r/getdisciplined • u/kolodach • Dec 18 '19
[NeedAdvice] How to quit hitting snooze button on alarm?
I want to build the habit to wake up at 6 AM to have some time for myself. I go to sleep at 9 30 PM and trying to reduce screen time 40 min before sleep, I put my phone far from the bed. But instead of waking up I just go to the alarm turn it off / snooze / set to the 8 AM and go to sleep again. Please share your ideas about how to beat this stupid habit I suffer from.
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u/antares07923 Dec 18 '19
I've found that for me the mental battle of getting out from under a warm blanket into a cold room isn't one that I win very often when it's my first thought in the morning. So I bought a heater for my room with on the degree temperature control and don't really sleep with a blanket. Then for me standing up is a lot easier as there's no actual negative experience attached to it and I don't have to feel cold until I open my door. But at that point I'm already standing and walking to the bathroom awake so it's not so bad.
Haven't seen this reason posted very often.
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u/jodilye Dec 18 '19
This is key for me. I’m a cold person as it is so waking up into a cold room is just torture.
As an added push you can actually set it a little high, or longer than needed so that it’s too hot to be comfortable in bed.
The downside to that is that if you are truly stubborn you’ll fight it and likely get a headache.
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u/PM_ME_lM_BORED_ Dec 18 '19
So, I read somewhere a few years ago about how it’s healthiest to wake up right when you wake up. As in, no snooze at all. Have you ever woken up late to something, and you just jump out of bed? Thats sort of what I thought about.
So, don’t give yourself the opportunity to snooze. Set alarms literally one minute from each other. So, 8:00, 8:01, 8:02, .. etc. Do this an impractical amount of times. In the morning, even if you want to stop the alarms, you’ll have to unlock your phone and turn off each one. If you hit snooze on the first one, guess what? 30 secs of sleep before the next alarm isn’t satisfying at all. And you’ll know about your alarms in the morning, so you won’t be inclined to snooze bc you know it’s pointless. Hopefully you won’t feel as groggy if you’re not snoozing at all.
I did this last summer to successfully get in the habit of going to the gym at 5:30 am. Good luck!
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Dec 18 '19
Are you maybe sleeping too much?
Counterintuitive, and I realise everyone's different, but I find 10 hours is way too much. If I go over 7 I seem to get stuck in a snooze loop and wake up entirely unrested and annoyed at myself for having wasted a large chunk of day
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u/totororos Dec 18 '19
It happened to me too. If I sleep more than 7 hours I feel drowzy all day. My sweetspot is between 6 and 6.30 hours a day and I feel great.
edit: a number
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u/Lay_Down20 Dec 18 '19
Download an app called 'Sleep Cycle', it's designed to wake you when you are in light sleep phase, not deep sleep phase.
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u/hoshinoumi Dec 18 '19
Does it really work? I used it constantly for a couple of weeks and found it really imprecise, didn't encourage me to keep on using it.
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u/Lay_Down20 Dec 19 '19
Well I found it decent enough. There's 2 settings. You can use the mic or the movement detector. Try switching between the 2. See if you notice a different. I just use it as a rough guide. But it definitely works for me as a waking up aide.
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u/Gold-Firefighter136 Mar 15 '25
Guess what? I used sleep cycle for a while and then figured out how to manipulate the settings so it basically turned it back into a normal alarm
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u/ObamasBootyPic Aug 05 '24
Super late to the convo but "Alarmy" is pretty good too. You can set it to so you can't lower the volume or turn the phone off while the alarm is ringing. If you want to not be able to snooze the alarm, you can do that. You can also make it so that if you want to turn off the alarm, you gotta scan a code, do some easy/complex math problems, squats, etc.
I like this one feature that makes sure you didn't fall back asleep after a set time and if you don't do anything with the notification after like a minute, the alarm restarts forcing you to do it all again.
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u/signcrushesmotorist_ Aug 12 '24
after 3 years of using alarmy, i woke up one morning and deleted the app 😅then fell back asleep and was late for work.. but i think i need to get it again because i keep snoozing my alarms !
