not an emergency, but i need help!

[EndlessWrath]

I lost my job today. I'm paying for college on a less than minimum wage 15 hours a week job which i lost this morning.

I loved doing my job and it was easy work and i was very good at it. However, i'm not that broken up over it. Things happen. "Cry when your sad, when the tears are gone life moves on."

The problem i'm having is the way i lost my job. I'm basically nocturnal (if you didn't notice from my 3:23am post.). I set 5 alarms and i slept through all of them. When i get called by my girlfriend i manage to get up and take the call and get on with my day, but she cannot call me every morning, nor would i ever ask her to. I cannot get an evening job, college classes are two days a week and from morning to evening. My new job will probably be morning to afternoons or such as random scheduling. I can't rule out mornings because i need the hours and need the money.

Solution: I need to get another job (on top of that. Sending applications tomorrow morning). What i NEED help with is waking up. No i'm not asking people to call me :smallwink:. But i could use some tips in falling asleep earlier ( i just can't fall asleep.. hence why i'm up so late) without use of drugs (due to medical conditions). I also could use help finding a new method of waking up, as alarms seem to do nothing.

I appreciate the advice, if you can't manage to think of anything thats fine too.

-Wrath

[Trog]

Get one of these. (http://www.alarmclocksonline.com/Clocky.htm)

Other general tips:
- make sure you do not consume a lot of caffeine during the day and none in the evening after supper. A lot of people wave this off and say that caffeine doesn't effect them but unless you are consuming the equivalent of several pots of coffee a day it does.
- As you are getting in bed look at the clock and mentally tell yourself you will be waking up at such-and-such a time and that you will be up and wide awake then. This sounds stupid but I swear it works more often than it doesn't.
- Are you up late and staring at the internet? Turn it (and preferably your computer as well) off or download a program that will turn it or your access off for you if you lack the willpower to do so (addicting internet is addicting). A quick Google search should unearth several of these types of programs.
- Get a tactile alarm that doesn't rely on sound for the alarm (like ones available for the deaf).

[Coidzor]

Additionally, if you have trouble with falling asleep due to the brain not shutting down even after having cut your electronic/light stimulation by cutting the tv/computer exposure before bedtime, taking something like a little melatonin before the nightly brushing of teeth and changing into sleeping clothes can help with that.

[Headless_Ninja]

Is your computer/PC in the same room you sleep in? Apparently it's better for you if this is not the case - that way your brain only associates the room with sleep, not with any number of other, possibly stimulating, things.

[Quincunx]

How long do you usually sleep? If you're aiming for 8ish hours and can't wake up with the alarm, ever, try shifting the alarm an hour earlier. This isn't an alarm to sleep past. This is a guess that you've got a very long sleep cycle, and that this'll jolt you awake at the shallow end of one instead of halfway through the depths of another. It does require sleeping extra-long or taking a multi-hour nap of doom at one point during the week. If you want an extra-formal diagnosis of your sleep cycle, drink a lot of water and time how long you're asleep before you have to wake up and pee, and then multiply that amount for your "full night's sleep".

[ghost_warlock]

Get one of these. (http://www.alarmclocksonline.com/Clocky.htm)
"Clocky is kind of like a misbehaving pet"

Dear god, the way that thing is described is insidious! I'm also nocturnal and my cat must have her nightly frappuccino. If I sleep past a certain time, she'll start shrieking and jumping on and off the bed until I get up. Even on my nights off work, I can't sleep past around 9:30pm before she starts "misbehaving." Most efficient/effective alarm clock I've ever had...

[Kantur]

On a smilar note to Clocky:

http://www.iwantoneofthose.com/flying-alarm-clock/index.html

But have you tried the classic 'stay up for 24-36 hours and go to bed at a 'normal' sleep time to try and reset the body clock approach'?

[Jack Squat]

If you don't live in an apartment with a set noise limit, or don't have to get up really early, there's always this (http://www.thinkgeek.com/homeoffice/lights/8f1a/) option for a clock.

