apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

My alarm clock lives in the bathroom. That way I have to get out of bed to turn it off, which cuts down on me turning it off in my sleep. Also the reverberations off the tile seems to make it all the more annoying and loud.

Confession time - when I first started working after college I had several oversleeping episodes (which eventually led to the alarm in the bathroom solution). My mom used to call me each morning to make sure I got up. How embarrassing. I got past that working in the corporate world for 12 years. If it's really, really crucial like a flight I'll set a second alarm too. Mom's services haven't been needed for years and years.

A trick I used to do when I lived alone: I would set the timer on the coffee pot in the kitchen as well the alarm on the television in the living room. Hearing the TV would always wake me up to the news of the morning and the smell of brewing coffee gave me the incentive to climb out of bed...

I now have an amazing mate that hops out of bed to brew the coffee every morning, which never hurts ;)

My paycheck is motivation enough to get up and get my ass to the office.

I also keep my alarm clock in the bathroom, so that I HAVE to get out of bed to turn it off. I set the alarm to come on at one time, and then set the alarm on my cell phone (which I keep bedside) for five minutes later. When the first alarm goes off, I have five minutes to lay in bed and listen to the radio before the cell phone goes off and it's time to get up and at 'em.

It also helps me if I lay out clothes, pack a lunch, etc, the night before. Somehow (seems contradictory) I have an easier time getting out of bed knowing that all of that stuff has already been done - like, "see, you already put some effort into making today a good day, now don't ruin it by not getting out of bed on time!"

Have a baby who wakes up at 5.00 AM no matter when you've gone to bed!

i have a lamp in my bedroom on a timer that turns on 15 minutes before my alarm goes off, which has helped more than any other trick i've tried.

we also set up our coffee maker the night before and have it on a timer.

these ideas are brilliant! Coffee alarm! Alarm in the bathroom! Wow. I overslept for the first time ever yesterday, and it scared the bajesus out of me-- I had been hitting the snooze for an hour without waking up! I am so taking these suggestions.

Sleeping in your workout clothes is probably why you have a hard time sleeping! That's considered poor "sleep hygiene" http://www.umm.edu/sleep/sleep_hyg.htm.

You need to separate your sleep activities form your waking activities. No TV in bed. No sleeping in daytime clothes.

Sorry, bad link.

http://www.umm.edu/sleep/sleep_hyg.htm

I have two kids so I am frequently up half the night and still have to get up at 6:45, because this is when they wake up. It is no fun at all. And a crying baby is impossible to sleep through.

Before kids I was a chronic oversleeper. My husband moved the alarm across the room and would often just turn the light on in the room. More than anything, the light is what woke me up.

I like the light on a timer trick that thinkingwoman suggested.

And as an aside, this is one of those posts that would have been better in first person singular.

Whenever it gets like this, sometimes, I just make coffee and stay up until morning. When it starts to get light out, I don't feel as tired as I did while it was still dark, and more coffee, and a shower, and more coffee, and more coffee helps. Alternately, I sometimes wake about 2:30 or 3, try to find something interesting on tv - I don't feel as though I'm "over-stimulated" by interesting things as I do feel restless if I can't find something interesting to watch. That's boring, I get up and see what's on the internet and find I don't get tired enough until about 20-30 minutes before I would like to get up. This is a very cruel time. I've lost two hours and I suddenly want them back very urgently, but cannot have them, and a short nap will not give good results. I don't have a real oversleeping problem, but I like my sleep a lot more than I used to. I'd rather have less sleep, right before I'm due to wake up than wake up too early and can't get back to sleep.

I have never put the alarm in the bathroom but I usually set it somewhere I cant reach it (bookshelf), so I have to get up and out to turn it off.

I usually turn the heat down at night (or completely off depending on the weather) so it can be really hard to get out of a nice warm bed if the apartment is cold. Keeping some warm slippers or thick socks and other warm items to throw on within reach of the bed is a must for me.

If I need to get up extra early, I set the alarm on my stove before going to bed - works well.

How not to get up in the morning: while reaching for the snooze button (due to an incident with an annoying flying squirrel that keeps me awake) attempt to brace yourself on the edge of the bed while reaching for the alarm clock, but miss the edge of the bed and fall out of bed head first while scraping the inside of your arm.