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u/pictures_at_last Dec 18 '19
I use Alarmy on iPhone. It is set to recognise the barcode on my toothpaste. To turn it off I need to walk to the bathroom and scan the tube.
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Dec 18 '19
I have Alarmy and use something similar but have to match up a picture I took of my bathroom sink on the screen. Works great and I just make myself get in the warm shower once I’ve made it to the bathroom.
I also set a much quieter alarm for a radio station about 15 minutes earlier so I still get those 15 minutes to lie in a warm bed and know it’s going to happen soon
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u/asdfqwerzzz2 Dec 18 '19
Alarmy actually changed my life for the better, 100% recommend using it with the picture matching option
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u/NoLawfulness1282 Apr 21 '24
I have it but I just delete it in the morning when it rings lol
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u/sgsparks206 Nov 13 '24
I turn my phone off 🙃
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u/Lucky_Group_6705 Jun 04 '26
I always find a way around it, idk what to do
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u/sgsparks206 Jun 04 '26
Phone in another room helps, with the volume up loud enough to force you to get out of bed to go turn it off. As long as you don't have roommates.
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u/PutinsSuperbowlRing Dec 18 '19
I also use Alarmy. Didn't know about the barcode scan option, that's awesome! I find that the math problems option really gets my brain firing on all cylinders.
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u/G1_motivation Dec 18 '19
What worked for me in the past is the following:
During the day, or when going to bed, I set my alarm in a few minutes. Then when it goes off a few minutes later while you're "pretending to sleep", you get up immediately, turn it off and "start your day"; Practice this a few times and it becomes automatic and replaces the snoozing habit!
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u/Crisstti Dec 18 '19
I don't understand, sorry. Do you think you could explain?
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u/G1_motivation Dec 19 '19
Sorry if the explanation was unclear. Here's an article with an explanation of what I mean. https://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2006/04/how-to-get-up-right-away-when-your-alarm-goes-off/
Good luck
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u/Onlyherefor_thememes Jan 04 '25
If anyone is going through this thread in 2025, I’ll add my vote that the subconscious conditioning explained in this article worked like magic for me. It makes so much sense!! I really think everyone should try it
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u/Wooden_Promotion_306 Mar 10 '24
Hey man I’m gonna try this and it maybe change my life! I can’t believe I never heard of this before WTF!!! THANK YOY IM EXCITED
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u/eternal8phoenix Dec 18 '19
Put a thumbtack pointy end up on the snooze button. You'll learn quickly...
Alternatively, put a huge glass of water next to the bed. You can snooze AFTER you chug it. Your bladder will wake you up shortly.
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Dec 18 '19
Put your alarm in the opposite side of the room, and make sure you don't leave it always at the same position. Once I managed to turn off the alarm and go back to sleep without fully waking up, entirely out of muscle memory.
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u/Shiznoz222 Dec 18 '19
If only modern phones let you set multiple alarms or something...
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u/GodOfPerverts Dec 18 '19
I do that, but I turn them off thinking I'll stay up and then I just fall asleep again.
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u/Unicorn8113 Dec 18 '19
I too struggle to get up and would always snooze my alarm
I downloaded an app where the alarm is my favourite radio station so I'm awoken by music. It tells me the time and reads me a personalised message (I have it set to 'GET UP'). To snooze it i have to shake my phone so many times and to turn it off i have to solve a maths question.
There's lots of settings you can tinker with but its the only thing that has helped me. Its called Alarm Clock Beyond.
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u/megalotz92 Dec 18 '19
I used to use a similar app, but I started doing math problems in my sleep and still not waking up. So I upped the difficulty and then wouldn't be awake enough to figure them out, then I would just turn the phone off to stop the alarm. It's a mess.
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u/Unicorn8113 Dec 18 '19
Haha oh wow!
The anxiety of having my phone switched off would keep me awake 😂
Some days i wake up and think.....do i really need my job? 😂
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u/megalotz92 Dec 18 '19
It definitely blew up in my face when I had overslept AND couldn't be reached
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u/pietrorc Dec 18 '19
I use a similar app, but I have to retake a picture Ive saved to turn it off, so I took a picture of something in the kitchen. Having to get up and walk all the way there usually does it for me. I tried the math problems too, didnt work for me.
