Method 1 of 3: Getting Into a Rhythm
1 Determine what time you will need to wake up on most days. Make this your sleep goal for every day. Even if you don't need the time on a day or two, consider it a boost to your productivity. Step 1 for your routine -- check.
In order to set yourself to an alarm-less rhythm, there won't be any sleeping in on weekends, unfortunately (at least at the beginning). You need to program yourself, and that means 7 days a week.
2 Use your alarm clock to wake up at approximately that same time each morning. Our bodies’ physiological processes are governed by the circadian rhythm, a cycle that in humans is closely adapted to the 24-hour day. By training yourself to wake up at the same time each day, you
“set” your circadian rhythm.
Don't hit the snooze button! Studies show that that just makes you more tired. Even if you stay awake, it doesn't fully count. No cheating!
3Figure out how much sleep you really need. In general, people need about 7-10 hours of sleep each night; adults normally come in at around 7-8, but individual sleep needs vary. Needing 9 is still normal. Getting adequate rest is the most obvious way to help you wake up when you want.
4 Go to bed at approximately the same time every night. Once you know when you need to get up and how much sleep you need, you can determine what time you need to go to sleep. While you may initially find it difficult to go to bed at the same time each night, if you make an effort to do so it will become easier over time.
This could involve going to sleep earlier than desired or later than desired. If you know Thursday, Friday, and Saturday will be late nights, make Monday - Wednesday later, too. Initially it'll be a drag, but you'll get used to it quickly.
5 Wean yourself off the alarm clock. After as little as a week of using a regular bed time and wake-up time, you should be able to wake up at about the correct time without your alarm. The more consistent your schedule is, the better, but even if you occasionally go to bed later or earlier than your usual time, your body should still feel ready to get up at your set time.
Start off using your alarm clock one day, then skipping it the next. If not using your alarm clock worries you, simply set it for a few minutes after you want to wake up, as a safety net.
Method 2 of 3: Using Your Senses
1 Use light to your advantage. Your mind will respond to light and bring you out of sleep. Leave your curtains or blinds open to wake up with the sunrise. Close them if you need to sleep later. Adjust the positioning of your bed to catch the light at the right time — you may need to move your bed occasionally since the sun will strike your room at a slightly different angle as the seasons progress.Remember that the sun rises in the east; in the northern hemisphere a south-facing orientation will receive more sunlight, and in the southern hemisphere a north-facing orientation will get more, but unless you are trying to wake up when the sun is high in the sky, you will still want to face to the east to catch the sun when it rises.
If you need to get up before the sun rises, putting the lights in your room on a timer can also help, as this may not seem as disruptive as an alarm clock.
2 Employ sounds. Noises (such as that pesky alarm) also bring you out of sleep. Identify what sounds regularly occur around where you sleep and when they occur. Trains, automobiles, animals, and other people going about regular tasks can serve as waking cues. You can take advantage of this by noting what wakes you up and when. Consider leaving your window open to capture more sounds. Though it's technically still an alarm clock, the kind that has nature sounds doesn't really feel like an alarm clock. If it's just the sound that bothers you, consider researching all your options. There are loads of alarm clocks nowadays that use methods like sound, light, flying away, smelling like bacon
3 Set the right temperature. Your sleeping body is very sensitive to temperature. If you turn your heat down at night and have a timer on your thermostat, you can set the heat to come back on about an hour before you want to wake up. Assuming you were at a comfortable sleeping temperature all night, this should prompt you to awaken. You can also use temperature in conjunction with light, since sunlight hitting your bed directly will warm you up.
You may even choose what blankets you use so that you will be comfortable throughout the night (your body temperature drops after midnight), but begin to get too hot as your body temperature naturally rises (regardless of external temperature), toward the end of your sleep cycle.
The National Sleep Foundation says that temperatures below 75 degrees Fahrenheit are best for sleeping. However, individual needs vary and not all scientists agree on a set number. But in general, keep it cool. If you like heat, bundle up.
4 Let your nose awaken you. If you drink coffee regularly, the easiest way to use smell as a trigger to awake is to put your coffee maker in your bedroom (or very near) and set its timer for just before when you want to wake up. Smell is not generally a reliable way to wake up, though, so use this in combination with other methods.
5 Put your bladder to good use. Drink a tall glass of water before going to bed. You will find that you wake up very promptly in the morning! Maybe that's how the cavemen did it....Method 3 of 3: Setting Your Mental Alarm Clock
1 Get healthy. It's really hard to make your body do things it doesn't want to do if you're not in good shape. That doesn't necessarily mean a certain body fat percentage or waist line measurement, but it does mean treating your body right. Giving it the right fuel to burn each day will help you get up and fall asleep at the right times.
A diet full of processed junk, sugars, and fat will keep you feeling groggy. Adding more whole grains, fruits, and veggies to your diet can actually help you on this mental-alarm quest.
Stay away from too much caffeine. Using it to get up or stay up puts your natural signals on standby. Soon enough, you don't need them and they stop working. To get on a better schedule, limit your consumption of caffeine as much as possible. Stick to under 500 mg a day.
2 Find a reason to get up. Though there's no hard science behind it, there is a school of thought that says if you know what time you need to get up, you'll do it. It has something to do with the hormone adrenocorticotropin, which the body begins releasing a relatively high concentration of about an hour before a person expects to wake up.
So, give your body a reason to get up. What do you have going on tomorrow that would equate for a 7 AM wake-up call? Now set your mind to it. Adrenocorticowhateveritscalled receptors, at the ready. On your marks, get set...
3 Determine what time you need to go to sleep and wake up. Unlike the methods above, this method does not require that you wake up at the same time each morning. If you can adequately program your brain (like it is believed you can), you need only prompt the release of this hormone at the right time.
Don't tell yourself to get up in 3 hours, though; it doesn't work like that. You'll only be able to waken on command if your body is fully rested. There's a definite hierarchy of needs, here. Your body needs to recharge you and then worry about waking you up.
4 Calculate the number of hours before your intended wake-up time. If possible, try to sleep for a multiple of 90 minutes; your sleep cycle repeats in approximately 90 minute intervals (this will differ from person to person). You can use this to your advantage, as it's easier to awaken from the lighter part (the end) of your sleep cycle.
5 Envision your wake-up time. As you lie in bed, think about the time at which you want to wake. Visualize a clock with that time on it, and visualize yourself getting up at that time. You may even find it helpful to tell yourself out loud, “I will wake up at (the desired time).”
While this may sound silly, controlled experiments have revealed that many people can use these techniques to successfully and regularly awaken at the correct time without using an alarm or other external trigger. How the brain manages to keep track of the hours is unknown.
6 Use your alarm clock as a backup. If you have an alarm clock available, and you absolutely must wake up at a certain time, it is best to set it to shortly after you normally wake up just in case this method doesn’t work. Additionally, using an alarm clock may also help you to wake up before the alarm goes off because you will truly expect to awake at that time. This strong expectation should prompt the release of adrenocorticotropin.
While adding this step doesn’t really free you from the alarm clock, you may still be able to enjoy awakening without the harsh jolt of the alarm.
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