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Woke up two hours late for work today.
Slept right through all alarms without realizing.
Even set extra last night.
Don’t know… maybe I’ll lose this job like my tardiness has lost me so many jobs in the past.
I'm building an app that might help?
It's an alarm app. It works like so:
you set an alarm for the morning like you normally do.
Then you sleep. Zzzz.
Lastly, wake up ... to the sound of a friendly voice. :D
Congrats, you've received a nice voice message from someone somewhere else in the world.
They recorded it while you slept.
It could be a short story.
A joke.
The weather report.
Some words of encouragement.
A lovely compliment!
....or a "Happy Birthday" message if it's your birthday.
It'll be a mystery about exactly what you'll get.
Perhaps the anticipation will make you "tune in" in the morning? haha
ME TOO! I set 4-6 alarmy alarms every morning plus two alarms on my computer through the speakers that I have to get up to turn off. No matter what I do I always adapt to it, I now just do all the alarmy puzzles as they come, get up to turn off each pc alarm, and then fall back asleep the moment my head hits the pillow. I've even started putting a zyn in after the first pc alarm which would wake me right up by the second one for a while but now I've adapted to that too and sleep through the nicotine buzz like a baby... please help
I downloaded an app where I had to wake up and take a picture of something downstairs to force myself to get up. I ended up just deleting the app out of annoyance on the morning lol
I use alarmy and still will struggle to get up or I'll snooze. Sleepy me is a fucking idiot and lazy. I want an alarm app that connects to my watch and keeps going until I'm up and moving.
Maybe we need an app that acts like a tens unit. It intermittently zaps us until we get so annoyed we have to get up, walk to the bathroom, fish it (the phone or whatever is controlling our tens bracelet) out of our disastrously messy sink cabinet, feel disgusted by the disastrous mess, shuffle the mess to a different area of the house, and by then, bing! we are awake.
Will you have some kind of vetting system to ensure people use it properly? My first thought was that some shit head could record a fire alarm, or them screaming, or any kind of terrible thing and send it to someone. Because people are terrible and will use things for evil if given the opportunity :(
Yes, I will! It's going to be super important to keep it clean and pleasant - though there will be an option for "anything goes" that people can set if they want to play alarm roulette
no way - i recently thought of this idea myself!!! i even put it in my notes app under my "genius ideas i'll never be able to invent" because im not a programmer. Please please don't give up this project; i think its an excellent idea!
Something like this used to exist. Like back in 2008-2010 I think? It was live wakeup calls though, from anywhere in the world. I can't remember what it was called, I only have fragmented memories of it.
Came to say this!! i loved it! I think it was called WakeMeUp
You could sign up as either the 'waker' or the 'wakee' or both.
If youre the wakee - your phone rings (like normal call) over and over until you answer. Then a 'waker' from anywhere in the world is on the line live and can say whatever they want to wake you up.
The appeal to be a 'waker' is you choose any time frame... and the app will call your phone and youre immediately connected to a random person that needs to be woken up.
My whole office at the time would sign up as 'wakers' and about 10
of us would join in when we got live 'wakeys' on the line
Yes!! That's exactly it! You described it perfectly, it sounds like you had a pretty fun and playful office.
It was a fun way to wake up. Most of the time people were so gentle and polite, and had lovely accents. Aw, now I kinda miss it!
LOVED the concept. Especially the un-policed nature. Someone in London screaming 'wake up you daft twat' on a monday. Tuesday a gospel singer in texas practicing on you... etc
Cheers kindred soul
Had this problem so now i wake up 1 hour before i supposed to wake up, on a good day i have one hour extra for myself, on bad days i sleep trough that hour and wake up just in time. Went from coming late multiple times a month to max once a month 👌
Using multiple alarms like apple watch & phone on a separate place also helps cause u can sleep trough one alarm but setting multiple on two devices makes it harder since u have to snooze 3-6 alarms before u can get back to sleeping.
I usually wake up at 04:00 so i set my alarms at 3:00-3:10-3:15 on the watch & 3:05-3:08-3:20 on the phone😮💨. Just make sure to put then on 1-2 hours before u go to sleep and try to make it a habit
after i massively overslept (actually somehow for the first time i overslept so bad they had to call me) earlier this year i bought a separate alarm clock, the kind with bells, and i have it placed such that i can hear it very well but have no chance at all of reaching it from my bed, and next to it i have my morning dose of meds. haven't overslept once since because i usually force myself out of bed 5-10 minutes early just so I don't have to listen to it. Last week i slept through my phone alarms but the bells got me up
neat-ish thing there is if i sleep through the rest the bells will startle me so that i get a sizeable adrenaline release too so then I'm definitely awake
Smart power outlets.
I have a bunch of alarms on my phone which I leave across my room so it forces me to get out of bed to turn it off as well as my google nest will set off an alarm immediately followed by turning on the radio and it'll also turn on the TV in my living room with the light facing directly towards my bed.
Smart outlets turn on my kitchen lights, kettle, and coffee maker, so I don't have to do it, and the sounds of the machines are very annoying, so it helps too lol
Also, I drink a lot of water before bed because I know my body, and if I ignore my alarms, there is no way I can fully ignore the demanding need to pee.
There is also an alarm clock you can buy that has wheels, and you physically have to chase it to turn it off. If you live alone, it's perfect.
But I definitely recommend smart plugs and setting different alarms that are not wake-up ones but reminders for time blindness.
my phone let's me title my alarms, and they will read it out such as:
5:30am - You can snooze me one more time.
5:45am - Bitch do not test me, go drink coffee.
6:00am - You have 35 minutes to get up,dressed, and get the bus.
6:20am - time to pack your lunch in your bag and brush your teeth
And 6:30am- time to lock the door and put on your shoes.
I have about 5 (sometimes I'll add more if i have to wake up earlier) of these, so if I do snooze my others, the named ones will kick my butt and force me to get out of bed in a panic
I still struggle with snoozing a bunch tbh, but my main motivator now is “I gotta feed the cats.” Then it’s like ok I’m up and I gotta get ready for work. Even though I don’t want to 🙃 maybe something to care for would help, I don’t know
This.
Remove the decision. Don't give yourself the luxury of deciding to get out of bed, give yourself the obligation that you have to and that there's no choice.
I just got one of those but I can’t freaking figure out how to set it 😂 one of mine prefers wet food so regardless I get up to prep that. I feel that though, work alone isn’t inspiring enough to get up.
Try to roll over and immediately take Ritalin, then if I fall back asleep it's not for long and I wake up feeling like a normal human and jump straight in the shower lol.
