Tips for Waking Up Without an Alarm Clock

I don't know about you, but I definitely can do without the screaming alarm clock first thing in the morning. It just sets a bad tone for the rest of the day. I like to be pleasantly woken up, or wake up on my own. Which is exactly what I've trained my body to do. I trained my body and mind to wake up without an alarm clock. I'm sure you've heard of the terms "mental alarm" or "internal alarm". We all have them, but can you make it work every day?

First start by simplifying your sleep space. Your bedroom should be your place for relaxation, a sanctuary of sorts. Watching TV while you're in bed is a bad idea. It will only confuse your body. You want your body to start winding down and there should not be any distractions before bed.

This only works if you do not have to get up a couple times a night but try drinking something before bed. A full bladder is a surefire way to wake your body up.

Set a specific bedtime for yourself and try to stick to it. You know your body and you know how many hours of sleep you need each night to be able to function properly the next day. Go to bed and allow your body that amount of time every night. Sticking to a certain bedtime will train your body to settle before that time and help you wake yourself in the morning.

Make sure you get up when you wake up. Get out of the bed and get moving to wake your body up and to help your body understand that this is the time to be awake. Being lazy and laying in bed while you stretch and wake up can only confuse your body's internal alarm because it won't know if you should be awake or asleep.

Also be sure that you get up at the same time each day. If your train your body with a routine, it will be easy to wake up at the same time everyday because you do it day after day. Sleeping in on the weekends sounds nice, but it will confuse your body and could be a potential threat to your internal clock.

Practice makes perfect. Go to sleep for about a week at the exact same time and set your alarm for the same time each morning to wake up. The next week, continue to go to bed at the same time as the week before, only this time, try waking up on your own. Set a "backup" alarm, just incase, for a few minutes later than when you should normally be waking up. Once you are in a routine, you will start waking up at the exact same time everyday.

It took me exactly 11 days to be able to wake up on my own, but I have consistently woken up at 7:00 every morning for the last 4 months without an alarm clock. Yes, this includes weekends and holidays, which sometimes makes me pout, but it's worth it to not wake up to the rude alarm clock each morning and I noticed that my mood is dramatically different (in a good way) in the morning since I've trained my body to wake up on its own.

Gradually waking up to face the day is so much nicer than abruptly waking up to the howling alarm clock. I promise it can be done. Just be consistent.