# Most efficient way of waking up? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 2, 2003, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-efficient-way-of-waking-up/199225 "2003-09-02T22:30:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![culov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e79b87/32.png) [@culov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/culov)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2003, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-efficient-way-of-waking-up/199225/1 "2003-09-02T22:30:01Z")
Well when my alarm clock rings, i usually stay laying in my bed almost asleep for 30 minutes because im plain and simply too tired to wake up. What can i do, other than getting more sleep, setting the alarm clock 30 minutes earlier than i would, or drinking caffeine can i do? ---
**Author:** ![culov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e79b87/32.png) [@culov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/culov)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2003, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-efficient-way-of-waking-up/199225/2 "2003-09-02T22:34:53Z")
Scratch that last “can i do.” ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2003, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-efficient-way-of-waking-up/199225/3 "2003-09-02T23:11:45Z")
I have a ‘sun’ alarm clock. The light (sun) slowly lights up over 15 minutes (ajustable to 1 hr), then sounds an alarm if needed. I think it is the best way to wake up. ---
**Author:** ![DarrenS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@DarrenS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DarrenS)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2003, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-efficient-way-of-waking-up/199225/4 "2003-09-02T23:33:57Z")
More of an IMHO thing than a GQ. Nevertheless, my solution: get a cat. Try staying asleep when your cat is hungry or wants attention. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2003, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-efficient-way-of-waking-up/199225/5 "2003-09-03T00:41:21Z")
Is it the waking up that’s a problem, or poor sleep quality ? ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2003, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-efficient-way-of-waking-up/199225/6 "2003-09-03T02:37:53Z")
Drinking coffee before going to sleep will only work if you’re planning a four hours or fewer of sleep. If you really like coffee, get one that starts itself in the morning. And instead of just hitting the snooze button, try stretching out all your muscles lying in bed. That really helps stiff muscle pain. ---
**Author:** ![Booker57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Booker57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Booker57)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2003, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-efficient-way-of-waking-up/199225/7 "2003-09-03T02:41:48Z")
You just need George Jetsons bed. ---
**Author:** ![Rabid\_Squirrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Rabid\_Squirrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rabid_Squirrel)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2003, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-efficient-way-of-waking-up/199225/8 "2003-09-03T02:46:37Z")
I know it goes against your OP, but have you tried going to sleep earlier? I suppose you could also move your alarm clock beyond arm’s reach to force you out of bed. ---
**Author:** ![Scoo8b](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Scoo8b](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scoo8b)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2003, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-efficient-way-of-waking-up/199225/9 "2003-09-03T02:47:07Z")
Here’s what I do: 1. Set the radio alarm incredibly loud, as loud as you can without it hurting you. 2. Place it as far away from your bed as you can, so you actually have to get up to turn it off. Once you get up and walk a couple of steps to turn it off, you’re more awake then if you just would have reached over to hit the button. This has helped me immensely… ---
**Author:** ![Nobody\_s\_Fool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ba8739/32.png) [@Nobody\_s\_Fool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody_s_Fool)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2003, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-efficient-way-of-waking-up/199225/10 "2003-09-03T02:55:34Z")
I personally have to hit the snooze button like 3 times before I can get up. But my 73 year old mother goes to bed at the same time every night and gets up automatically at the same time every morning without the aide of an alarm clock. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Scoo8b](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Scoo8b](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scoo8b)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2003, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-efficient-way-of-waking-up/199225/11 "2003-09-03T02:59:49Z")
^ During the school year, I always wake up about 5 seconds before my alarm goes off, no matter what time I went to bed the night before… ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2003, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-efficient-way-of-waking-up/199225/12 "2003-09-03T03:05:54Z")
Maybe you should try a progressive alarm clock. Don’t have one myself, but it begins an hour or so before you have to wake up, chiming louder and more frequently as the time grows nearer. Avoids that whole morning jolt-out-of-bed-to-morning-DJs-obnoxious-laughter disaster. Snooze can work too, but set the first alarm for earlier than you would normally, and train yourself to only press it twice or you’ll start sleeping through it. ---
