar to the sun. Heard it works, never tried it.

There are so many ways to wake up better. I hope you find something that works.

 

If you're just lazy, then I don't know what to tell you. Put your alarm clock on the other side of the room so you have to get out of bed. Become a morning person, it's a better way of life. I'm usually in the gym while other people are still sleeping, and while they're still half asleep at their desk I'm eating their lunch.

And. It. Tastes. Delicious.

If you're not getting enough sleep, then that's going to be a bigger problem over time. I forget the exact ratio but research done last year demonstrated something to the effect that for every hour of sleep you lose, it has the net effect of making you around 10 IQ points dumber. Just like muscles need protein and cars need oil changes, your brain needs sleep to perform its routine maintenance functions. This is backed by hard science and you're only kidding yourself to think otherwise.

Get busy living
 

I set alarms a couple minutes apart from each other. When I snooze the first one, one or two more go off before I can call back asleep. By that point I am just awake. 4:45, 4:47, 4:50 etc. for my alarms.

Then I go work out.

 

Practice getting up! This is the best advice that has worked for me. It sounds silly, but practice bolting out of bed when the alarm sounds when you are not tired (ie, in the middle of the day), and this will soon become a natural reaction that will be enforced when you are groggy in the morning.

For more, information, read this great article http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2006/04/how-to-get-up-right-away-when-…

Bets of luck waking up! I feel like death every morning, but it does wear off later on...

To the starving man, beans are caviar
 

Set an alarm and put it out of arm's reach. You can't half-consciously turn that off.

Also, I'm not sure what age you are, but I was the same way in college. Slept through morning classes all the time. Didn't wake up to double digit alarms on my phone and computer. When I graduated and got a job though - it just stopped. Something in me, probably fear of oversleeping and coming in late to work, just clicked and I started waking up early enough no matter what. Then, you start going to bed earlier because you're tired sooner, and boom - now you can't sleep in past 7am on a Saturday either just like me.

Thinking back, I never slept through a test or a presentation, no matter how early, even though I slept through numerous classes. Fear is a powerful motivator.

Commercial Real Estate Developer
 

I already tried setting it out of reach but as I mentioned I am very hard to wake up, When I do that the alarm will keep ringing until I automatically wake up from enough sleep, or until my brother in the other room wakes up by the noise and wakes me.

Funny story:

When I was young my room was just facing the house's entrance. One night, my parents forgot their keys and I was the only one at home sleeping; they have knocked for hours until my father lost his temper and borrowed a sledge hammer from the neighbors and destroyed the hell out of the door to get in, and that didn't wake me up either.

BatemanBatemanBateman : the clock looks like a brilliant idea for normal people, however not for me as I keep the curtain open on purpose and we live in a very sunny country. I imagine this clock would be useful in places like EU or NYC during the winter

thebrofessor & @property I will look into that, did not try the sleeping cycle approach but I always felt that my body needed somewhere between 7-8 hours

 

I use this one app on my phone called "Alarm Clock Extreme" or something like that.

I make it so that all my alarms require me to solve one math problem set on easy difficulty (things like 7+3). I wake up fairly easily, so one easy math problem is enough for me. However, you can set it so that you have to complete up to 10 math problems, and make them more difficult. I think the hardest thing would probably be double digit multiplication / subtraction, but I'm not sure. If anyone needs help finding the app, shoot me a message.

 

Put your alarm on the other side of your room. Don't sleep in total darkness. Download the app Sleep Cycle and use it.

The answer to your question is 1) network 2) get involved 3) beef up your resume 4) repeat -happypantsmcgee WSO is not your personal search function.
 
couchy:
drink a shit ton of water so you have to pee

I second this. Also, if I know I'll have difficulty waking up in an hour or two, I'll sleep on my recliner. Sometimes you'll wake up with a sore back, but at least you'll get up.

Though, the best thing is just to make a habit of never hitting the snooze button, even if your schedule can handle it.

 

-get to sleep earlier!! -sleep with curtains open -get someone to wake you up with a phonecall -have something you look forward to every day even if it's just wearing a new pair of shoes/tie etc -set the alarm on your radio so that it will broadcast the news; once you hear the rest of the world is awake it gives you a good reason to get up yourself

 

This is a very legit concern. When I first started working FT I used to catch weekly flights at ridiculous hours of the morning (e.g., I recall setting my alarm for 3:30am) and it was almost impossible to wake up.

I currently set two alarms that are staggered by 15 minutes - the second one is a radio alarm that's turned up to a very high volume. As part of my routine, I'll almost always turn off the second alarm before it actually goes off.

