How to Make Yourself Wake Up

Co-authored by Carlotta Butler, RN, MPH

Updated: March 29, 2019

Explore this Article Creating a Sleep Schedule Using Exercise to Wake Up Using Tricks to Help Yourself Wake Up Questions & Answers Related Articles References

Although many of us rely on alarm clocks to rise and shine, you can train your body to awaken without one. By improving your circadian rhythm — the biological clock that controls sleeping and feeding — you can wake yourself up each morning without help. If you are still not much of a morning person, you can also use certain techniques to wake your mind and body up in the morning.

Creating a Sleep Schedule

  1. 1
    Get enough sleep. Getting enough sleep will make waking up easier. The National Health, Lung, and Blood Institute recommends that adults get about seven to nine hours a night, though each person is different. Make sure you are getting your recommended amount of sleep if you are having trouble waking up.
  2. 2
    Decide on a schedule. If you fall asleep and wake up at the same time every day, you'll find it much easier to wake up in the morning.[1] Your sleep schedule will most likely be based on your work or school schedule. Decide when you need to be up in the morning to get ready and count back seven or nine hours, depending on how much sleep you need. You should keep this schedule even on weekends.
    • Another benefit of a sleep schedule is it helps you get better quality sleep, meaning you wake up feeling more rested.[2]
  3. 3
    Create a nighttime routine. Make a plan to enjoy relaxing in bed by yourself or with your partner without a TV or electronic devices. Take a bath, sip some chamomile tea, or try meditation to cue the release of sleep hormones.[3]
    • Start your routine at least an hour before you need to be asleep. If you can't remember to start at the right time, set an alarm on your phone to tell you when you need to start winding down.
    • The blue light from electronic devices is particularly stimulating and suppresses the production of sleep hormones.[4] It's best to turn them off about an hour before bed to help cue your brain to sleep.
  4. 4
    Make your bedroom conducive to sleeping. Make sure your room is dark, including blacking out the windows and even covering up the light from your alarm clock. In addition, try to block out any noise, either through earplugs or white noise. Finally, make sure your bed is comfortable for sleeping, including your pillows, sheets, and blankets.[5]
  5. 5
    Don't hit snooze. Get up as soon as your alarm goes off. Resist hitting the snooze button, or setting multiple alarms, as this can make you more groggy. Those five or 10 minutes of extra sleep are tempting, and you may think it will help you feel more rested, but it can actually make it harder for you to get up. This is because if you fall asleep, you are restarting your sleep cycle,[6] and the beginning of the sleep cycle is the most difficult point from which to try and wake up.
    • You should not hit the snooze even when you have time to sleep in, as it sets a bad precedent.
    • If you have trouble responding to the alarm, try one that gets louder, moves across the room, or adds light to the sound.

Using Exercise to Wake Up

  1. 1
    Try some basic stretching. Exercising can make you more alert. It also releases endorphins into your body, which will make you feel good as you wake up.[7] As soon as you wake up, stretch your arms up over your head, towards the top of your bed. Feel your whole body stretch out, and breathe deeply a few times.[8]
    • You can also stretch your legs. Laying on your back, bring one leg up to your chest and hold it. Next, lift that leg straight up in the air in front of you. Switch to the other leg and do the same. Afterwards, you can bring both legs up to your chest at the same time, then roll your knees to one side and then the other.[9]
  2. 2
    Do easy bodyweight exercises. You can also try basic bodyweight exercises, such as push-ups and squats. Try spending about five minutes on both.[10]
    • For push-ups, get down on the floor face-down. Your body should be straight out with the balls of your feet on the floor. Place your hands flat on the floor, and push your body up and down. Don't go all the way down to the floor and keep your back straight.[11] If you can't do them on the floor, try pushing off a wall.
    • For squats, with your feet at shoulder-width, put your hands at the back of your head. With your chest straight, bend your knees to lower yourself towards the floor. Return to the standing position and repeat. Do not let your knees go past your toes.[12]
  3. 3
    Walk in place. For at least 30 seconds, walk in place. Try pulling your heel all the way up to you buttocks. You can also do bicep curls at the same time by holding your arms face-up and front of you (bent at the elbow) and bringing them up to your chest as you bring up your heel. You can do this exercise for longer, if you prefer.[13]

Using Tricks to Help Yourself Wake Up

  1. 1
    Expose yourself to light when you get up. Light tells your system that you are ready to get up and stops the production of melatonin, a hormone that makes you sleepy. By spending a few minutes in sunlight, either by opening your blinds or going outside, you're signaling to your body that it's time to start the day.[14]
    • If you live in a grey and cloudy climate, consider buying a sun lamp to increase your exposure to light in the mornings.
    • In addition, one study showed that people who were exposed to more sunlight in the morning had a lower BMI overall than those who had more sunlight later in the day. The reasoning is that because sunlight early on regulates your natural circadian rhythm, it also maintains how your body uses energy.[15]
  2. 2
    Take a shower. Taking a shower, whether warm, hot, or cold, can help you wake up in the morning;[16] however, a cold shower is more likely to shock you awake if you really need the jolt.
  3. 3
    Try caffeine. Caffeine can be beneficial in helping you wake up. It can give you an energy boost in the morning, especially if it's something you're used to doing. The key is to keep your caffeine consumption in the range of 200 to 300 milligrams per day.
    • To help gauge how much caffeine that is, a cup of coffee can have anywhere from 80 milligrams to 175 milligrams. On the other hand, most U.S. brands of tea have about 40 milligrams a cup, whereas sodas are generally in the 35 milligram to 45 milligram range.[17]
  4. 4
    Set your alarm clock to music. Instead of a annoying beep or buzz, set your alarm to play a song you love. Music can increase your energy, and if it's a song you enjoy, you'll be more inclined to jump out of bed.[18]
  5. 5
    Get a laugh in. Studies have shown that laughing increases alertness; therefore, whether you read the comics or spend a few minutes perusing internet memes, laughing in the morning can help you wake up.[19]
  6. 6
    Start a routine that makes your morning easier to handle. Set out your clothes at night, and place your coffee maker on an automatic timer. If you have an established routine, it can help get you moving when you wake up.[20]

Community Q&A

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  • Question
    How can I get to bed at the same time every night?
    Community Answer
    Have a good bedtime routine, and do it the exact same way every night. For example, take a hot bath at 9:30 p.m., get into bed with a book at 10:00, read until 10:30, then turn the lights off and go to sleep. Modify the times to suit your needs.
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    Categories: Waking Up | Circadian Rhythm Disruption

    In other languages:

    Deutsch: Gezielt aufwachen, Português: Acordar a Si Mesmo, Español: levantarte naturalmente, Français: s'obliger à se réveiller, Bahasa Indonesia: Membuat Anda Bangun

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