I did this yesterday. It was the start to a very bad day.

Until recently I also kept the alarm clock in the bathroom. I couldn't reach it there and it's also more centrally located so that I could listen to NPR throughout the apartment.

I had to move it back to my room when I got a roommate though. It seemed rude to wake her up too.

I'm suprised nobody has mentioned this: http://www.thinkgeek.com/interests/giftsunder50/91f2/

It's a little alarm clock that runs away and won't let you hit snooze.
I don't oversleep, just the click from the alarm turning on wakes me up (many years being in charge at a coffee shop trained me to INSTANTLY wake up, no matter what time it is), so I don't know how well this guy works, but I kinda want one just because it's so cute.

Glad to know I am not the only one who has slept in my workout clothes. I did that often when I was taking a 6am class at the gym.

I don't have an alarm clock... I set the timer on my stove. Seriously.

It sounds like a smoke detectro, and I need to get out of bed to shut it off. Plus, the early-morning math is too annoying to try to consider setting it again for "snooze."

I know that first person plural is the blogosphere standard, but this post is way too personal to make that effective.

I just have a standard alarm clock. I make a point to get at least 8 hours of sleep (if there were more hours in the day that would be 9 or more hours) so I've never been one to sleep through alarms. I will admit to deciding to skip the gym on occasion. The difference between 5:30 and 6:30 am is stunning.

Some of you who have a really bad time of it might try going to bed a little earlier.

Haha I had to laugh about sleeping in your workout clothes. I also did a bootcamp last year at 6:30AM during Boston winter and it was so hard to drag myself out of bed knowing I would be facing brutal cold AND a hard workout! Maybe that would have helped!

I'm also an oversleeper ... have never been a morning person no matter how hard I try. It will last for a couple of months when I get a new job, then I am back to snoozing. Alarm in the bathroom would be nice except I don't think my roommates would appreciate. Plus, it's down a long hallway and I don't think I'd ever even hear it!

I have heard about some alarm clocks that slowly wake you up by getting louder and louder which is supposed to be more "natural". Anyone have any suggestions?

There is an alarm clock that comes with a lazer gun and you have to hit a bulls eye on a target to make it turn off.

I thought it was neat.

I live at home, so usually my mom is the last step in getting me out of bed in the morning. I set 3 different alarms, yep 3! One is my cell which I set to the most annoying ring ever. One is my radio which I set so I hear my favorite morning show. And one looks like an old fashioned clock that has a shrill ring and a light that flashes. I have to sit up to turn it off. I thought of putting it across the room, but I can't make myself cuz I know I'll get really annoyed with it one morning. So if I'm still not up my mom comes in and turns on my light or pulls off my cover. Sad, I know.

We've been oversleeping lately. We are lucky that both our bosses come in after we do and are also pretty easy about what time we get in as long as we put in a full days work.

I set my cell alarm to go off a few times but I hit the snooze too often and just turn it off. My beau has his alarm which usually wakes me up because it comes on to some horrid station and HE doesnt wake up for it at all.

But when its important, I just will myself out of bed. We tell each other the night before so that we dont get careless about it. I do like getting up early though- would love to sit and have a cup of coffee and actually eat breakfast before I leave. But then I think, why bother! I can just make something at work.

I don't think I would be able to get up if it were not for my nice husband who makes sure I wake up on time every morning. I might have to look into the light on a timer for the days he's out of town.

Life is too exciting not to get out of bed right away! I had the standard alarm right next to the bed. As soon as it goes off, I'm ready to go!

The alarm clock is a cruel device, but a necessary evil. I have one that buzzes by my bed and at the other end of my apartment, just right outside my bathroom door I have one set to ESPN radio, so when I do get up I can hear Mike and Mike while I shower. This usually works, but has also led to some odd sports dreams. I am curious about this lamp on a timer idea. Where do you find such a thing?

Definitely one of life's necessities and I use the following

My cellphone next to my bed which i turn off right away.
Next an online alarm clock http://Sleep.FM wakes me 2 weathr
Then almost out of zombie mode alarm clock in bathroom

Those work for me, but still it's tough

I know this is about "waking," but it also seems to be about sleeplessness, so here goes:

If you are waking (rather than staying awake until) 3:00 a.m. or in the middle of the night, you should get tested for parasites. If you are sleepless, also check if you are grinding your teeth--same cause, often. Infectious disease, e.g. Lyme Disease, is largely undiagnosed in the U.S. and can cause huge sleep and fatigue problems. If you sleep with your dogs or cats, take that into consideration.