Both alarms are kept on the far side of my bedroom - if I can reach over and turn an alarm off without getting out of bed, there is a very real risk that when exhausted I'll just go right back to sleep.

 

Yeah, one of those legit concerns that just will not fly as an excuse in the workplace. Same as showing up to work with huge pit stains in the summer...

I'll echo what was said above and a couple of other things. As soon as you initially wake up, immediately open your sheets. I find that a few minutes of being cold helps to wake up. Additionally being able to generate a sense of urgency in the morning really helps... not sure how to quite explain it.

One trick I used when traveling was to order room service breakfast the night before in case the wake-up call didn't come through.

agree with smu

radio alarm set for 540, smash the crap out of this the minute it goes off phone alarm set for 545 (super loud and far enough that i have to get outta bed to turn it off).

turn on all lights immediately upon waking, they are very bright and makes it harder to fall back asleep.

upon waking up want to kill myself. after a shower and eating some breakfast, feel a lot better and can handle being awake.

 

I used to be a night-owl when I was in college too, but once I hit the working world, I knew I had to come up with some other solution. I developed a morning ritual that I go through before the "big day," which we all know is every day that we work at the great institution known as the investment bank. I call this ritual "The Terminator." First, I crouch down in the shower in the classic "naked terminator traveling through time" pose. With my eyes closed I crouch there for a minute, visualizing either Arnold or the guy from the second movie (not the chick in the third one because that one sucked) and I start to hum the terminator theme. Then I slowly rise to a standing position and open my eyes. It helps me to proceed to a state of awakening to as an emotionless, cyborg badass. The only problem is if the shower curtain sticks to my terminator leg. It ruins the fantasy.

​* http://www.linkedin.com/in/numicareerconsulting
 
numi:
I used to be a night-owl when I was in college too, but once I hit the working world, I knew I had to come up with some other solution. I developed a morning ritual that I go through before the "big day," which we all know is every day that we work at the great institution known as the investment bank. I call this ritual "The Terminator." First, I crouch down in the shower in the classic "naked terminator traveling through time" pose. With my eyes closed I crouch there for a minute, visualizing either Arnold or the guy from the second movie (not the chick in the third one because that one sucked) and I start to hum the terminator theme. Then I slowly rise to a standing position and open my eyes. It helps me to proceed to a state of awakening to as an emotionless, cyborg badass. The only problem is if the shower curtain sticks to my terminator leg. It ruins the fantasy.

dude....this is seriously like the most awesomest post ever.

 

This doesn't directly answer your question, but I thought that it's interesting:

There has been a scientific study that shows that bodies have an internal alarm clock. When you have it set in your mind that there is an important event at XYZ time tomorrow morning, your brain will release a stress chemical at a pre-programmed time and you'll wake up.

Regardless, I expect that the body quickly adapts, and, once your body realizes that it must wake up at a pre-determined time each morning, it won't be quite as difficult to do as forcing yourself up to make a class that you could otherwise easily skip.

 
b2:
This doesn't directly answer your question, but I thought that it's interesting:

There has been a scientific study that shows that bodies have an internal alarm clock. When you have it set in your mind that there is an important event at XYZ time tomorrow morning, your brain will release a stress chemical at a pre-programmed time and you'll wake up.

Regardless, I expect that the body quickly adapts, and, once your body realizes that it must wake up at a pre-determined time each morning, it won't be quite as difficult to do as forcing yourself up to make a class that you could otherwise easily skip.

There is definitely some truth to this.

Problem is, when completely exhausted (e.g., after getting a cumulative 5-6 hours of sleep over the course of 3 nights) this part of your body essentially shuts down. Guess your body is just trying to save you from yourself at that point.

 

set the alarm 15mins earlier, when it goes off get out of bed and stumble into the bathroom. Plug the sink and turn the taps on full. Then head back to bed, if you dare. Or maybe get a mood lighting clock that wakes you up gradually like natural sunlight.

 

Definitely keep the curtain open- I read it somewhere that you wake up much easier if your eyes sense light.

I highly recommend iHome. Its top volume is ridiculously loud-- and it goes off for a full hour before turning itself off if no one hits it. The alarm can be beeps, your iPod music or radio. Your brain can get used to the same beeping noise and you sleep through it more easily after hearing it a few times, so it helps if you can have different alarm sounds.

I keep a supply of canned expresso in my room. Chugging a can in the morning always works for me. Washing your face with cold water also helps. Warm water (i.e. warm showers) might make you more sleepy.

