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How can I Wake up on Time?

By Sherry Holetzky
Updated May 17, 2024
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Maybe you’re not a morning person. If that’s the case, you are not alone. Many people have trouble making sure they wake up on time. There are various reasons why people rise late, but most frequently it’s because we just don’t get out of bed when we should. It’s much too easy to hit the snooze button and sleep for just a few more minutes.

One of the best ways to make sure you wake up on time is to avoid using the snooze button at all. Get in the habit of rising as soon as the alarm sounds. To wake up on time, it helps to place the clock far enough away from your bed that you have no choice but to get up to turn off the alarm. Once you’re up, don’t get back into bed.

If you don’t hear your alarm clock right away, you may need to purchase one with a louder or shriller tone that you cannot sleep through as easily. You might even need to set two alarms to make sure you wake up on time. If you miss the first one, the second one should do the trick.

You may want to ask a friend or a loved one to give you a wake-up call. If you know someone that gets up about the same time that you need to get up, see if that person will call you in the morning to make sure you wake up on time. Place the phone where you have to get out of bed to answer it. You can offer to do some other type of favor for a person who is willing to give you a wake up call.

It also helps to get plenty of sleep. The more tired you are the less likely you are to wake up on time. Many people like to stay up, but getting to bed even a half hour earlier each night can make a difference. It also helps to do something quiet and calming, such as reading, before trying to go to sleep.

In some cases, there will be circumstances that are beyond your control. It’s difficult to wake up on time if the alarm clock doesn’t ring. If the area you live in is prone to power outages, especially during extreme weather seasons, it makes sense to purchase an electric alarm clock with a battery back up option.

Check the batteries regularly, using a certain date or event as a reminder. Many people change batteries or at least check them, when they change their clocks for Daylight Saving Time. This is a good option if you need to adjust clocks for the time change.

Sleeping late is a habit that develops over time. So is making sure you wake up on time. You can exchange one habit for the other.

WiseGEEK is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.

Discussion Comments

By anon326626 — On Mar 22, 2013

There are apps on cell phones that require you to turn off the alarm by solving a math problem at various difficulty levels. It helps as long as you give your attention to solve the problem that requires more effort than adding 1 + 1. Otherwise you have to train yourself to sleep through the alarm.

By candyquilt — On May 08, 2011

There was news about a new pill that helps to wake up earlier. I think the articles said that it has vitamins, ginseng and some other things. Supposedly, you can take it at night and expect to wake up earlier than usual the next morning.

I'm wondering if anyone has tried this pill? Does it work?

By bear78 — On May 06, 2011

If you have trouble waking up in the morning and you tend to sleep late, you have to stop watching television at night. I go to bed so much later when I'm watching TV, which makes waking up for work literally painful.

Now, I either watch a movie after dinner since that only lasts two hours or read a book during the week. Having some herbal tea can also put you to sleep earlier. I think not getting enough sleep is the main reason it becomes difficult to wake up on time.

By burcinc — On May 06, 2011

I use the alarm on my cell phone to wake up. It also has a snooze option. If I don't turn the alarm off completely, it starts playing music again in another minute. If I was using an alarm clock, I would easily turn the alarm off and go back to sleep. But it's actually harder to do it on my phone. I have to find the alarm clock option in the programs and turn it off from there. And doing that requires enough attention to wake up anyway.

So if alarm clocks don't work for you, using the alarm on your cell phone may work better.

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