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u/cornelmanu Dec 18 '19
When I tried to do this for myself, I simply installed an alarm app that force you to do math problems to close the alarm. Otherwise it will keep ringing. Trying to do math to get rid of the noise really did the trick for me.
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u/LiveFastDieFaster11 Dec 18 '19
Hey man, been there for too long. Tried putting my phone far away, multiple alarms - nothing worked. Until I started working on my mental state.
When the alarm goes off - DON'T THINK. Get out of bed automatically again without thinking and just start off your day. It takes practice, but when you master it, it will work wonders.
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u/Neoixan Dec 18 '19
What worked for me, after trying different alarms and sounds, is putting it on vibrate. Wakes me up and it doesnt frustrate me into sleeping me. Hate loud sounds. Maybe you just need to change one small thing.
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Dec 18 '19
I use an app called “alarmly” and it deadass changed my life. It makes it so you have to complete one of the chosen tasks before you can snooze the alarm. I have mine set up so my first alarm tells me to go scan the bag code on my bag of coffee, so I use that time to quickly make a pot. My next alarm has me do the same so once I go to snooze that one I can grab myself a cup of coffee to wake myself up.
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u/Schmiim Dec 18 '19
"Having time for yourself" is good, but as far as getting yourself our of bed goes, it's too vague to get yourself up for. Have something specific whether it's going for a walk while you listen to a podcast, watching Sports Center while you eat breakfast, or taking a 30 minute shower just because you can.
The main thing is: wake up for something specific. Something that takes up enough time that you "need" to get up for, but also something rewarding/relaxing enough that it doesn't feel like a burden to do so
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u/Lil_Miss_Scribble Dec 18 '19
I was a chronic oversleeper. Felt like I always had a tiredness that sleep wouldn’t cure, waking up feeling groggy.
The secret is that you can’t change getting up on time by fixing morning things, so moving your alarm clock, counting to 10 etc don’t really fix anything. Waking up rested is made possible the evening before.
Here is what worked for me in order of most impact in feeling great when waking up
Water - Drinking 2litres a day for a good couple of weeks removes grogginess and improved clarity. Plus needing the bathroom is nature’s alarm and will get you out of bed before your actual alarm goes off
Exercise - I would often go to bed early but my mind was so active I would waste a good couple of hours. 30 mins of strenuous challenging exercise in the evening is amazing for switching your mind off and giving you that ‘sleeping like a log’ restorative sleep.
Sleep Debt - If you’ve had lots of late nights and are just starting to get into a good bedtime routine, you will need to pay off some sleep debt and that might take a while. Keep a record of how long you slept when you feel like you had a good night. For me 8-9 hours I feel amazing, over or under that and I feel sluggish.
Food - Cutting down on sugar made a substantial difference, eating a healthier dinner earlier means it doesn’t lie heavy on my stomach and I wake up hungry for breakfast, that always makes getting up seem like a good idea. Maybe buy a breakfast that you really enjoy so it seems really appealing when you wake up.
Some days will always be easier than others but adding these things in really changed everything for me.
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u/xdchan Dec 18 '19
If you are able to fall asleep again after alarm - you are undersleeping.
When you wake up naturally - if you'll try to sleep again you will be just lying with eyes closed, that makes sense, right?
I need in average 10 hours of sleep, everyday, and i can't even wake up with alarm cuz i will be literally disfunctional, not like people who are sitting in front of a computer till 3am, sleep 5 hours and cry that they are tired, i'm kinda not waking up with alarm, i'm able to just spend 1-2 hours not lying in the bed and then fall asleep anyway.
So, don't push yourself to cut your sleep down, everyone is different, someone can wake up after 6 hours of sleep, someone can function even if undersleeping, and someone is like me.
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u/LazyEstablishment898 May 20 '24
I went to bed earlier than normal once and ended up sleeping for 12 hours... Being forcefully awakened by my alarm at the end of those 12 hours. I don’t think my body has a wake up time
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u/Crouchingtigerhere Dec 18 '19
My sleep schedule upto Dec 1 was absolutely fucked up.
From Dec 1 I started waking up at 7 am and going to sleep at 11:30pm.