It's about as loud as the horns on semis, and only a little quieter (7db) than the average air horn. On top of that, it vibrates the bed...of course, that may hinder some people :smallamused:

Clocky and the flying clock thing are good options if your problem is waking up, hitting snooze, then falling back asleep, but you said you slept through your alarms, in which case you need something louder (If you want to stick to stuff you can pick up in stores, Wal-Mart's got some clocks with "extra-loud" alarms).

Alternatively, you could get one of those alarm clocks that have a CD/mp3 player instead of a buzzer. Of course, I've always found those harder to wake up to...maybe put in an NSYNC album or something?

[Elder Tsofu]

And for best effect use both? :smalltongue:

[Totally Guy]

I wish there was an alarm clock like the timer in the Swan station from Lost.

For 3 minutes it beeps.
Then for 10 seconds it klaxons.
Then after that the numbers go crazy and bad stuff happens.

[Bonecrusher Doc]

Get the rolling clock and tie a string from it to your toe?

[varthalon]

I'd recommend most of the behaviorable ideas already suggested.

You may also want to consider if it might be a sleep disorder, many of which are temporary or if chronic are easy to correct for once diagnosed. You may want to research sleep orders a bit and/or talk with your campus health office. Things to watch for: are you a very shallow sleeper or find yourself waking up frequently (like to go to the bathroom) after you go to bed? Do you sleep more than 8 hours on average but are still tired all the time? Do you have Diabetes? Do you move or thrash about much in your sleep?

For example: sleep apnea is fairly common, its a condition where your body stops breathing, just for a short time, while your asleep. This prevents you from getting any real rest from the sleep you get and frequently waking up and having trouble sleeping regularly. Record yourself (set up a video camera with a time delay) or have a roommate, girlfriend, or family member watch you when you sleep sometime. If you snore, and the snoring is irregular/broken (snoring, then a pause with no noise (where your not breathing at all), then a snort (when your body realizes your not breathing and reacts) and then back to snoring). Then you might want to get tested for apnea.

[Trog]

Alternatively you could do this (http://www.instructables.com/id/Heavy-sleepers-alarm-clock/).

[Zocelot]

Being warm is something that I've found to be very important in falling asleep. Every night, I put on socks, and when I have a lot of trouble sleeping I'll even put on mitts.

[Keld Denar]

I could loan you some of my old engineering textbooks. Those things are AMAZING for putting you to sleep. Seriously, its all like...grain boundaries this, transverse stress loading that, zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

[Strawman]

Sleep inside a clock tower. Change an alarm clock to apply a small shock instead of making a noise.

Or more seriously, try to take up running before sleep. That might make you able to get to sleep ealier. You can also try to become friends with a neighboor who would not mind waking you up.

Also, take a close look at your diet. Sugar and caffeine could mess up a sleep schedule easily. Soda has ridiculous amounts of caffeine.

I know one move that has been used by Native Americans and Bart from the simpsons. Drink plenty of liquid before bed, and your body will have to wake up for the bathroom. Sounds weird but I've done it, and it works wonders if you can get the timing right.

BTW - you should try to avoid insanely loud alarms if possible. Regular use of alarms like that can damage your hearing much like attending too many concerts. And then you can't hear any alarm at all.
http://www.dangerousdecibels.org/hearingloss.cfm

[Totally Guy]

I know one move that has been used by Native Americans and Bart from the simpsons. Drink plenty of liquid before bed, and your body will have to wake up for the bathroom.

I once told a house mate about this.

He wet the bed.

[Strawman]

I once told a house mate about this.

He wet the bed.

:smalleek:
Yeah, I guess it's not the best move for everyone.

[EndlessWrath]

I'd probably sleep through the neccessity and just wake up needing to at my normal time.

