Top 5 Ways to Avoid Snoozing Your Alarm Clocks Every Morning
We’ve all had one or many of those mornings where you can’t wake up, and you repeatedly find yourself snoozing your alarm clock. There is nothing more annoying than waking up early, knowing you have to get up when you are still feeling exhausted and want to stay in bed. You’ll find yourself pressing that alarm snooze button seven or eight times so that you can get as much time as possible in your comfy, soft, beautiful bed. However, using these ways to avoid snoozing your alarm clocks can help you feel better in the long run. Do you need an alarm clock that will wake up every morning with ease and no fuss? Check out our reviews of the best alarm clocks in 2019.
Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Snooze Your Alarm Clocks
There are many reasons why you shouldn’t snooze your alarm clocks. Here are the most popular:
- It causes fragmented sleep and will make you feel more tired.
- You’ll start the day on a negative note, making you feel guilty and frustrated.
- It will stress you out for the rest of the day.
- It will disrupt your natural sleep rhythm.
- You’ll get frustrated with the sound of the alarm, which will impact the rest of your day.
- It will have an impact on your willpower and self-confidence for the rest of the day.
Breaking the Snooze Button Addiction
Waking up early can be painstakingly hard for many of us. So how do you kick the habit of snoozing your alarm clocks?
If you want to get up at 6:00, you could try setting your alarm for 5:00 and spend the next hour snoozing your alarm. However, that isn’t tackling the problem. You need to learn to get up on the ring of the alarm.
If you commit to the cause, you can train your brain and body to get up on the first alarm. We have put together a list of the best tips and strategies to help you kick your snooze habit and get up and go on that first ring of the alarm clock.
Here are the top 5 ways to avoid snoozing your alarm clocks.
5.) Set a Sleep Schedule
Leszek Glasner / Shutterstock
A sleep schedule can help you get up better.
Go to Sleep Earlier
This may seem obvious to some, but going to bed at an earlier time does help if you struggle to get up in the morning.
The later you stay up, the harder it is to get out of bed in the morning. You’ll find yourself continuing to snooze your alarm clocks. If you have to get up at 6 am, get to bed later than 11 pm to ensure you get the full seven hours of sleep.
You will have to be strict with this set bedtime to achieve success. If you are a night owl and find this to be hard, try gradually adjusting your bedtime. Do this by 15 minutes each night or so until you get your desired sleep and wake-up times. It will become easier for you to wake up in the morning with a full nights sleep.
If you are struggling to stick to an earlier bedtime, devote an hour before bed to relaxation and unwinding. Try these tips to help you fall asleep faster:
- Take a hot bath or shower before bed.
- Limit your exposure to blue lights and screens at night.
- Avoid caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, or big meals late at night.
- Have a cut-off time from work.
Top Tip: Set your alarm clock to go off at night to remind you that it’s time to go to bed.
Create a Sleep Schedule
When you don’t get enough sleep, the snooze button becomes your friend. You’ll be tempted more than ever to stay in bed for as long as you can.
Make sure that you get a full recommended 7 to 8 hours sleep each night. Setting a sleep schedule can help you achieve this.
Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time each day. If you are getting a good nights sleep regularly, you’ll wake up naturally and feel less sleepy. You’ll no longer need to snooze your alarm clock.
Top Tip: If you struggle to get to sleep at night, try using a sleep mask to help you get a good night’s sleep. Looking for a new sleep mask? Check out our favorite sleep masks.
4.) Get Moving
Monkey Business Images / Shutterstock
Move, Dance, and Get Physical
A way to avoid snoozing your alarm clocks is to get up and get moving. It’s as simple as that.
Have you ever noticed that you feel alive after a workout?
The same applies here. Once that dreaded alarm goes off, get up and do a bit of light exercise or yoga. The movement will help you feel energized and ready to take on the day.
Top Tip: Set your alarm to play your favorite song so you can get up, start busting some moves and dancing.
Put the Alarm Somewhere Hard to Reach
If you keep your alarm clock beside your bed on a bedside table or somewhere close within your reach, the temptation to hit that snooze button will always be there.