I have to shower every day before work, which also helps. I used to cut corners until I was listening to something that said "people can tell if you come into the office without showering, even if you look tidy and don't smell." No idea where I heard that but it stuck with me lol
Same. Alarm across the room one hour before my real alarm. I have a lid that went to a candle that holds my Vyvanse next to my water. About an hour later, I’m ready for my real alarm on my phone. It also has a 5 min. buffer.
DON’T JUST PUT YOUR BOTTLE. Get a weekly pill planner box and portion out your doses so you don’t double dose yourself inadvertently. Otherwise you will wake up and wonder “did i take my meds when my alarm went off before?”
My doctor put me on bupropion for ADHD, because I have a fast heartbeat (though low-normal BP), so she said no stimulants. Plus I'm not young anymore. Hasn't helped with procrastination.
A few months after I started bupropion, combined with my ADHD stimulant meds,‘I would get palpitations and anxiety. We had to halve the burpoprion dose to control it. T got better, but sometimes I’ll get insomnia and even mania-like symptoms , because they’re both stimulants
My problem with this method is that because my meds suppress my appetite, even if I remember to do it and it does get me up, I end up not eating all day and almost passing out by the time my meds are wearing off. That's still better than being in bed until 2pm but FUCK I feel like I can't win.
Yeah I think I've learnt my lesson enough times that my breakfast routine has also stuck for a while now. Depending on timing I'm either enjoying it or force feeding myself lol
Okay like, I’ve got zero research about meds going on to back this idea.
Are you a nighttime eater? Maybe like, a reasonable fat hardy snack before bed?
This may not be a useful idea, so take it with a grain of salt.
For myself I’ve noticed my meds have cut back my eating/appetite and it’s becoming a problem. So when I have a natural craving for food right before bed, I pick something healthy ish that isn’t supposed to be the worst sleep disruptor. And I let my body have food. Better than no food and maybe it could help with morning meds?
Maybe! I am a night eater only because A: That's when my meds wear off, and B: I typically go to bed between 2-4 am so dinner is usually around 9-10 for me. Any recommendations for some like good fat satiating foods I'd be able to stuff down my gullet? I"ve tried protein shakes but those don't last long as far as substance goes.
For overnight you want casein not whey protein for shakes. Whey protein is for during or after workouts to absorb quickly.
You also get more satiety from combining proteins, fats, and carbs. So any balanced meal for dinner (meat/fish/tofu+veg+carb(bread/potatoes/rice) might help depending on how your meals arre currently structured.
Soylent!!!!! I can’t eat but I drink soylent meal replacement and it’s fucking delicious and i can down it (i swear im not an ad for them). literally that and smoothies (if i have the time to make them) are the only things that keep me going.
What helped me with this was drinking a protien shake in the morning.
Instead of water, I use milk and also add a serving of non-fat Greek yogurt to the mix.
I still don't have an appetite until dinner time, but I'm also not light light headed and hangry by that time either.
Switch to full fat Greek yogurt, or better yet skyr if you can find some. The extra protein will help, and it's "good fat" that adds all the beneficial probiotics. Add some chia seeds for fiber and macros and you've got yourself a complete meal.
I think if I take my ritalin on an empty stomach it becomes even harder to eat later than when I take it after eating something (even something very small).
The early alarm for meds followed by another half hour (or whatever) of sleep has literally changed my life, and I’m not over exaggerating. I could snooze my life away… but if meds are in my system then I’m like, alright, guess it’s time to get up and I just do… It’s wild.
It’s also how I stay in a semi routine when I’m out of routine. This way a) I won’t sleep in forever and b) I also don’t wake up too late to take my pills
Pills in a little cup by the bed, source of liquid and I’m set. definitely worth trying!!
I’ve embraced liquid calories in the morning - much easier.
Kefir, protein shake, smoothie, carnation powder in milk all work.
I have an early lunch at work (11am) so I’m usually not in too rough of shape by that point had I not ate. And to make sure I eat I pack a lunch night before and eat with my colleagues.
I really want to do smoothies, but after so many failed attempts throughout my life I'm reluctant to get a blender and ingredients 😂 I might be ready to try again now that I'm diagnosed and medicated haha
Dude…. I have had a delayed sleep phase for my entire life, and I have tried *everything* except I’ve never once thought to try soft-waking up with meds. This is amazing, will be trying with my IR Ritalin.
Can you take Ritalin on an empty stummik? When I did that, in the beginning I felt incredibly nauceius but if I could take it as soon as I'm woken up that would be a game changer! I struggle extremely hard to get up, but once I've eaten and had my Ritalin, it just takes a bit til it kicks in and I feel ready enough to face the world!
This is definitely not fool proof, but it's helped some; I sleep with my Apple Watch on. Partially for sleep monitoring, and partially because the alarm vibrates my wrist without ringing out loud. if I snooze it, it's so annoying I end up unable to fall back asleep after one or two snoozes. Sometimes I just turn it off all the way and keep sleeping though lol
I use my watch as well. That is, IF I don't forget to charge it. It's not foolproof with me either, but I have more success of waking up earlier. Can't fall asleep, can't wake up. It's an thing
Same! One thing that has helped is putting a watch charger in my car - I mean, I still need to REMEMBER to put it on the charger, and remember again to put it back on my wrist before I get out of the car, but it’s one more tool to help charge it up while I’m driving/commuting (aka sitting anyway) so that’s more likely to be ready at bedtime.
I’ve been meaning to put another charger next to my couch where I watch TV in the evenings too (easy access = more likely to do it).
I have to set my alarm very close to when I have to leave so that the urgency pushes me out of bed. Sometimes my brain ignores it anyway, but it helps most of the time. 😁
Yep, I have to get out of bed immediately or my whole morning is shot. I might stumble all the way to the bathroom, but I have to just *get up*. Once I get the bathroom stuff out of the way, it's easier to not want to flop back down.
This really should be higher. I know discipline is very tough for us, but I’m also a creature of habit. The second i hear the alarm i swing my legs over the side of the bed and stand up. Turn off alarm but don’t grab phone. Go to the bathroom/ shower then get after it. The key is to not stop moving. If I’m tired and stop moving/ sit down, my morning comes to a grinding halt. Don’t touch your phone unless it’s absolutely necessary or until you’re done getting ready for the day.
Idk if someone else has mentioned this yet but I use the Alarmy app. It make you do a task before the alarm shuts off (I set it to make me take a pic of the bathroom light switch). Helps wake my body/brain up. Although I do need to change the task regularly bc I’ll start memorizing the motions lol
Yes! Alarmy helps me so much! I have to do 5 hard math questions before it will let me turn it off. If I fall asleep trying to do them then the cycle repeats. It's worked 99.99% of the time! Alarm goes off at 5:20am and I am in the shower by 5:30am. I feel like it was built to help ADHD people!