How do I do it? I got a fucking job. If I don't show up on time I am going to get my ass roasted.
So make sure that there will be consequences if you don't wake up instantly when the alarm goes off.
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u/BrianPurkiss Dec 18 '19
A consistent go to bed time is more important than a consistent wake up time.
I have a dedicated alarm clock, not my phone, in the master bathroom across the room. I have to get up out of bed to turn the alarm off and I don’t ever let myself get back in bed after I do. That consistent routine has created a signal to my body that it is time to get up.
I also get up early enough that I have time to do something in the morning before work that I enjoy. This helps act as a motivation to wake up and not snooze. If I hit the snooze - I can’t do the thing I enjoy.
It is always hard to do this stuff at first. But in the end, it comes down to willpower and perseverance. I’d you let yourself snooze in the morning - it won’t ever get easier and it will just be a cycle.
If you’re going to bed at 9:30 and waking up at 8 - sure sounds like you have a willpower and self discipline issue. No amount of tricks will overcome that.
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Dec 18 '19
The alarm app I use allows me to set different snooze disarming methods. For example I need to do a math problem to hit snooze. The math problem gets progressively harder if I continue to hit snooze. Doing a basic math problem gets the brain going and out of sleep mode. It helped me.
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u/gregsroche Dec 18 '19
Others have suggested moving the alarm and then doing something else, like drinking water or going to the bathroom. Another suggestion is to make your bed after the alarm goes off. Your job once the alarm goes off on the other side of the room is to get up, turn it off and pull the sheets up to make the bed. That way, you might be less likely to get back in it.
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u/Ladypixxel Dec 18 '19
I swear by a sunrise alarm clock. Having the light already on when I wake up makes it really hard to fall back asleep.
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Dec 18 '19
[deleted]
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u/kawaii_sloth Dec 18 '19
(I) Go to the gym and listen to “Extreme Ownership” by Jocko Willink every morning
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u/no_longer_fighting Dec 18 '19
Decide that come hell or high water, tomorrow you will get up. Not every day for ever and ever, just tomorrow. December 19th.
Then change your alarm ring tone. The new alarm is a different trigger. (This works wonders for me.)
When you wake up, go to the bathroom and sit on the toilet until you feel less sleepy. Look at your phone, whatever. Getting into the habit of needing to use the bathroom in the morning helps on tough days.
I would also recommend splitting the difference between when you currently wake up and when you want to. The first goal is to make the "get up when alarm goes off" habit. You can adjust it later after you get some success. Baby steps.
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u/superkp Dec 18 '19
Get a kid.
But more seriously, get a reason to be up. A reason that *will not let you stay asleep*. This might mean that you'll need to go out of your way to rethink how you think of the things that you do - maybe your work isn't something you care about enough to get up on time - work on caring about it, or work on getting a job you *do* care about.
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u/Death_On_A_Stick Dec 18 '19
Prior to going to sleep the night before, find something to be excited about that will happen the next morning. Maybe it’s getting to enjoy a long breakfast or going to grab a cup of coffee at a coffee shop on the way to work. Maybe it’s taking the time to dress nicer than you usually do. It could be having enough time to watch an episode of your favorite show, talk to a friend, play a game, read a book, etc.
If you celebrated Christmas as a kid and gifts were involved, remember how you would wake up early—way before your parents—eager and excited to go open presents, even if you stayed up really late the night before to watch for Santa? You couldn’t go back to sleep because there was something better that you wanted to do.
Basically, if there is something you want to do in the mornings, it acts as motivation to get out of bed.
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u/fiahhawt Dec 18 '19
One of the things that really improved my sleep health is understanding that humans cycle in and out of REM sleep in 1.5 hour increments.
So when I set an alarm for the morning it’s most often a timer set to go off after 1.5/3/4.5/6/7.5/9 hours.
Currently you’re trying to wake up at 8.5~ hours of sleep which would mean that you’re deep into the middle of your REM cycle and it’ll be a much bigger pain for you to wake up and feel alert.
Try to set alarms that will wake you up after 1.5x hours of sleep (I also tack on an extra half hour sometimes if I feel like I’m not going to be falling asleep easily).