Instead, remove the temptation by placing your alarm clock somewhere out of your reach. That way, you’ll be forced to get out of bed to turn it off. Once you are up and moving, you all be more likely to stay up and get on with your day.
Top Tip: Place the alarm clock in another room so that you will have to go further to turn it off.
3.) Engage Your Other Senses
Volha_R / Shutterstock
Adjust the Light
Light is one of the best ways to avoid snoozing through your alarm. Light is a natural alarm clock because eyes have natural light receptors that gauge the brightness of the light and tell your brain when to wake up.
If you wake up and it is still dark in the bedroom, these eye receptors tell your brain it’s still night. This makes it easier for you to drift back off to sleep even after your alarm has gone off.
Try using a wake-up light alarm clock that simulates the sun rising, helping you to wake up naturally and peacefully.
Top Tip: Sleep with the curtains open. Once the natural light floods into the room, it will help you wake up naturally.
Change the Sound of the Alarm
You can get used to the sound of your alarm clock, making it easier for you to keep pressing that button and keep snoozing. Change the sound, song, or alert on your alarm regularly because this will stop you from becoming immune to the noise and wake up fully.
It may be a simple tip to help you avoid snoozing your alarm, but it works. After all, variety is the spice of life!
Top Tip: Gradually increasing the temperature of your bedroom to help to give you a little extra nudge to get out of bed. Use a smart plug to time the heating to go on in the bedroom 30 minutes or an hour before your alarm is set to go off.
2.) Give Yourself a Reason to Get Up
VGstockstudio / Shutterstock
Have Something to Do
If you have a reason to get up in the morning, it’ll make the process so much easier.
If you schedule a fun task to do first thing, you’ll wake up more motivated and ready to get things done. For instance, read a page or chapter of your favorite book, message your friends and check in to see how they are, or even pamper yourself by filing your nails or putting on a face mask.
The possibilities are endless. Even the smallest of tasks can make a big difference in helping get up in the morning and refrain from pressing that snooze button. The idea behind this is if you have something to do and look forward to in the morning, it will work as an incentive.
Activities to do in the morning:
- Read a book
- Check e-mail/social media
- Play a computer game
- Pamper session
Set Yourself a Goal
If you set yourself a goal, it gives you something to work towards and will make you feel more motivated actually to get up out of bed.
For instance, you could make it your goal to get out of bed at 6.30 am for seven days. This may seem daunting to some, but it will become easier. After those seven days, you’ll realize that you can do and will want to continue to do so.
Top Tip: Set your alarm to send a motivational reminder when it goes off each morning. For instance, “You can do this” or “Today is going to be an awesome day.” It will be a great little pick-me-up and encourage you not to hit snooze and go back to sleep.
1.) Wake Up at the Right Time
VGstockstudio / Shutterstock
Wake Up in the Right Sleep Cycle
A person will experiences 5-6 full sleep cycles each night. These sleep cycles are different from another.
During the first 2-3 sleep cycles, you spend time in an NREM sleep (non-REM sleep). The last 2-3 sleep cycles are spent in REM sleep (rapid-eye-movement sleep) and a stage one of light sleep. You want to make sure that you are waking up during this one stage of light sleep.
If you wake up during a REM cycle, it will leave you tired, making it harder for you to get up. This can be avoided by making sure that you get the right amount of sleep. Use a sleep calculator to check the time you should be going to bed and waking up. Use this calculation and make sure that you are going to bed at the right time every night.
Wake Up and Smell the Coffee
To help you wake up at the same time each morning, set your espresso machine to sync in time with your alarm clock. The sweet aroma of freshly ground coffee will awaken your senses, and your body will soon follow.
Coffee has over 800 compacts that are linked to scent. Smells can trigger memories and feeling, so it’s no wonder that the smell of coffee triggers the body to awaken.
Wake up smell the coffee, then get out of bed to indulge in a tasty cup of freshly made coffee to kick start your day
Get the Right Amount of Sleep
When you break it all down, the critical thing that you need to do is get the right amount of sleep. It is as simple as that. Follow these tips to help you avoid snoozing your alarm and get a good start to your day.
If you need an alarm clock that is designed for the heavy sleeper or one that simulates a sunrise, click next to read our Alarm Clocks Buyer’s Guide.