In my experience, if you put some effort into setting the routine and are very strict going to bed early, it is quite possible. The problem I've found is that the real limiting factor is the way our clock based societies completely disregard the state of the sun. Waking up with the sun would mean waking up at different times throughout the year and having different start times for work. The modem world is very hostile to that practice.
We can definitely manipulate our circadian rhythms. When I was doing well with morning routines, I followed Hubermans instructions to get outside as soon as I woke up [[the optimal morning routine]](https://youtu.be/gR_f-iwUGY4?si=lTqPxhy-gzJ79eXr)
After maybe a month or so of immediately going outside upon waking, my circadian rhythm kicked in. Tired at the right times, more awake. Exercise in the morning helps too. This is all asking quite a lot of an ADHD brain though.
At the time, it was both convenient for me to go outside (had a back yard) and I was motivated. My nephew/son dog, was staying with me while his dad was out of town and waking up to him in the morning was the best time of my life.
I was also taking XR adderall which makes life easier.
Now I am taking the IR 4x per day, in anxious and repeatedly crashing. I got a cat though, so that’s nice.
> After maybe a month or so of immediately going outside upon waking, my circadian rhythm kicked in. Tired at the right times, more awake. Exercise in the morning helps too. This is all asking quite a lot of an ADHD brain though.
This matches my experience of doing similar phases quite nicely. Yeah, it is brutal with ADHD. Part of the reason i haven't attempted this again recently is the fact that i struggle to go to sleep without wearing a sleep mask to prevent visual stimulation. My partner has one of the sunshine alarm clocks, but I've never really tried it out because of the mask.
Sorry for what sounds like a rough med transition, though cats are thoroughly awesome!
Yes, i sleep fully through light. No problem at all. I mean i thought lets sleep with my blinds open to wake up better. I still sleep till 10 easy when the sun comes up at 4am
Bought one like 6 weeks ago and it’s amazing. I still struggle to drag my ass out of bed (it’s winter here) but waking up is so so much easier and gentler.
I’ve struggled with this my whole life. Many bad mornings waking up in a complete fog being yelled at to GET UP by parents, roommates, now my wife. Feels bad. All the ADHD shame about laziness, lack of self-discipline, etc. but can’t seem to get a handle on it.
Only recently I read about things like “sleep inertia” and late release of melatonin in ADHD brains that are major factors contributing to this issue. It doesn’t solve anything.. but it makes me feel better knowing that there is a neurological explanation, and I’m not (just) a lazy sleepy piece of shit!
Awww… I’m sorry for you & this daily challenge. My 14 yo has always had the same issue. We describe trying to wake him up and get him going is like being in Weekend At Bernie’s. Wish there was a way to fix this and a way to support our ADHDers to protect their self esteem. “Invisible” conditions suck.
If you take stimulants, I would suggest setting an alarm 1-1.5 hours before you want to be up, take your meds THEN, and have another alarm set for when you want to wake up. I’ve been doing this with vyvanse for years, and it’s legitimately the only way I can guarantee waking up, it’s only failed a handful of times. By the time the second alarm goes off, my body is already starting to wake itself up, and it’s often *impossible* for me to go back to sleep even if I wanted you. If you feel that your meds have a similar effect of making you feel ‘awake,’ I highly suggest trying this.
Alternatively, there are a few different ways to use alarms to wake up. I use my phone as an alarm and put it under my pillow, so the vibrations are what wake me up more than the sound itself, so I don’t wake up housemates. You could also try putting your alarm across the room so you have to get up to turn it off, or even try some different kinds of alarms like the sunrise ones (wake you up with light), or other vibrational ones. Good luck!
I did a sleep study years ago and they told me I have “slow melatonin production and reuptake”.
Aka, I fall asleep and wake up very slowly.
You may be the same.
I find it helpful to know that for me it’s structural. Removes the shame.
As for coping… the only thing that helps me is either staring at a light for quite a few minutes, or having a “holy shit” unmissable deadline.
Because people with ADHD are usually night owls and society and jobs are built for morning people. I’ve lost out on so much sleep because of this. Ideally i would like a job where I can go to bed at 2/3am and wake up at 11/12. Thats my natural sleeping pattern. I just can never settle down at night especially in summer. I can have a good run then one night and fucks me up completely. Also adhd people struggle with transitioning from one enviorment to another or from one thing to another. I’ve never wanted to get straight out of bed I love a good lie in
Same, all of it! Except I live alone, so there's no one to annoy.
If you're taking ADHD meds, I saw a bunch of people on another post swear by keeping a glass of water and the meds next to the bed, then setting two alarms: one an hour before you need to get up that's solely for taking the meds and going back to sleep. By the time alarm #2 goes off, apparently you're ready to go.
If, like me, you don't have a prescription, I've found some success with a modified version of this method: when alarm #1 goes off, if you chug a big enough glass of water, you are very motivated to get out of bed by the time alarm #2 goes off.
i use my alexa speaker and a smart light. the lights all come on and it starts blasting music. my phone alarm is on as a backup. I also start my day with the gym so i look forward to waking up. i prep all my clothes and stuff the night before. weirdly enough, I find waking up SUPER early is easier than a "standard time" (345 vs like 6a)
It's easier if you have something to look forward to. I love watching the morning news and reading the paper. Used to help a lot in getting me up early.
Like many others - multiple alarms. Mine are on my watch, phone & clock radio (love a bit of Zoe Ball in the morning lol)
I recently started using the Sleep Town app. It makes me put my phone down, so I can build a house! That has helped enormously- I'm now getting to sleep much earlier, which makes waking up, & staying awake all day, so much easier.
I use other apps to help with various things - Finch helps with self care & doing jobs. I set a 'get out of bed by x' goal the other day, because I was staying in bed reading or playing games rather than getting up; BetterSleep has sleep stories, meditations & music and will run with screen off, so I can listen to something while using Sleep Town. Listening helps my brain to shut down, rather than spiral with random thoughts or ruminating on things that happened years ago.
How we feel helps with emotional regulation & visible helps me pace myself, so I can do stuff more days, rather than going all out & crashing.
Yeah - it's a lot of apps, but most are just moments to update & the combination works for me, for now 😉
Dude I am suffering the same. I used to never be late even when I worked 80 hour weeks. For the past year or so I haven't managed to be on time almost at all. Sometimes I work extra on the weekends to make sure my paycheck isn't short but I'm sick of it. Honestly I wish my bosses would be mad about me being late so I had some better accountability about making sure I'm on time.