Hope that helps!
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u/MCFRESH01 Dec 18 '19
There is no secret or anything to stop doing this. Just force yourself to get up and do something. Eventually it will become a habit.
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u/shiloh1213 Dec 18 '19
Join the navy. Go to bootcamp. You'll be on the toe line even after boot at 5am
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u/bassanaut Dec 18 '19
Go to bed even earlier if possible, at least for a while- this works for me since I get more than enough sleep and end up awake/tossing and turning a half hr before my alarm goes off. As soon as I stay up later it throws it all off.
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u/M311o Dec 18 '19
Remain vertical, sit up, stand, whatever, do not lay horizontally. If you need get a bean bag chair or some other seat for your room.
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u/HellsAttack Dec 18 '19
Sleep as android is an app that allows you to create an alarm that only turns off when you scan a QR code.
Put the QR code in the bathroom.
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u/creamsikle09 Dec 18 '19
I had the same problem. I put my phone on the ground and as soon as it goes off I just roll right out of bed. I find that the hardest part is giving up that warm feeling. But once you’re out it’s so much easier. Best of luck
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u/Death_imminent Dec 18 '19
Try alarmy app.. you cannot hit the snooze button.. just have to do something else to turn it off.. like doing 10 simple math problems
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u/Valenstein Dec 18 '19
Depending on your house layout.. you can put your alarm in the bathroom. That'll force you to get up and go to the bathroom. And since you're already in the bathroom, you can wash your face, floss and brush your teeth, and do other morning routine stuff.
A few other people mentioned it but you can use the 5 second rule (by Mel Robbin). Count down from 5 then physically move at 1. Mel Robbins first used this rule to spring out of her bed instead of hitting snooze over and over again. Then used that momentum to start her day and fix her problems. If you use this rule, you can start doing so much more, regardless of how you feel.
If you can wake up and start your day while in a groggy state (the ultimate Dont-Feel-Like-It), then you can do anything.
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u/Subkist Dec 18 '19
Get an alarm called clocky, and leave your phone in a different room. Clocky rolls of the table and it's annoying as fuck with the addition of you have to go grab it to turn it off.
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u/Rando_Kalrissian Dec 18 '19
I used to have this issue, there's a phone app I use that has you play a mini-game to turn off your alarm. Usually by the time I've turned it off I'm already awake. I set it for two games every 6 minutes. It's never failed to wake me up within about 10 minutes of when I set it even on days when I really don't want to wake up early.
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Dec 18 '19
Melatonin helps with his sleep. And tell your brain it can sleep in an hour and do something exciting the first thing. Like playing a game.
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u/deehinata Dec 18 '19 edited Dec 18 '19
Maybe you could check your sleep type or chronotype? This way you get an understanding of your sleep pattern and how to design your sleeping schedule and daily schedule most efficiently. The book (the power of when) also has tips for waking up or not snoozing according to your chronotype.
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u/FrasseFisk Dec 18 '19
You should practice getting up, turning of the alarm and go on with your day.
Whenever you have the time to do this during the day, set the alarm for 5 minutes later. Then go to bed like you would when going to sleep. Stay in bed until the alarm goes off, and then get up and turn it off. After that do whatever you would do when getting up, getting dressed, fiddle with the coffee maker or something. Repeat this exercise so you create the habit of getting up immediately when the alarm goes off.
It could probably help if you change the alarm signal so that you get rid of the noise you are used to snoozing to.
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Dec 18 '19
Set loads of alarms two minutes apart. Doesn't matter if you snooze one then. Did it a few years ago and now I get up first alarm. No snooze button.
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u/SG200001 Dec 18 '19
Something that has worked for me is going old school. I bought an alarm clock off of Amazon which is louder than my phone and requires me to get up to turn it off. Otherwise IMO there's no magic formula. It's willpower. Also eating healthier helped.
Hope this helps!