Thanks for the suggestions so far everyone! it means a great deal to have so much support. If you have anymore suggestions, please by all means shout them out!

Thank you all very much

-Wrath

[Kyouhen]

I'd like to vote for the Clocky idea. I started sleeping in too late and missing classes, even sleeping through 2 different alarms. Clocky doesn't like me sleeping in. Clocky doesn't like me sleeping. When Clocky says it's time to get up, I get up. :smalleek:

EDIT:
Though I've had to put him a decent way away from my bed. I've determined I have good enough reflexes to catch him just before he gets out of arm's reach (note that this is only a 2-3 second time period to wake up, figure out which way he's going and grab him) without actually waking up.

[The Extinguisher]

Just leave your blinds open. The sun will wake you up. Never fails for me :smallannoyed:

[DrizztFan24]

Hypnosis. It isn't actual mind control like some masses seem to think it is. So if you would like I can direct you to some hypnosis audio sites that you could download realxation or sleeping audios from and listen to those. Both of them that I have present a suggestion that you visualize the time you want to wake up, it pretty darn accurate. Also, the hypnosis will put you into a deeper state of sleep faster and thus you will re-energize much quicker and need fewer hours to sleep (meaning you can go from 11 to 8. Not 8 hours to 5......).

[Vizen]

When I was a kid, I WAS the alarm clock. I would wake up, and run around the house screaming "IT'S A DAY, IT'S A DAY!". Everyone would wake up.

I'm... Not entirely sure why I did that. But then again, I'm not entirely sure how I broke the big book of planets in Year 4.

I was a strange kid.

[neoseph7]

I've had sleep issues for years, and still do for that matter. Any medication strong enough to help is strong enough to knock me on my butt and deal some serious long term damage. So believe me when I say that I understand your case.

The following are things I have experimented with and didn't work (this applies to me. I cannot guess if it will apply to others):

Melatonin knocked me out, but the sleep was non-recuperative, so I would feel drowzy after waking up even 12 hours later.

Warm milk had no effect to put me to sleep. Booze made me feel drowzy, but didn't actually put me to sleep. Infact, it kept me up, but all the while feeling horribly tired.

Caffiene keeps me up at night, but doesn't wake me up during the day (the test is if it prevented me from falling asleep in class). High dose caffiene (higher concentration, not higher quantity. espresso rather than more cups of standard joe) worked better at night to keep me up.

The following did work for me:

Regular schedule including exersize. This doesn't mean "I have a big day tomorrow and don't feel tired so let me run a mile". It means "It's 7AM, I'm going to go run a mile". Also, regular eating habits, driving habits, etc. while they sound really boring, make it easier to fall asleep the same hour everynight.

Irregular Schedules that still apply to 7 days a week but not 24 hours a day. Basically you make a schedule of when you need to be awake during the week. If you know you need to be awake for 16 hours or more before you can fall asleep, make sure your schedule has that much time pass plus however many hours you need to rest before you need to be awake again. If you don't have the time, stay up later and fall asleep next chance. You will be exhausted and have no trouble falling asleep.

Don't use the bed for anything that isn't sleeping or doesn't lead to sleep. Watching TV and using the computer are good examples. Move those devices to other rooms.

I specifically need a temperature between 70 and 75 F to fall asleep, though if tired enough it will happen hotter. Everyone is different in that regard, but it helps to know what your key temp is. Some like it warm. Others like it cold.

If I slept for 12 hours or more, either because I went to sleep early or was able to sleep in, I was not falling asleep at the same time as the night before. (So 7AM sleep-> 7PM wake on Wednesday means I will be falling asleep sometime around 11AM at the earliest on Thursday).

In the end, if I need to be somewhere, thats what I set my schedule around. The weekends are when I let my batteries charge.

[Kcalehc]

Don't use the bed for anything that isn't sleeping or doesn't lead to sleep. Watching TV and using the computer are good examples. Move those devices to other rooms.