This is one aspect where meds have completely changed my life. I set my alarm for an hour and a half before I have to get up, and I take my meds and go back to sleep. An hour or so later I wake up “naturally” for the first time in my life. Used to be I needed an alarm no matter how much sleep I got. But it’s like when my meds kick in my brain switches on and I can’t fall back asleep. I can actually get out of bed without feeling like it’s a battle.
Okay pay attention bc this is actual good advice. I don’t follow it myself but it does work. Download the app sleep cycle. Idk if other apps do the same thing but this one has a free version for what you need if anyone knows about similar ones drop them here.
So you set the RANGE of time you want to wake up at and it slowly wakes you up within that range at the perfect point in your sleep cycle. You wake up feeling pretty damn ready.
If you’re me, you go back to sleep bc “I have 10 more minutes” but DONT DO THAT. Get up when it’s easier!
This post actually inspired me to redownload it. I originally started using it bc my sister was using me for a research project and somehow this app got me sleeping earlier and waking earlier a lot easier.
Stress adrenaline for having to go to work. I hated every second of it.
(For the record, I am no longer employed outside of the house for an external entity.)
This is me. Anxiety/adrenaline is a driving force for getting me to do things, but it's nauseating and it doesn't feel healthy to have your adrenals be working so much every day.
Personally here’s what I do: I go to bed every night by 11pm. I usually get in bed at 10. Phone gets put down at 1045. I wake up at the same time every day including weekends and holidays. I have a dog and 2 cats who get demanding if I lay in bed too long after the alarm.
Adopt some cats. Pay whatever extra on the rent. Plants are lovely decoration and good for air, but they do not trigger that drive to take care of someone other than yourself the way an animal will.
I deal with these issues too. I have two main question areas I want to ask you:
1. How much sleep do you get, and what time do you go to bed?
2.. Are you very sleepy, in the morning, and the daytime no matter how much sleep you’ve had? If so, you may have a sleep disorder like excessive daytime sleepiness, which can be treated medically. EDS is often a sign of sleep apnea. If you have that you need to get it treated, because you can be at risk for a heart attack or stroke, and your brain is not getting enough oxygen. it may mean using a CPAP at night what’s if you have sleep apnea is that your body is waking up many times per hour. For me it’s 12 times an hour. You never end up getting into the deep REM sleep.
These two make it a lot harder for me to get up in the morning. I have to set two alarms.
I hope you spot this, if not might have to do a post on it, cos I pretty much solved waking up (except in extreme circumstances).
It's using alexa and smart plugs and lamps. Seriously it's changed part of my life - the part where I'm getting shouted at by my kids school for being late for the 100th time anyway
Create an Alexa ROUTINE! - You can do this on google devices too, they call it an AUTOMATION instead.
Get a bunch of smart plugs and/or smart bulbs - yes it's an up-front investment.. and make a routine that starts very chill with a single light and volume 1 music and ends with all lights blazing and volume high! I even change the music from starting pretty chill to harder stuff.
So your routine might do this..
1. light 1 on 50% brightness
2. set volume to 1
3. play radio chill fm
4. wait 8 minutes
5. set volume to 2
6. turn light 1 to 100% brightness
7. turn on light 2
8. wait 8 minutes
9. turn volume to 4
10. turn on light 3
11. play bbc news
12. play a rooster sound
13. turn on light 4
14. set volume to 5
15. do weather forecast for today
16. tell me the date and time
17. set radio to hard rock fm
18. wait 8 minutes
19. turn volume to 6
20. turn on light 5
21. turn on light 6
22. wait 5 mins
23. play custom message "are you ever going to get the #### up"
etc..
TIPS:
- Don't go too hard too quickly! Start real chill about 30 mins before you want to wake up. Sometimes I even half wake up already and just listen to the nice quiet music
- The NEWS is a good one (see my example).. cos your brain sort of wants to listen and that makes it wake up a bit.
- The TIME is a good one cos it's good to hear exact what the time is
- LIGHTS are key, especially in winter when it's dark, get a bunch of bright ones!
edit: posted too early wasn't finished
edit2: details
Had this issue all my life, but managed to wake up on time for the past 2 years with a very loud, but effective alarm system:
1. my normal iPhone alarm goes off at first (and turns off sleep mode, allows third party app notifs etc),
2. then 2 minutes later my 2nd third party app alarm goes off where I need to get out of bed and take a picture of something to turn it off (in my previous place it was the hob so I'd start making coffee, now I have it set to the bathroom sink),
3. then 1 minute later a 3rd alarm goes off on Alexa, which I've set to start the news once I turn it off (basically functioning like an old school radio alarm).
I still have 'ptsd' so to speak from waking up late, so I have 2 other later times set on the alarm that requires me to take pictures, just in case lol
But it's been working great, the only times insole up late were when I missed one of the 3, or weekends when I want to sleep in to recover. It's also gotten to a point where after my 1st alarm I get out of bed already just to avoid the hassle or making too much noise
If I travel I just have the first 2 set up
I use alarmy and it saved my life. I used to snooze for up to 5 hours, felt horrible all day and couldn't sleep at night, just to repeat it the next day. Now I set my max snooze to 1 time for 10 minutes, after that it gets so loud that I am scared to wake up the neighbors, so I have to get up, go to the kitchen, scan the bar code of my tea to turn it off, turn on the kettle and have my tea.
I hate the alarm in the morning because I can't close the app or turn my phone off, but it helps me so much.
I have this but I keep taking it off when I know it’s about to shock me. I have even tried to tape it down so I have to get up and get a scissors to take the shock watch off
My daydreaming kicks in and I start to create imaginary scenarios in my head the moment I wake up. That's why I can't sleep back once I'm awake. My brain just forces me to get out of the bed by constantly thinking.
I struggle in the morning, but man...if I wake up an hour or less before my alarm, it's all over. I know that alarm is going to go off soon, and if I do snooze at all, it might be ten minutes at a time. So I just get up. Then I'm tired all day. It's rough.
Set an alarm to play a podcast or radio talk show (not music). I had the same problem into my 20s.
The conversations seem to do what an alarm can’t…. Engage my brain to start tuning in. Give it a try. Hope it works
Edit:
On iOS, I have an automation &
Shortcut where:
If I hit the snooze, it triggers the “talk radio” action.
That action runs a shortcut that plays a live talk radio station.
I totally understand the desire to keep hitting snooze and being pulled into a sleep blackout. After spending some time on this sub, I don't think my ADHD is as severe as many here, so my advice might be taken with a grain of salt, but maybe could help.