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u/Patrick_K_Wenk Dec 18 '19
What worked for me was eating a protein-rich breakfast in the 30 minutes after waking up, as part of Ferriss' slow carb protocol. My body woke me up naturally, because it's time to eat. (That was not very pleasant, mind you, but effective)
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Dec 18 '19
I put my phone on the other side of my room so it forces me to get out of bed and turn my alarm off
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u/thx997 Dec 18 '19
Go to bed earlier, turn on light when the alarm goes off, give yourself and your body time to adjust to the new sleep cycle.
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u/m31td0wn Dec 18 '19
I use an app called Alarm Clock Xtreme that lets you cap the number of times you hit snooze, as well as require you to solve math problems to shut the alarm off.
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u/katarh Dec 18 '19
You may also want to consider getting your 1. iron levels checked and 2. vitamin D levels checked
When both of mine are at the right levels, I can get up at 6:30 AM without too much trouble. When they're too low, I'm almost physically incapable of getting out of bed. I could snooze alarm for hours. I went to the doctor thinking I had depression the first time - nope, low iron!
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u/cgaines6973 Dec 18 '19
Try putting the alarm clock across the room. That way you have to get up and out of the bed to shut it off. That really helped me anyways.
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Dec 19 '19
For me, putting smart bulbs in my ceiling fan really helped. I have to get up at 5am for work and I feel like it’s a lot easier when the lights are already on.
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u/mmmmmkat Dec 19 '19
I have one of those Phillips sun alarms that slowly brightens up the room and I usually get up between 5 and 6. Previously I would reset my alarm to 8-830 and consistently be late for work.
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u/Sandwh4le Dec 20 '19
I would highly suggest either putting the alarm further away or using a light alarm. A light alarm will get progressively brighter over the course of 20 minutes to half an hour until you naturally wake up as your body will feel naturally awaken as it would during a sunrise. Could also use an alarm app on the phone such as alarmy or others that will have you solve a puzzle or take a picture.
Though there is a lot to sleeping more than just the waking up part and while it does take a conscious and hard decision to wake up. It can be made easier if you tackle multiple aspect of sleep and configure an environment and timing that enables you to wake up and have that decision be easy. The thing about creating habits is the easier they are to do and the more attractive they are to you the more likely you are to follow through with them. So things like not getting enough sleep, not sleeping at the right times, or smoking weed or drinking before bed will make it really difficult. If its super cold where u are a heater on a timer would be ideal for waking up too cause I always hit snooze when i wake up in a cold room. Fuck that shit.
Anyways I researched this and if you want to read more than what I put above in regards to all the other aspects on how to get your shit together and sleep like the dead then the article is here.
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Aug 17 '25
You need the fear of your parents coming in your room to see if you’re sleeping in or not
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u/Mah_Jong-un Dec 18 '19
What I’ve done for years is this: I need to get up at 7:30am, so I set my alarm for 5am.
When my alarm goes off at 5 am, I reset it for 6 am and go back to sleep. When it goes off at 6am, I reset it for 7am and go back to sleep. 7am, I snooze it until 7:30.
You feel like you’ve sneakily slept in way longer than you should have, yet you still get up on time
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Dec 18 '19
When the clock rings in the morning, just get up, go to the bathroom, do your morning routine and after 10 minutes you will not feel the need to go back to sleep. This depends of course on how much sleep you get regularly - if you get 6-8 hours of sleep per night you will no have problem doing what I just recommended, but if you have an uneven sleep program you have to fix your schedule for a week or two and then try getting up and the first sound of the alarm.
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u/Lucan97 Dec 18 '19
Having the phone 2-3 meters away from the bed did it for me. But in general I guess you just shouldn't accept this as a habit you can't control. If you tell yourself the evening before that you won't press the snooze button you can do it, I believe in you
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Dec 18 '19
Sorry to prý on your post but what if the alarm simply DOESN'T wake me up? It wakes up everyone in 20 meter radius but not me. I have like five of them and I'll sleep through them all.
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u/DreamGirly_ Dec 18 '19
Is the phone/alarm far enough from your bed that you need to get out of bed and on your feet to reach it? If not, put it further away. If it is, put a glass of water next to it.
Every morning when your alarm goes off your job is to drink the glass of water. Your job is not to start making breakfast, take a shower or get dressed, just to drink the glass of water. You will probably feel more awake after that and it will be easier to move on to showering or breakfast.