If you are not waking up well, not sleeping well, your health is at risk and alarm clocks are not the answer. Getting lots more sleep is.

http://www.mathlete.com/portfolio/wakeNbacon.php
this might help... : )

Leave the curtains opened and let the sunrise wake you.
Its really nice especially in summer (since anyway in winter the sun gets up after you generally).

avianmission ... what? Can you give a link to more information about which parasites can cause night waking?

Besides human babies. :)

It's never easy in the winter when you are cozy under your duvet, you stick your feet out to get out of bed and get that blast of cool air. That's incentive to hit snooze for a half hour for sure.

But I do have a programmable coffee pot that has a built-in grinder. When it turns on in the morning (6:30), it sounds like a jet taking off in my kitchen. There's no way to fall back asleep after that. I just hope it doesn't annoy my neighbors. :\

I'm also adopting a puppy this weekend, so hopefully her cute face will give me more reason to get up earlier.

Splomo--

Hilarious.

for all those in apartments who put clocks in other rooms, or hit snooze half a dozen times....don't forget to be thoughtful of your neighbors who might be hearing it through the walls. i used to have a neighbor whose bedroom was above mine who would press snooze for a hour before he got up, and well before i had to get up myself. as it would wake me thru the walls, it was annoying as hell.

almost as bad as my downstairs neighbor who just this week has taken to watching tv below my bedroom at very high volume ALL NIGHT LONG. the bass comes up right thru my pillow. it didn't stop till 6am. i know because i was awake to hear it stop. don't do this to your neighbors either.

none of this works unless i actually have something important to do. i wish someone could show me how to get up when i have a day off & it's cold outside.

*set the coffee pot.

*put the alarm in the kitchen.

*the timer on the tv makes it turn on. make sure it's set to a channel where you won't wake up to some mass murder or something. i set mine to planet green b/c there's never anything exciting. lol

*being excited about what i'm planning on doing usually means i will wake up right before the alarm.

we wish our boyfriend would wake up with us, but we are a commuter and have to get up much, much earlier. we can't hit snooze because it annoys our still-asleep boyfriend. we wish we had a coffee maker with a timer!

Adopt a cat and feed him/her in the morning. There is no "snooze button" on a cat who wants breakfast.

Like the baby and the cat, get two hungry pugs who wake you at 5am to be fed and jump on and off the bed until you do!

i'm a big fan of oversleeping, but i've come to the conclusion that drinking lots of water before going to bed always seem to get me up in the early morning, but you have to be careful, this won't work for someone who takes sleeping pills!!

I have eight rescued dogs who must be far too comfortable in their dotage. They all out-sleep me every morning, silently mocking me as I stumble through the cold darkness.

I'm really super awesome at NOT getting up on time. No matter how many times the alarm clock goes off and no matter how many tactics the cat uses to try to get me to feed her. It's a gift, I think.
Oh, I'm also really good at falling back to sleep... even if I got up out of bed. Another gift... I have many. :)

I'm gonna have to try setting the timer on my coffee maker so I can have coffee ready when my alarm goes off in the morning. I know that will definitely, 100% without a doubt get me out of bed... I just need to make sure I'm on the ball and prep it the night before.

Since I'm a teacher and have to wake up before the sun rises, mornings can be pretty rough. I'm the type of person that needs 8-9 hours of sleep and also don't do well without some light cues to gently rise me from my slumber. My wonderful bf bought me an alarm clock 2 years ago from Hammacher and Schlemmer that lights up slowly 30 minutes before the actual alarm goes off.

http://www.hammacher.com/publish/70460.asp?promo=homepage

It may not be the prettiest thing ever, but it sure works wonders.

Stiletto - this was my suggestion.

I've only ever slept through my beeping alarm clock once, when the cat happened to unplug it. But it didn't matter because he sat outside my door howling for his breakfast, anyway.

Dogs also make pretty good alarm clocks. My dog has a pretty set schedule for when she wants breakfast and to go out.