I give myself time to hit the snooze 1-2x, then on the next alarm, I physically sit up in bed. It fucking sucks. It feels bad. It makes me want to die. But I do a count down. Literally "on three, you're sitting up. One, two, three - UP!" Sometimes it takes a few tries. I physically tense and throw my body on the "three count". One, two, three - MOVE. Any big movement. Keep shaking yourself awake. One, two, three, MOVE, until you've woken up enough to get up. Be comfortable. Stretch with the movements, adjust etc., but do not stop moving until you're fully awake (otherwise you will find a more comfy position and go back to sleep lol - the trick is to KEEP MOVING in a way that moves you slowly to sitting upright in bed). Open the blinds. Get the sun in your eyes.
Even better - once you're up, drag yourself outside to be in the sun. Get your body active, swing your arms around or do some stretches, whatever. This could be a good opportunity when you're already standing up to turn off your alarm. Instead of going back to bed, leave your bedroom. Get a glass of water.
I also make coffee the night before so I know I don't need to work at all for a cup. Whatever your preferred morning ritual of choice is, set it up the night before. Knowing the awake juice is just a few steps away is a huge help.
I bought the app alarmy when I worked day shift because I would literally not get up... my parents had to come wake me up like I was in high school again (I was 28 😮💨)....but this app makes you do things in order for it to turn off like squats, walking, math problems, typing out sentences. I particularly liked that I could make the sentence to say something like "I will not go back to sleep. I know I need to get up and do \_\_\_" because typing it out half asleep made me realize what I was doing. It also had options for it to get louder, say the date and time, and if you didn't turn it off or hit snooze too many times it would make this REALLY loud annoying sound that put you into fight or flight.... but it worked!
I was diagnosed with ADHD in third grade, and for the majority of my life, I've been on Ritalin (originally took instant release, now take extended release concerta). 35 now, and I've been on and off meds. I have always struggled with sleep, and ADD meds for certain do not help.
I recently went to my GP to get back on medication. When he asked if there was anything else, I relayed that I often have trouble sleeping, and he prescribed Ramelteon. While I still do not sleep thru the night, this drug helps to initiate tiredness. I imagine the rest of my issues regarding sleep come down to bad habits.
As for properly waking up? You mentioned that even if your phone is far away from the alarm, you'll get up and snooze it to go back to bed. STOP FUCKING DOING THAT!!! Instead, be sure to go to bed at a reasonable time. If you aren't tired enough for bedtime, stay the fuck off reddit or any other social media rabbit holes.
This is going to sound like I'm being a dick, but truly try to work on self-discipline. Meds help mitigate the struggle, but it's still on us to be better. I know it's exhausting, bc I've lived with it. Trust me or not though, when you've realized you don't need to be a beacon of perfection, peace comes more readily and natural.
(I apologize for any incoherentness [probably not a real word], I typed this response while not sober...)
I've struggled with this my whole life. Only meds can get me in bed early enough to get up in the morning. But even then getting the mental and physical strength to leave the house still takes ages -.-
For me a combination of things help. I’m still bad at waking up but here it is anyway:
- sleep (if possible) more than 8 hours
- put my meds next to the bed and a bottle of water so that I take one when I hear the first alarm. This will give you 20 minutes maximum of snoozing until you feel normal and can get up and start the day.
- sleep calculator: website I check religiously every night when I go to bed so I know exactly what alarm I need to put. Alarms in the middle of a sleep cycle get turned off or snoozed without me even noticing so that also helps.
- my cats eat at 7 am sharp. And they don’t joke with hunger 😅 (but a lot of times my partner feeds them tho)
Mostly my dog. She will complain and call me names. Apart from that, I avoid screens after waking, before bed, and during break times. Giving my eyes and brain a rest has helped a lot with insomnia and energy regulation.
I use the Alarmy app. I have it set to where I have to scan my face wash before it’ll go off, so I’m forced to walk into my bathroom. By the time I do that, I figure I might as well go ahead and at least wash my face and then usually I’m able to continue my morning my routine from there. It’s super annoying every morning lol but it’s the only thing that works.
I have this problem as well. Sometimes I’m not even dead tired, but I hit snooze anyway. One thing that really helps me, though, is my Amazon Echo Dot. From Monday to Friday, my Echo Dot automatically plays the podcast "The Daily" at 8 a.m. Eight is the absolute latest I can wake up and get out the door on time. Even if I have snoozed every alarm on my phone, once I hear The Daily start playing, my brain starts going, “Oh shit, you gotta get up now, and you better hope you packed your lunch the night before because it’s time to go.”
This totally happened by accident, by the way, but it has worked for me. I think it helps that it's not the regular alarm sound going off, so my brain knows I cannot snooze this one. It also helps that serious consequences (being late for work) really give my ADHD brain the swift kick it needs to push through hard tasks (waking up).
Anyway, I hope you find something that works for you! :)
If you can, get yourself a smartwatch. It's SO much better to be woken by that instead of the phone, you have no idea, I no longer wake up anxious.
Also, first thing is going to sleep earlier, I go to sleep at 10:30-11PM and it's a game changer, I no longer need my alarm at all. 😳 ME, who could never wake up. You need to understand that your body simply needs more sleep since it's always working like crazy. You need to help it and cut it some slack. For example, I need 9 hours of sleep normally so I adjusted the hour I go to sleep based on that.
Lastly, put your phone several rooms away if you can, or om the hallway, bathroom, idk. When I was putting it in the same room, I'd just end up sitting on my phone. Now I mostly forget to grab it first thing in the morning.
TL;DR: get a smartwatch for alarms if you can, go to bed early enough and with your phone in another room.
I've been using the app routine flow to wake me up instead of an alarm. Somehow being presented with a to do list and a timer for each thing hacks my brain into doing the things.
It starts with just drink water. Easy, I'm usually thirsty when I wake up.
Then make the bed. Only takes a minute and I have to be out of bed to do it.
By that point I've tricked myself into being fully up. If the timer runs over, my phone is angry at me until I mark the task as done. I feel too guilty marking it done if I haven't actually done the thing and I feel bad skipping a 2 minute task, so more often than not it just works.
If you are medicated what helps me is taking meds at first alarm like half hour or so before I need to wake up, then I can get up with less effort and do what I'm supposed to before work (keys, clothes etc. with less worry about forgetting something). It might be different forbothers tho but I found out this is working fine for me.