With that said..I've personally slept though a full hour of iHome at top volume, fell back to sleep after hitting the alarm that's not exactly near my bed, and doze off after double-shot expresso + cups of coffee.. sometimes your body just doesn't function like a machine like it's suppose to for the job.

 

Get a really fucking obnoxious ringtone... I recommend Tchaikovsky, my roommate had that and one morning it went off and he wasnt there. I threw it out the window from the 8th floor.

On a more serious note, i recommend not setting the alarm for too early or too late. I am a quad snoozer myself but thats only because i set my alarm for too early and my brain knows its too early. Stereo radios work well, waking up to your favorite adrenaline pumping music will help a lot. Below are some great wake up songs.

Europe- The Final Countdown Survivor - Eye of the Tiger Queens of the Stoneage - Millionaire Puddle of Mudd- Away from Me Limp Bizkit- Breakstuff

"Oh the ladies ever tell you that you look like a fucking optical illusion" - Frank Slaughtery 25th Hour.
 

I think exercise helps. Can't confirm this, but I heard that running helps you get deeper, more restful sleep.

My sophomore year I did really well on about 4 hours of sleep on the weekdays. This was also while I was marathon training.

But maybe the massive amounts of caffeine and creatine had something to do with it as well?

 
remote:
I think exercise helps. Can't confirm this, but I heard that running helps you get deeper, more restful sleep.

My sophomore year I did really well on about 4 hours of sleep on the weekdays. This was also while I was marathon training.

But maybe the massive amounts of caffeine and creatine had something to do with it as well?

Why were you taking creatine as a marathon runner?

this may be weird advice but just think about the time you have to wake up just before going to sleep. The body has an internal clock and is aware. Other then that, just take 2 alarm clocks and sleep with them right next to your face. Thats what i usually do..

 
CDN:
this may be weird advice but just think about the time you have to wake up just before going to sleep. The body has an internal clock and is aware. Other then that, just take 2 alarm clocks and sleep with them right next to your face. Thats what i usually do..

It works for me... I confirm. I also find sleeping with your room lights on. You do not get restful sleep but you do wake up in time. I did this prior to any interview that I had 8:30 am

 

and ya skipping dinner is a terrible idea, puts your metabolism in starvation mode. eat a big breakfast with protein/carbs/fat, should be one of the biggest meals. no/little carbs with dinner, slow digesting food right before bed (cottage cheese, PB, casein protein), super healthy and will help you sleep better and have energy

 
AltESV:
I'm not going to opine on the catching a cold reasoning, but the other reason not leave the window open is that if it is cold in your room you will just want to stay bundled up under the blanket in your warm bed.

definitely agree, i have a really hard time getting up if it is cold.

If anything, try to time your thermostat so it gets unbearably hot around the time you have to wake up. You body temperature is directly related to your level of alertness.

 

Why would you take creatine when training for a marathon? Wouldn't that seriously slow you down?


"It is a fine thing to be out on the hills alone. A man can hardly be a beast or a fool alone on a great mountain." - Francis Kilvert (1840-1879)

"Ce serait bien plus beau si je pouvais le dire à quelqu'un." - Samivel

-------------------- "It is a fine thing to be out on the hills alone. A man can hardly be a beast or a fool alone on a great mountain." - Francis Kilvert (1840-1879) "Ce serait bien plus beau si je pouvais le dire à quelqu'un." - Samivel
 

This is one of those rare times when I may be able to contribute to this forum! If you have an ipod and any kind of non-phone set of speakers where you live, then the solution is easy.

Set the alarm on your ipod. Plug speakers in. Set speakers to a loud, loud volume. This is the easiest way of getting a uselessly loud alarm without having to buy anything you don't already have. As an additional safeguard, put the ipod sufficiently far away that you MUST get out of bed to turn it off.

 

The darker the room, the deeper the sleep. You'll sleep better with the curtains closed (assuming curtains open = slightly more light into your room), but it will be more difficult to get up.

What do you think about wearing those night-time eye covers? I sleep significantly deeper when I wear them, and waking up is rarely a problem.

 
junkbondswap:
What a great post, esp. the terminator comment!

haha, thanks man...glad i could inspire someone with my wake-up routine

​* http://www.linkedin.com/in/numicareerconsulting
 

If you have trouble waking up, avoid heavy exercise until you become used to waking up at the same time every morning. After a performing heavy lifts you sleep much deeper and it is much more likely that you will not wake up. Light exercise, like going for a walk or something should be fine.

