Re:Kill the Alarm Clock (2017)
by asoneth on Wednesday February 17, 2021 @10:40AM
(#26167567)
I found myself in a similar situation. I'm not suggesting this is what's happening to you, but in case it helps: my mistake was that the light and sound were increasing too quickly and my body was turning away from the light and shutting off the alarm before I had became conscious.
The approach that worked for me was:
- Increasing light from warm dim (~100 lumens) to bright white (1000+ lumens) over the course of ~30m. Even though you're not conscious and your eyelids are closed your eyes are still responding to the light and rebooting your circadian rhythm.
- A few minutes after the light reaches the brightest setting, have a sound-based alarm. I have nature sounds that start quiet and get progressively louder over about ten minutes, but I usually wake up after less than a minute.
- Getting into bed at a consistent time (+/-20m) seven and a half hours before the sound-based alarm. This is the hardest part since I rarely feel tired that early (yes, even when I've exercised) and it feels like a waste of time to lie in bed and stare at the ceiling. But I know from regular experience that when I wait until I'm tired to get in bed I have an unproductive morning.
The approach that worked for me was:
- Increasing light from warm dim (~100 lumens) to bright white (1000+ lumens) over the course of ~30m. Even though you're not conscious and your eyelids are closed your eyes are still responding to the light and rebooting your circadian rhythm.
- A few minutes after the light reaches the brightest setting, have a sound-based alarm. I have nature sounds that start quiet and get progressively louder over about ten minutes, but I usually wake up after less than a minute.
- Getting into bed at a consistent time (+/-20m) seven and a half hours before the sound-based alarm. This is the hardest part since I rarely feel tired that early (yes, even when I've exercised) and it feels like a waste of time to lie in bed and stare at the ceiling. But I know from regular experience that when I wait until I'm tired to get in bed I have an unproductive morning.