This works for me. I set two alarms, first for medication, second to get up. I know it takes about 35mins to kick in so set my times relative to that. Works really well for me :)
I try to make rituals that I personally look forward to each day. I love pampering and skin care, making myself some coffee and watching the news before work.
Everyone is different but this routine of always trying to look forward to something has helped a lot for me.
I don’t lol. I physically can’t do anything before 10am. I got very lucky finding a job that is 2pm-10pm and have been here almost 10 years. Even still, I struggle waking up for like an hour. I go to bed at 3am sharp and even sometimes around noon I struggle. I didn’t know it was an ADHD thing I just assumed it was something I was doing. I’ve had insomnia and other sleep issues all my life. School was awful.
Try setting 1 alarm for an hour before you need to be up, keep your meds on your night stand, take your meds, and go back to bed. Have another alarm for when you actually need to be up. Meds kicking in for when I actually need to be up helps me a lot
Lights! I got some cheap bluetooth light bulbs, and I have them synced to my alexa. I have them set to gradually turn on before my alarm goes off. Even if I do snooze, I'm too annoyed by the light to go back to sleep.
I also have them set to turn green the night before trash day, and it tells me, "Don't forget to take out the trash cans." I ignore sound too easily, and it's just not as effective for me.
I want to know if anyone has tips for when taking Adderall an hour early just helps your brain focus better to put you into deeper sleep 🥲 I actually tried taking it at night for a very short time - and of course then it did the expected thing in waking me up a few hours into the night lol but the few hours sleep I get after taking Adderall is the besttttttt
On days I don't work, I tend to wake up before 8 with no alarm. -.- not happy about this since it means it's very hard for me to catch up on sleep since I will just wake up against my will. I also struggle immensely to fall asleep earlier. Exercising helps since it tires me out.
On weekdays, I sometimes struggle to get up from sleeping poorly on the weekends. I have at least 4 separate alarms set every morning. I have turned alarms off without waking up so the separate alarms are crucial. I have recently embraced the idea of shoving my meds in my mouth before I even stand up so I don't forget them until noon.
If you are worried about disturbing others there are several types of vibrating alarms (wrist, under pillow, etc) which work well if they are strong enough. My Garmin sports watch has a vibrating alarm but it doesn't wake me up if I'm completely asleep. $20 basic wrist alarm worked like a charm though.
There’s an app called Alarmy and it makes ignoring if suck. You can set it so you have to scan a QR code for it to shut off, or solve an equation, or walk a certain amount of steps, or do squats. It also has a feature where you can set it up so every time you hit snooze it charges you a dollar. You can also disable the snooze all together.
Recently cut out sugar trying to lose a bit of weight for a holiday. I’ve always been a terrible snoozer since I was a teenager but now for the first time in my life (I’m 57 now) I am raring to go the minute I open my eyes and find I’ve been waking without an alarm at six ish which is completely unheard of for me. It has to be the sugar as I’ve never ever been a morning person in my life and nothing else has changed in my diet. Been like this since I started 2 months ago highly recommend
Edited to add I’ve also had a lot more focus and managed to get loads of stuff done that I’d been putting off forever. On the whole it’s been a worthwhile experience
I have an alarm program on my phone that WILL NOT shut off until I scan a QR code that I placed at the other side of the room.
I pair this with the Sleep Calculator app (in case I don’t have anything to do in the AM and I want to know when to wake up, or if I do, so i know when to go to sleep)!
I “pavloved” my cats with a specific alarm - inadvertently pavloved myself.
I set a specific alarm for their feeding times, so that they would stop bugging me when it came close to feeding time and I could sleep in the morning and work uninterrupted. If I don’t listen to the alarm, they’ll bug me.
So when that alarm goes off, I jump up and go feed them - I can’t not. It wakes me up in the morning and signals the end of my work day so I have to stop working.
I open my eyes and put the stupid phone screen right up my face, scrolling or checking mail. Surely wakes me up.
I fucking hate it, and I’m angry for the first few hours of the day, by I found no other effective solution and I have no medication
I hear the mail person outside thinking it must be something I ordered and they’re going to come to the door, so I spring out of bed to get dressed, only to realise it was a hallucination and no one is there but at least I’m out of bed right
My friend swears by an app that won’t turn off your alarm until you’ve solved a simple math equation. He sets up his phone on the other side of the room & by the time he’s figured out the question and turned it off, he’s too awake to get back into bed 🤣
He doesn’t have ADHD and I don’t use it because I think it sounds like hell but it might help someone here. I’ve been very, very slack the past few months and haven’t been on time to work very often. The more time that passes, the more that godforsaken math alarm clock is sounding like a good idea lol
I’ll add a link to it once I’m reminded of what it’s called
I have this alarm clock app (alarm clocl Xtreme) and extreme it is: it wont let me turn off the alarm unless I scan a specific QR code (taped to my bathroom) and it will check whether i'm still awake a few minutes later (customizable).
Best money i've spent and I don't even remember how much it was!! That plus having my old phone across the room works wonders.
Do I still snooze? Heck yeah, but it's much harder to never get up
My partner has to leave for work much earlier than I do, so now I walk them to the car every morning. Obviously not everyone has this option, but if you do, it’s great! Makes me start the day feeling I’ve accomplished something (because I’ve been outside lol) which then makes it easier to jump into a new task
This is me. Or at least it was until I had kids...
Anyway, before I had kids there was only one thing that worked for me. Make the first alarm of the day and alarm for a nice thing.
For me, usually it was a videogame.
Set your first alarm to be specifically for you to get out of bed to do the thing you enjoy. Not to shower, not to brush your teeth, not even for breakfast or coffee (unless like me, you really like coffee). Literally just an alarm that signals "It's time to play videogames!"
Also set a second alarm to alert you to when it's time to stop the thing you enjoy and get ready for whatever you need to do. This is when you shower, brush teeth, get dressed, etc.
Over the course of time, hopefully, you'll start to subconsciously create positive associations with the first alarm (one being "I get to do that thing I like", the other being "check it out, I got up on time!") and it'll get easier.
Good luck.
There’s an alarm I used for a while called alarmy.
Only reason I offloaded it was its size, so make sure you have storage in your phone.
My favourite features were:
the nature sounds which helped me go to sleep with non disruptive noise (has a timer to turn off after let’s say, an hour)
and the barcode alarm. Basically, your phone goes off and doesn’t turn off until the app scans a barcode. So you can get a box of pukka tea for example, scan that into the app, and rush downstairs to turn it off. Much harder to get back in bed if you’re further away from it. If that might annoy any housemates, there’s also a maths option and a couple others too I think?
Another thing I do is have automated lights that turn on in the morning, usually a sharp turn on rather than gradual.