This is definately a good piece of advice; my wife used to have trouble sleeping because she did just the opposite, the bed was a general sitting/resting place while doing other things. Once I moved her computer and TV into another room, her sleep improved.

Also find a regular wind-down/ready for bed routine. Teeth cleaning, getting PJ's on, whatever and try to stick to it. Mentally preparing yourself for sleep and associating the rouine with sleeping can help you get to sleep when you need to.

Don't set multiple alarms, once you're in a good sleep routine, get in the habit of getting up at the first alarm. Don't snooze, byy all means have the snooze optionon your alarm, but try not to use it. You may find you'll feel less tired later because of it.

Personally I'm one of those people that can sleep anywhere (seriously, I've slept on stairs, on the floor of a moving bus, on a solid concrete floor and in numerous places under the stars); being able to mentally slow down and be in a sleeping mood will help.

[varthalon]

This is definately a good piece of advice; my wife used to have trouble sleeping because she did just the opposite, the bed was a general sitting/resting place while doing other things. Once I moved her computer and TV into another room, her sleep improved.


Ah, poor Kcalehc, your wife doesn't use the bed for ANYTHING 'ahem' other than sleeping? :smallwink:

[littlebottom]

im a really heavy sleeper myself... im considering this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQ-l5PlDa-k)

i think you should too!

[Rutigris]

Everyone who has trouble waking up should really get one of those clocks with a wake-up-light. It's really great. I used to have problems, setting two alarms and having them at least 6 ft from the bed (so I'd have to get up to reach them). Now I wake up with no alarm at all when the light reaches full intensity! Only problem is it takes a while to adjust, took me almost 3 months before I could turn the alarm off completely..

[Skorj]

The following did work for me:

Regular schedule including exersize. This doesn't mean "I have a big day tomorrow and don't feel tired so let me run a mile". It means "It's 7AM, I'm going to go run a mile". Also, regular eating habits, driving habits, etc. while they sound really boring, make it easier to fall asleep the same hour everynight.

Irregular Schedules that still apply to 7 days a week but not 24 hours a day. Basically you make a schedule of when you need to be awake during the week. If you know you need to be awake for 16 hours or more before you can fall asleep, make sure your schedule has that much time pass plus however many hours you need to rest before you need to be awake again. If you don't have the time, stay up later and fall asleep next chance. You will be exhausted and have no trouble falling asleep.

Don't use the bed for anything that isn't sleeping or doesn't lead to sleep. Watching TV and using the computer are good examples. Move those devices to other rooms.

I specifically need a temperature between 70 and 75 F to fall asleep, though if tired enough it will happen hotter. Everyone is different in that regard, but it helps to know what your key temp is. Some like it warm. Others like it cold.

If I slept for 12 hours or more, either because I went to sleep early or was able to sleep in, I was not falling asleep at the same time as the night before. (So 7AM sleep-> 7PM wake on Wednesday means I will be falling asleep sometime around 11AM at the earliest on Thursday).

In the end, if I need to be somewhere, thats what I set my schedule around. The weekends are when I let my batteries charge.

I've been managing insomnia, more or less, for decades. This is good advice. The super-duper alarm clocks are solving the wrong problem. An alarm clock that you have to stand up to reach should be all you need.

You need to work on falling asleep. The advice in this thread is good. Remove all electronics and distractions from the bedroom. Exercise at least a little every day. Don't eat anything, nor drink anything with sugar or caffeine, for 4 hours before bedtime. These techniques don't work immediately, or every time, but they help a lot over time.

You need to work on waking up. This is a matter of training your subconscious to wake you up with one normal alarm clock (and of not walking back to bed after hitting it). Multiple and evil alarm clocks just train your subconscious that alarm clocks don't matter. Your brain is well programmed to wake you when a predator is sneaking up on you, and can wake you to the subtlest of sounds, if it thinks it's important. You wake up when your girlfriend calls because she's important to you. That's all it takes.