Waking up on time can be a struggle, especially when you're not a morning person. For many, the solution seems simple: set multiple alarms. You might think that this strategy offers a better chance of getting out of bed on time, but does it really help? Or could it be sabotaging your sleep quality? 

Spoiler alert: you may not like the answer – don't come for us!

It’s past midnight, you had a long day and tomorrow is an early start. You’re exhausted and worried about waking up in the morning. Some days you need multiple alarms before you finally get up. You hit the “on” button for “7:30,” “7:35,” “7:40,” “7:45” and so on. You know that come morning, one of these alarms will get you out of bed. Whether it’s the first or fifth … well, that’s for Morning You to decide. 

You might laugh with friends over who has the most excessive alarm routine, but the truth is that needing multiple alarms can be a sign of sleep deprivation. Repeatedly not getting enough sleep can rack up your sleep debt and make your transition out of sleep difficult. This is known as sleep inertia, which can lead to unknowingly turning off alarms or hitting snooze when you first wake up. 

You may think that setting multiple alarms is the solution to this problem, but it actually encourages the bad habit and exacerbates sleep inertia. To combat this, the first step is to figure out why you’re having difficulty getting out of bed.  

Difficulty waking up in the morning could be a sign of underlying conditions, poor sleep hygiene or simply being a night person. Any of these can cause your sleep cycle to not run as efficiently, leading to more tiredness, which then leads to a difficulty getting out of bed in the morning where the same cycle starts over again. Let’s explore some potential causes. 

There are a lot of health factors that can contribute to struggling to wake up. Most commonly the reason is sleep deprivation. Not getting enough sleep or not getting the right kind of sleep will lead to your body struggling to wake up in the morning because it isn’t done resting. 

Consider if you’re really getting the amount of sleep your body and brain need and if you are getting that every night. The average amount of sleep a grown adult needs is seven to nine hours a night, but this is just an average – some people need more and some need less. Once you know how much sleep you need, and once you start getting that sleep regularly, you should find it much easier to get out of bed.

If you’re getting enough sleep and still chronically struggling to get up, it might be a good idea to check in with your doctor!

Sleep hygiene isn’t just about going to bed at the right time or creating the right sleep space. It also includes what you do during the day and your environment. Here’s a few examples. 

• Avoiding caffeine, alcohol and nicotine
• Limiting naps to 30 minutes or less (or not napping at all)
• Exercising during the day (but not too close to bedtime)
• Keeping your bedroom between 60 and 67 degrees

Sleep hygiene also includes your mindset! If tomorrow feels overwhelming, try not to focus on it and focus on what’s happening in the moment instead – mindfulness is key. Focusing on the dreaded next day will only make it more difficult to fall asleep because stress triggers the fight or flight response.

Some people are naturally night owls, but most work schedules are built for early birds. If this sounds like you, there are ways to gradually accommodate your body’s clock to make your mornings easier. 

Take control of the lighting around you at night and in the morning. At night, go dark to tell your body it’s time for sleep soon. Do this by shutting down electronics a few hours before bedtime and dimming lights. In the morning, light, especially natural light, lets your body know it’s time to wake up. You can leave your curtains open to let the sunlight shine in, and even the blue light from your phone can help! 

We’re going to hold your hand when we tell you this … but yes, setting multiple alarms is hurting you more than helping. Setting multiple alarms: 

• Disrupts your REM cycle and causes sleep inertia
• Increases drowsiness and fatigue
• Can lead to mood swings
• Can raise your cortisol levels by triggering your flight or flight response

While it may be satisfying in the moment to hit snooze or wait for the next alarm, it undermines your sleep quality. During the last hours of sleep, people usually go in and out of the fourth and last stage of the sleep cycle, known as rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. This stage is for memory processing and creative thinking, so when that stage of sleep is fragmented, it can impact those brain functions.

It’s important to realize that if your alarms start at 6 AM, but you’re not getting out of bed until 7 AM, then you’re getting an hour of poor sleep. It might feel good in the moment, but the poor quality of sleep is not doing you any favors. Your goal should be one alarm that you’re able to wake up to. If you’re used to using multiple alarms, however, this might be difficult. There are ways to make it easier though. 

 If your current alarm of choice is requiring you to use multiple alarms, you should try other alarms. Some use light or have a function that requires you to get out of bed to turn it off. 

Before electricity, people rose with the sun – it's how we're programmed to be! Even just 15 to 30 minutes of sunlight in the morning can help to shift your internal clock and make it easier to wake up and perk up. This works especially for those that consider themselves Night Owls. 

Go to sleep and wake up at the same time throughout the week. While staying up late and sleeping in on the weekends might be fun, it’s making waking up on the weekdays more difficult. Try switching to a more regular sleep schedule to better prepare your body for early wake up times. 

Start by gradually going to bed earlier by one hour every week to change your internal clock. This is a manageable change that you can control and alter to your own needs, but changing bedtime abruptly by more than one hour can be too much, especially right away. While making this change, you’ll also want to limit screen time (we know, ugh) and strong lighting before bed. 

Having something to look forward to once you’re out of bed can help you to finally swing your legs over the bed and plant your feet on the ground. Consider things like a fun activity, a hot shower or even something as simple as enjoying a cup of coffee. 

Looking for more about the connection between your sleep and alarms in the morning? See what we have to say about hitting snooze.