The photos remind me of the old TV show "The Prisoner" when a sphere of light would come down and flash on and off.

oversleeping can be a symptom of any number of medical conditions (including sleep apnea, obesity, heart disease, diabetes, depression/anxiety/stress, chronic fatigue syndrome, mononucleosis and other chronic infections, chemical or alcohol dependence or an adverse drug reaction to prescription or over the counter medicine or supplements, or a thyroid condition among others). in my practice it is usually related to either stress/anxiety/depression or obesity/sleep apnea or it is related to lousy sleep hygiene or overwork/exhaustion/sleep deprivation.

nothing wrong with a catnap in the afternoon, but frequent "naps" only worsen the sleep cycle and compound the problem.

i suggest you talk with your doctor to see if any work up is needed. if not, consider cutting back on commitments if finances allow, getting regular exercise, and setting more regular bedtime and waking hours.

awakening should not be a struggle and a struggle is a bad way to start the day. wishing you a more restful sleep.

i set my regular alarm, and then set my cell phone alarm for five minutes later across the room. this allows me to feel like i'm "snoozing" but without the risks. most times i've overslept in the past have been due to half asleep mistakes related to the snooze button. my boyfriend is a light sleeper, so worst case scenario, he'll force me out of the bed if i don't get up.

while reaching for the snooze button (due to an incident with an annoying flying squirrel that keeps me awake)

Katedet, it is entirely possible that I will reach the end of my days without ever hearing this particular arrangement of words again. :)

Rosenatti: ha ha ha!

our cats are trained to wake me up when the alarm rings - they know its food time. the meaowing is pretty annoying. i still love them - the "out from the blanket toes" thing has been solved by them swatting at them because they're curious.

cats! best alarm clock ever! (and snoozing for 30-50 minutes, bless my husband who tolerates it each morning for years now). i set my alarm for 6:30 to get up at 7...20.

i really dream of the philips light alarm - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Philips-HF3461-Wake-Up-Light-Alarm/dp/B000VI7K2C i think that would do wonders in our basement bedroom.

The oven timer, far from the bedroom and the loudest alarm ever, it goes off every 15 seconds! Then my new mantra kicks into gear when I get up 'I'm grateful for my job, I'm grateful for my job, I'm grateful for my job!... (until I get a better one)'

Oh man... I have to rely on the boyfriend, and occasionally the mom... not only am I perpetually sleep-deprived due to work a lifelong non-morning-person, but I am a super heavy sleeper (like, can sleep through being shaken, fire alarms, cat jumping on face, etc.).

My problem with all these creative alarm solutions is that I am also completely not in my right mind when I wake up, which takes two forms: a) I can't remember why I woke up (like... hmm... it's 6:30... do I have something to do today... can't remember...zzz) and b) when I do remember it just doesn't seem important (big meeting... huh.... I can be 5 minutes late...right?...zzz).

So. I really need other people. When it's summer and I can wake up warm and with the sun it helps tremendously, but winter is ROUGH..

I read a report recently that there is a hormone your body produces that wakes you up and some people produce more of this hormone than others which is why getting up is so hard for some people - its physically harder for their bodies to get awake - I can never understand how my husband get wake up and get out of bed immediately - if I did that I'd either faint or be sick - I need a minimum of 10 minutes (and usually 30!) lying there to get my body ready to be vertical

Me too, when I wake up I need another 10 minutes to feel my body and then move out of bed.
In SUMMER it is much easyer though.

My boyfriend gets up before I do and bangs about in the kitchen (next to the bedroom). Oddly enough - I sleep right through the racket- but as soon as he walks out the door my eyes pop open.

The only recent glitch to the system is the installation of light blocking curtains. On occasion I wake up thinking it's the middle of the night, only to discover that it is noon :( I likes me my sunlight in the morning.

I used to be great at waking up on time, but now that I wake up most mornings at my boyfriend's house (who wakes up earlier than I do), I've gotten into the bad habit of hitting the snooze button. Maybe I've gotten used to sleeping through his alarm, so I'm starting to sleep through my own, as well....

Or it could be that his big, warm great dane climbs into bed after he leaves and snuggles with me. It's hard to get up on a cold winter morning when you've got a fuzzy dog next to you who wants to sleep in, too!