Tips for waking up in the morning

I would recommend a routine. Decide yours, what works better for you. For me, running + shower is the best. If you don't have a plan, what can you expect to do better than sleeping.

Also, the 5 seconds rule (couting to 5 until you get up) works every time.

 

Yeah I've always had trouble with that. Try this.
Set you alarm for 7:30. Next day 7 next day 630 etc
Sometimes it can just be about timing a sleep cycle.

 

A little trick. When you wake up challenge yourself to go turn off the alarm and stay awake for 5 minutes (Standing or sitting, don't lie down again), put a timer if you want. When the 5 minutes are up you can go to sleep if you want, but you'll most likely be awake by that time. I did this for months and never got back to sleep again. Remember, just five minutes, it's nothing.

Also i would avoid the "going gradually to the hour you want" strategy (7:30 one day, 7:00 next day, et cetera). It just takes a lot more to get used to and personally i most likely would give it up before one week.

 

There may be other things going on if you're sleeping from 11 to 9. I don't use an alarm, but if I did it would be a light rather than a sound based one (so an AC timer hooked up to a lamp) because light is known to be a time cue - the most natural being sunlight just coming through the windows. I don't have that much light through the bedroom windows because of trees and stuff but what little comes through is enough to prompt me to wake up at 7 even though the other night I went to bed at midnight.

Of course, I don't have any significant sleep debt. There was a few days where I was up late but literally for many months before that I was always to bed early, and both in my experience and stuff I've read the hours before midnight tends to count for more. It gets dark enough around probably 8:45 here and when I go to bed extra early like that I may wake up around 5 or something, again with no alarm.

When do you have you last meal? I also stop eating pretty early in the day, which these days is around 4pm but when I did 5 before that worked too. And I don't starve myself, my body is used to it.

There's not really a trick but it's just a matter of timing everything. Light, food, exercise. And being consistent. But there are two factors, the timing is one and tiredness is the other. If you are truly too wiped out then you have to look at what's making you that tired.

 

First and foremost it’s good that you’re getting 8 hours of sleep but everyone’s sleep clock is different meaning you might do better with 9 hours. You need to find a good amount of time to sleep that fits you. When you’re up in the morning the first battle is just getting up and you might be blind for several seconds depending on how heavy your eyes are. Drink water as soon as you get up to get your system running. After drinking water splash some cold water on your face. When you’re taking your shower take a dive in a cold shower and it shall wake you up!

 

This really helps... I find putting a glass of water near me at night helpful so my brain knows it is for waking up and when to wake up.. The more we are prepared mentally at night, the easier it is to get up on time. Little gesture are good reminder for brain..