**Author:** ![prisoner6655321](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f8ce5/32.png) [@prisoner6655321](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/prisoner6655321)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2003, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-efficient-way-of-waking-up/199225/13 "2003-09-03T03:14:23Z")
It usually takes me about an hour an a half to wake up, not necessarily because I _need_ the sleep, but because the best most relaxing time in bed is right before I have to wake up. I try to extend this time by waking myself up sooner. I have a clock with two alarms. I set it for 6:30 and 7:00. Then when 6:30 rolls around I reset it for 7:30. That’s an easy one button push. 7:00 wakes me up and I turn off the alarm. Then the 7:30 alarm wakes me up and I hit the snooze bar 3 times, which means it will sound in 15 minutes. Then I hit it twice - 10 minutes. Then I hit it once - 5 minutes. Then when I wake up I reset the alarm to 6:30 (two buttons at the same time once.) Sometimes I mix up the times as needed, just for variety. So what I do is gradually wake myself up. It makes the most enjoyable parts of sleep seem so much longer. It also helps to live 5 minutes from work. ---
**Author:** ![pokey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ebca7d/32.png) [@pokey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pokey)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2003, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-efficient-way-of-waking-up/199225/14 "2003-09-03T03:16:32Z")
I’ve tried the far away, loud clock radio thing and for a long time I would just walk right back to the bed after getting up and hitting snooze. It got so that I would go over and do it without really waking up at all and couldn’t count on myself to hit snooze–I’d turn it off completely. I got a windup alarm clock with a very obnoxious bell that had no snooze. Trying to reset it for an extra ten minutes of sleep was way more than my sleep-addled brain could handle so I would have no choice but to stay up after it had gone off. It helps to roll out of bed and hit the floor when you hear the alarm. The trick is to keep rolling. Otherwise you will fall asleep on the floor. By the time you slither to the bathroom you’re awake. It’s traumatic at first but eventually you get conditioned to wake up on the first ring of the alarm. Snooze is like a drug to me. I must only use it recreationally and never on a workday! I really love the feeling of falling back asleep so I admit I use it on weekends but it is habit forming and too much makes falling back asleep feel like the best part of the day. ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2003, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-efficient-way-of-waking-up/199225/15 "2003-09-03T04:19:37Z")
Aw come on people! It’s easy, develop the habit that when you wake up in the morning - GET UP! ---
**Author:** ![kniz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2003, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-efficient-way-of-waking-up/199225/16 "2003-09-03T04:37:10Z")
Just keep sleeping until you find yourself ready to get up. In order to do this you need to be retired and then it is an option only about 1/2 the time. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![jinty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/dbc845/32.png) [@jinty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jinty)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2003, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-efficient-way-of-waking-up/199225/17 "2003-09-03T12:25:30Z")
I try to keep my sleep patterns regular - this means going to bed at the same time (well, as near as I can manage!) on Friday and Saturday nights, to avoid the Monday-morning problem. This helps a bit: obviously doesn’t help if you’re shift-working. I’ve also heard that an apple is better for waking you up than a cup of cofffee; can anyone confirm or deny this? ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2003, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-efficient-way-of-waking-up/199225/18 "2003-09-03T12:52:12Z")
I set my alarm for two whole hours before I have to get up. So at 6am it goes off, on radio. An hour later it switches itself off. An hour after that, with sunlight streaming in now, I am usually alert enough to know it’s time to get up. This doesn’t mean I actually do get up, but sleeping in is extremely rare for me. Sleepind _late_ is common, but not sleeping _in_. Also, I have an hour commute to work, where I start at 10am. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2003, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-efficient-way-of-waking-up/199225/19 "2003-09-03T13:25:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by David Simmons \* > \*\*Aw come on people! It’s easy, develop the habit that when you wake up in the morning - GET UP! \*\* Actually, for me this is the most effective. I used to sleep through too many university classes to name just because, no matter what I tried, I couldn’t be arsed to get my ass out of bed. One day I realized that if I didn’t even give myself time to think or give an excuse (like, oh…just five more minutes) and shot right out of bed, it would do the trick. I really think it’s mostly a mental attitude issue. If I have no choice and have to get up on time, I get up. If I could skip a class or trickle into work late, then sometimes I oversleep. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2003, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-efficient-way-of-waking-up/199225/20 "2003-09-03T13:41:15Z")
Are you sleeping well? If you allow enough time for sleep, but do not feel rested and are tired throughout the day, you might think about getting checked for sleep apnea. I used to have a terrible time waking up in the morning, but since I got my sleep apnea treated, I now wake up refreshed and ready to get out of bed (assuming I didn’t stay up too late). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-efficient-way-of-waking-up/199225.md?page=2)