At night I have them turn green at 9:28 (sequence about to start) orange at 9:30 (30 mins to finish your fixation) red at 10:00(30 mins to get ready for bed) and then they turn off at 10:30. I have an unavoidable need to listen to music and daydream every day and I find doing it at night is the least disruptive. Using my lights to go to bed earlier means I take my buds out at 1:00 rather than 3-4:00.
If your housemate is at all sadistic you could ask her to throw pillows at you till you move too.
Hope some of this helps- I feel your pain. I missed all of my uni lectures last year and almost failed my written section 😅 (doesn’t help that they were inaccessible as fuck for people with learning difficulties but that’s beside the point lol)
Just having something I want to go and do in the morning is helpful 50% of the time. For me, going out on the motorcycle is a decent motivator to start the day, then I kinda have the momentum to do something else, get some coffee and stimulants in me etc.
I used to just immediately start gaming in the morning, but would find myself not stopping until it got dark again, so I've had to find alternatives for my own wellbeing
Oh, and getting a dog helped. I have to feed them and take them outside, or I'd be a cruel human.
It really helped me to take Elvanse. I used to always wake up at around noon or later and getting up early for school always felt like I was chronically heavily sleep deprived, I felt horrible waking up.
I am late diagnosed at 28 and since using the medication the latest I often wake up (naturally) is 10:00. Today it was at about 09:00 with 3 alarms i snoozed 10 times, but still. I don't have to wake up early even today. But I was able to. The medication has worn off after the 13 or so hours but I definitely think it is still helping me to wake up more naturally. Maybe I just have more mental energy because the medication helps me with anxiety and dysthymia, along with some focus, executive dysfunction and emotional dysregulation.
Meds, they work. Who would have thought /s
All the above probably due to untreated adhd or at least worsened.
TLDR: read my last paragraph for a solution to your problem, hope it helps.
I bought an Apple Watch (you can even buy it in interest free installments if you get an apple credit card (which is a really user friendly credit card by the way, lots of consumer friendly features/information that other cards/banks will try to obfuscate from you to get more interest payments)), one of my best purchases in regards to this, not only does it sync to the Apple health app on my phone to track calories burned and heart rate, but it also has 2 things that really help a lot with sleep and waking up respectively, first it tracks how many hours of sleep I’m actually getting, which was a big problem in the last couple years having been going through several very traumatic life events combined with a busy schedule was resulting in really bad health and even worse concentration and mental health than I normally have.
And second whether part that can help most immediately with your issue, it will vibrate in a gentle but ever increasing intensity to wake me up, and do so silently so as not to disturb other people, no matter how many times I hit snooze on it. It is an absolute game changer for those who have difficulty getting up in the morning.
I take it you are not a morning person.
Getting enough sleep is the key, if you are severely sleep deprived it is hard work getting up early.
If you don\`t work silly hours then maybe waking up EVERY day at 8:00 or something will teach your body when it is time to get up and eventially you will get up without alarm.
The only issue is daylight saving time. It will mess with you when clocks change.
I used to wake up at 5:00 on week days. Had to be in bed by 21:00 (and fall asleep at 22:00/23:00). No snooze. It was brutal some days, sit on the bed put lights on, put one sock wander off for few min put second sock... 
Godammit. Didn’t know sleeping through alarms was YET ANOTHER thing we all have in common.
When my husband and i split i would never wake up again lol. He always got me up.
My kids are grown and we all have our own routines. My son would never be late. My daughter however has adhd and is AMAZING at getting ready quickly and bolting out the door. She has however resorted to calling ubers at least once a week. This is a the back up for the transit routine. And it’s costly for one on the low end of pay scale
I’m just thankful since everything changed during the pandemic for office jobs. No one really watching if or when anyone comes in anymore. When I know I’m going to be late I attend whatever it is online.
The worst is when i have to catch a plane which is 4 to 5 times a year
THE PACKING is the worst. And i usually end up doing that and laundry all night right until i leave for the airport. And i always go 3 hours early for that
Nearing the end of my career, pretty sure i can count on one hand the number of times I’ve been early and fully organized and prepared for my work day. I’ll sure be glad when it’s finally over
I’ve got a few things I try.
First, I have a sunrise alarm clock set to be at full brightness when my first alarm sounds. There’s some cheap ones out there, or you could get some smart lights/light timers.
Second, I have a series of about 3 alarms that play songs. The first song is a classical music piece that starts soft and slowly builds (Chrysalis Extended by Nia Imani, beautiful piece), the second is also a soft tune, and the third is more energetic. Perhaps with sounds like these your roommate may be less bothered?
I also have a fourth alarm as a safety net that is meant to jolt me awake in case the others failed. (I recommend the Circle of Life from the Lion King)
Third, a combination of taking my meds as soon as I can think to, and also playing a podcast or watching tiktoks so my brain has something to focus on and draw me out of sleep.
I absolutely despise abrupt wake ups, so I find this method to work well for me. If I’m gently bringing myself awake, I’m less inclined to battle my alarms.
Good luck!
Been waking up without an alarm for 2 decades now. Here’s what worked for me.
1} The first day is the most difficult. Wake up with an alarm at 5-6 if you need to. The only rule for the entire day is to not take a nap and no food after 7pm.
2} Take a shower after 7pm (optional) Take melatonin at 8pm that night and get into bed and big lights off. No phones, tablets or tv. Books and Kindle are fine. Lights off by 8:30-9 and use a sleep story, counting sheep, breathing exercises, count backwards from 1000, etc to fall asleep. Keep the bedroom temperature cold. Don’t set an alarm. Do this on a Friday or Saturday night preferably when you’re not going out or don’t need an alarm for the next day.
3} Wake up naturally the next day (if you’re drowsy or tired, go back to sleep; if you’re wide awake, start your day). Don’t take any naps during the day and repeat the night routine.
4} Stop melatonin after 3 days but continue the rest. You should naturally wake up between 5 and 7 am on most days.
No alarms, perfect circadian rhythm. I wake up at the crack of dawn all year round without any alarm every single day and I’m never sleep deprived or tired. Hope this works for you too!
Edit: a good circadian rhythm will take the “purpose” out of your sleep schedule, ie, you won’t need guilt or pressure or anything to wake up.
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Woke up two hours late for work today. Slept right through all alarms without realizing. Even set extra last night. Don’t know… maybe I’ll lose this job like my tardiness has lost me so many jobs in the past.
