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How to wake up an insomniac?

Hummer

Hummer

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Feb 3, 2006
1,012
0
Queens, New York NY-5
So I like to stay up ALL night, but then when it comes to me waking up it's a bitch. I have 4 different alarms all set to go off at random intervals within a 2 hour period, but I've trained myself to turn them all off and go back to sleep when they start going off. Even if I have to wake up 4 times within 5 minutes I still wont be completely up. I've noticed the trend though, that if I get a new alarm or get woken up by something I'm not expecting, I'll wake up for it because I'm not trained to turn it off as soon as it comes on.

Anyone know of any products that can change in its pattern of waking you up?
 
Insomnia is the inability to sleep, not enjoying staying up all night.

Are the alarm clocks all near your bed? If not, I suggest putting one all the way across the room so you have to get up to turn it off. If this doesn't work, put an alarm clock in a different room (a bathroom maybe?) so you have to get up, open doors, etc.
 
Get yourself to a sleep lab to see why you can't fall asleep. You need to develop a pattern to your life. There is a time to sleep, a time to work, and a time to play/relax. Most of us need 6-8 hours of sleep to function well and feel right. Forcing yourself to wake up before you get the required amount of sleep will not work for long. I remember when I was young and crazy and immortal I would work 8 hours party for 14 and sleep for 2. Four days of that and I'd crash and sleep for about 13 hours. Kept that up for 9 months till I decided I'd better change before it killed me.

Good luck.
 
Hummer said:
So I like to stay up ALL night
Click to expand...

Try not staying up all night by choice, if that's what it is. If you choose to not go to sleep, try choosing to. You'll then get the rest you need and maybe wake up when you believe you should. If you CAN'T sleep, that is another issue. Try by adjusting your bedtime by 15-30 minutes earlier a night to readjust your circadian rhythm slowly. If that still doesn't work, see a doc.

Or, join the military. They'll ensure you're up on time. ;) You get used to it after the first three or four years! :p
 
Hey,

don't worry i am exactly in your position. i am not an insomniac as i choose not to sleep all night (usually watch tv shows, browse the net, etc).
I can go on days sleeping 3-4 hours a night and then stay up till 4-5am even though I am dead tired. I set like 5 alarms and wake up after snoozing for 1 hour until the very last moment!

However, I realized its a problem and I start a job Thursday so this will not fly. I am going to try sleeping earlier and earlier and waking up. Once you have a routine I find it becomes easier. Also try to exercise during the day so you get pretty tired. I'm going to aim for 8 hours of sleep a night but I doubt that will happen (sleeping at 11 is just too early) so hopefully around 7 hours should suffice for my job.

Just remember to turn off everything (including your mind) when you get to bed, clear everything and just imagine falling asleep (easier said than done, I know).
 
First of all I'll recommend you to sleep more (as all here have already said) but, if you want my advice on what to do for definitely waking up then hook your computer (using an app called AlarmClock -google it-) to a set of LOUD speakers and have it play a random song from your library. I tried once to ignore it but the sound was way to loud for me to go back to sleep and my mom almost killed me because of the noise. Best of luck,

Victor
 
One of your options is to condition yourself to perform a pre-determined set of actions when you hear the alarm sound. Currently, you're conditioned to turn them all off and go back to sleep, so you're going to need to change that.

What you do is dry runs during the day. Set your alarm for five minutes, settle into bed as you normally would. When the alarm goes off, immediately get up and perform the same set of actions you would like to perform in the morning when you first wake up (IE, put your socks on and get dressed).

Do this every night, several times a night, and use an alarm clock with a new ring so it's separate in your mind from your current alarms. After you feel like you've successfully conditioned yourself so that it's second nature, swap it for your normal morning routine.
 
Iscariot said:
One of your options is to condition yourself to perform a pre-determined set of actions when you hear the alarm sound. Currently, you're conditioned to turn them all off and go back to sleep, so you're going to need to change that.

What you do is dry runs during the day. Set your alarm for five minutes, settle into bed as you normally would. When the alarm goes off, immediately get up and perform the same set of actions you would like to perform in the morning when you first wake up (IE, put your socks on and get dressed).

Do this every night, several times a night, and use an alarm clock with a new ring so it's separate in your mind from your current alarms. After you feel like you've successfully conditioned yourself so that it's second nature, swap it for your normal morning routine.
Click to expand...

Haha, this sounds like a great trial to run. I'm going to try this when I have some time. I took some other advice and used my mac to change the songs that wake me up. It does work, but I have to keep it up because I have to use my iPod and not my mac because I leave my mac locked.

Thanks you guys.
 
Victor ch said:
First of all I'll recommend you to sleep more (as all here have already said) but, if you want my advice on what to do for definitely waking up then hook your computer (using an app called AlarmClock -google it-) to a set of LOUD speakers and have it play a random song from your library. I tried once to ignore it but the sound was way to loud for me to go back to sleep and my mom almost killed me because of the noise. Best of luck,

Victor
Click to expand...

Ditto. Alarm clock, with some fast-paced song. It works for me. Note: in preferences, set it to be able to wake up your Mac.
 
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