Waking up on your own

No more parent knocking on the door. If you have a 9 am lecture, an exam or a shift, getting up reliably is now entirely your job. This lesson gives you a system, not just a louder alarm. For the basics of sleep, see the Nutrition module's lesson 'Sleep for teenagers'.

How much sleep you actually need

• The CDC recommends 8 to 10 hours a night for teenagers aged 13 to 17 and 7 or more hours for adults aged 18 to 60.
• If you regularly need two alarms and still feel exhausted, the most likely problem is not your alarm but too little sleep.
• Waking up is easier when your body expects it, so similar wake-up times every day, even at weekends, help regulate your internal clock, according to the Sleep Foundation.

Work backwards from your wake-up time

• Worked example: your lecture is at 9.00 am, the walk takes 20 minutes and you want 10 minutes spare, so you leave at 8.30 am.
• Your morning routine takes 45 minutes, so you need to be up at 7.45 am.
• If you are 18 and aim for at least 7 hours of sleep plus about 20 minutes to fall asleep, lights out should be no later than about 12.25 am; aiming for 8 hours moves it to about 11.25 pm.
• Set a 'start winding down' reminder 30 to 60 minutes before lights out (Android's Bedtime mode can also run on a schedule).

Alarms that actually get you up

• Set the alarm for the time you really need to get up, not earlier with plans to snooze; a Houston Methodist sleep specialist and the Sleep Foundation both give this advice.
• Put the alarm (or phone) across the room so you have to physically get up to switch it off.
• Turn on a light or open the curtains as soon as the alarm goes; light helps signal to your body that it is time to be awake.
• For very important mornings (exams, flights, interviews), set a backup alarm on a second device and ask a friend or family member to call you.
• Choose an alarm sound you do not hate, and keep it only for waking so your brain links it with getting up.

Snoozing and grogginess

• Sleep inertia is the groggy, heavy feeling just after waking; it is normal and passes once you are up and moving.
• A Houston Methodist sleep neurologist says repeatedly snoozing does not make you feel more rested, and the Sleep Foundation warns that the extra sleep you get while snoozing is fragmented.
• Better plan: get up on the first alarm, drink water, get light and move about; the grogginess will lift.

Building the habit in your first weeks

• In week one, pick one fixed wake-up time for all seven days and stick to it, even when you have no morning classes.
• Use Android's Bedtime mode (Settings, then Digital Wellbeing, then Bedtime mode) or the iPhone's Sleep or Focus settings to quieten your phone at night.
• If you oversleep and miss something, email the lecturer or manager briefly and honestly, then adjust your plan rather than catastrophising.
• If you sleep 8 or more hours and still feel exhausted for weeks, see a doctor (see the Managing Your Own Health module for how to book).