Also, a lot of it is mental. There were times when I absolutely had to wake up the following morning for something important when an alarm clock was not available for whatever reason. As I fell asleep, I would keep telling myself that I had to wake up by a certain time. It always works if I truly want to wake up.

 
oasising:
If you have trouble waking up, avoid heavy exercise until you become used to waking up at the same time every morning. After a performing heavy lifts you sleep much deeper and it is much more likely that you will not wake up. Light exercise, like going for a walk or something should be fine.

Also, a lot of it is mental. There were times when I absolutely had to wake up the following morning for something important when an alarm clock was not available for whatever reason. As I fell asleep, I would keep telling myself that I had to wake up by a certain time. It always works if I truly want to wake up.

Is this an April Fool's joke? Have you never tried working on little sleep? No matter how much you tell yourself that you need to wake up in 3 hours, if you're dead tired that's not something you can rely one. And btw, lifting before you go to sleep gives you lighter sleep, not heavier.

 

I'm serious. Whenever I sleep on the floor, I never fail to wake up early.

Alarm clocks never work for me. I don't care how loud it is or how many times it goes off or how far away from me it is. If the alarm clock is in a different state, I would find a way to turn it off.

But sleeping on the floor? Well, I've never overslept when I've done that. It's not restful by any means but if I absolutely have to wake up for something, I'll do it.

Where you run into trouble is when you're so tired that NOTHING wakes you up. This only happened to me once, after an absurd string of all-nighters in a 2-week span.

 

I have 3 alarm clocks that I set at different times. So if its really 10 PM, one will be 10:10, the other 10:14, and the 3rd 10:22. Then set each one for a different alarm time. Yes its common sense to think, I have more time, so go back to sleep. But you'll notice once your semi-conscious, your brain doesn't really calculate how much time you have and which alarm is closest to the real time. You just see the time, and the panic/adrenaline will get you out of bed. After you hit snooze 6 times(2 for each alarm), when you get out of bed to hit it the 3rd time, and see what time it is...

Make sure you dont have any accurate times around(wrist watch, cell phone).

I get used to the alarms after a bit, so I usually keep adjusting them. After 2 weeks, the time may be like 30-45 minutes off, at which point Ill start all over again.

 

i actually overslept a bunch my first few weeks, which was a disaster. i always made it in on time, but it was still pretty frightening. in any case, beyond alarm clocks, lights on/off etc, there are two things which you can do that will probably help.
1) strange as it sounds - start "practicing" - like 2 weeks before your start date, start making yourself wake up at the time that you will need to be up for work and don't go back to sleep for at least awhile. you can take a nap later or whatever, but start getting your internal clock set to the hours it will need to keep come this summer.
2) if you're in NYU housing or wherever - chances are there is another SA (i'm assuming you're doing S&T ...if you can't wake up for banking, i'm a bit more scared for you...) that will also have to be up at the crack of dawn. start a buddy system - don't leave without each other. a fellow SA last year, saved my ass on about five occasions by loudly pounding on my door.

 

Something that will pull your duvet/blanket off you and then spray you with cold water should definately do the trick. Something from the film "Overboard". It'll just be a matter of time before this method will start pissing you off. Annoying but effective.

 

Oh my god this alarm clock is hilarious.

"Oh - the ladies ever tell you that you look like a fucking optical illusion?"

"Oh the ladies ever tell you that you look like a fucking optical illusion" - Frank Slaughtery 25th Hour.
 
Best Response

I have a coffee pot on a timer on the night stand and when I smell fresh coffee in the morning I take the pot off and pour it on my face. You will never hop out of bed quicker than 3rd degree burns.

This to all my hatin' folks seeing me getting guac right now..
 
Cruncharoo:
I have a coffee pot on a timer on the night stand and when I smell fresh coffee in the morning I take the pot off and pour it on my face. You will never hop out of bed quicker than 3rd degree burns.

LOL

in it 2 win it
 
Cruncharoo:
I have a coffee pot on a timer on the night stand and when I smell fresh coffee in the morning I take the pot off and pour it on my face. You will never hop out of bed quicker than 3rd degree burns.

I was think a bottle of acid near the be bed would be better. It would be a lot easier than having to make the coffee.

 
Cruncharoo:
I have a coffee pot on a timer on the night stand and when I smell fresh coffee in the morning I take the pot off and pour it on my face. You will never hop out of bed quicker than 3rd degree burns.

I do this but simply drink the coffee instead of pouring it on my face. 4 alarms + coffee beside bed = pretty damn good chance of waking up.

 

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Maternity is a matter of fact, paternity is a matter of opinion.
 

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