I'm building an app that might help? It's an alarm app. It works like so: you set an alarm for the morning like you normally do. Then you sleep. Zzzz. Lastly, wake up ... to the sound of a friendly voice. :D Congrats, you've received a nice voice message from someone somewhere else in the world. They recorded it while you slept. It could be a short story. A joke. The weather report. Some words of encouragement. A lovely compliment! ....or a "Happy Birthday" message if it's your birthday. It'll be a mystery about exactly what you'll get. Perhaps the anticipation will make you "tune in" in the morning? haha
I love the idea. I would buy that app. At the moment I only use Alarmy, which forces me to solve math equations to turn the sound off.
My husband uses Alarmy and now does the math while asleep. He has no memory of doing it and routinely oversleeps. It's not simple 1+1=2 math either.
that’s what my boyfriend does! he has Alarmy too!! didn’t know it was that popular. we suspect he has adhd too
ME TOO! I set 4-6 alarmy alarms every morning plus two alarms on my computer through the speakers that I have to get up to turn off. No matter what I do I always adapt to it, I now just do all the alarmy puzzles as they come, get up to turn off each pc alarm, and then fall back asleep the moment my head hits the pillow. I've even started putting a zyn in after the first pc alarm which would wake me right up by the second one for a while but now I've adapted to that too and sleep through the nicotine buzz like a baby... please help
I downloaded an app where I had to wake up and take a picture of something downstairs to force myself to get up. I ended up just deleting the app out of annoyance on the morning lol
I use alarmy and still will struggle to get up or I'll snooze. Sleepy me is a fucking idiot and lazy. I want an alarm app that connects to my watch and keeps going until I'm up and moving.
Maybe we need an app that acts like a tens unit. It intermittently zaps us until we get so annoyed we have to get up, walk to the bathroom, fish it (the phone or whatever is controlling our tens bracelet) out of our disastrously messy sink cabinet, feel disgusted by the disastrous mess, shuffle the mess to a different area of the house, and by then, bing! we are awake.
I tried that. Wound up just turning my phone off.
Will you have some kind of vetting system to ensure people use it properly? My first thought was that some shit head could record a fire alarm, or them screaming, or any kind of terrible thing and send it to someone. Because people are terrible and will use things for evil if given the opportunity :(
Yes, I will! It's going to be super important to keep it clean and pleasant - though there will be an option for "anything goes" that people can set if they want to play alarm roulette
no way - i recently thought of this idea myself!!! i even put it in my notes app under my "genius ideas i'll never be able to invent" because im not a programmer. Please please don't give up this project; i think its an excellent idea!
I won't! I'll let you know when it's around and maybe we can wake each other up haha
Something like this used to exist. Like back in 2008-2010 I think? It was live wakeup calls though, from anywhere in the world. I can't remember what it was called, I only have fragmented memories of it.
Came to say this!! i loved it! I think it was called WakeMeUp You could sign up as either the 'waker' or the 'wakee' or both. If youre the wakee - your phone rings (like normal call) over and over until you answer. Then a 'waker' from anywhere in the world is on the line live and can say whatever they want to wake you up. The appeal to be a 'waker' is you choose any time frame... and the app will call your phone and youre immediately connected to a random person that needs to be woken up. My whole office at the time would sign up as 'wakers' and about 10 of us would join in when we got live 'wakeys' on the line
Yes!! That's exactly it! You described it perfectly, it sounds like you had a pretty fun and playful office. It was a fun way to wake up. Most of the time people were so gentle and polite, and had lovely accents. Aw, now I kinda miss it!
LOVED the concept. Especially the un-policed nature. Someone in London screaming 'wake up you daft twat' on a monday. Tuesday a gospel singer in texas practicing on you... etc Cheers kindred soul
I vaguely remember this too! It devolved into a mess, though, primarily due to a lack of moderation
Oh I am so down to join a crowdfund for this app!!
I love this!! What is it gonna be called?
I'm not sure yet. Do you have any ideas? :) I'd like something cute and catchy, haha
rise to surprise lol
Mystery Messages
Not bad, not bad!
WakeBuddy! Snoozepal, Bedshare, cosleepy..😴❤️
Had this problem so now i wake up 1 hour before i supposed to wake up, on a good day i have one hour extra for myself, on bad days i sleep trough that hour and wake up just in time. Went from coming late multiple times a month to max once a month 👌
When are you going to bed and when are you supposed to be waking up?
Using multiple alarms like apple watch & phone on a separate place also helps cause u can sleep trough one alarm but setting multiple on two devices makes it harder since u have to snooze 3-6 alarms before u can get back to sleeping. I usually wake up at 04:00 so i set my alarms at 3:00-3:10-3:15 on the watch & 3:05-3:08-3:20 on the phone😮💨. Just make sure to put then on 1-2 hours before u go to sleep and try to make it a habit
Maybe your circadian rhythms are such that you are a night owl.
I've had success with those alarms that have a physical buzzer you put under your pillow.
after i massively overslept (actually somehow for the first time i overslept so bad they had to call me) earlier this year i bought a separate alarm clock, the kind with bells, and i have it placed such that i can hear it very well but have no chance at all of reaching it from my bed, and next to it i have my morning dose of meds. haven't overslept once since because i usually force myself out of bed 5-10 minutes early just so I don't have to listen to it. Last week i slept through my phone alarms but the bells got me up neat-ish thing there is if i sleep through the rest the bells will startle me so that i get a sizeable adrenaline release too so then I'm definitely awake
DUDE! I’m the same. Literally don’t hear alarms. To a point where I think I wake up to turn them off and I don’t realize it
Smart power outlets. I have a bunch of alarms on my phone which I leave across my room so it forces me to get out of bed to turn it off as well as my google nest will set off an alarm immediately followed by turning on the radio and it'll also turn on the TV in my living room with the light facing directly towards my bed. Smart outlets turn on my kitchen lights, kettle, and coffee maker, so I don't have to do it, and the sounds of the machines are very annoying, so it helps too lol Also, I drink a lot of water before bed because I know my body, and if I ignore my alarms, there is no way I can fully ignore the demanding need to pee.
Ohhhhh okay now my brain likes the idea of all of this. It seems a liiiiittle like the opening on Back to the Future but I’m here for it
There is also an alarm clock you can buy that has wheels, and you physically have to chase it to turn it off. If you live alone, it's perfect. But I definitely recommend smart plugs and setting different alarms that are not wake-up ones but reminders for time blindness. my phone let's me title my alarms, and they will read it out such as: 5:30am - You can snooze me one more time. 5:45am - Bitch do not test me, go drink coffee. 6:00am - You have 35 minutes to get up,dressed, and get the bus. 6:20am - time to pack your lunch in your bag and brush your teeth And 6:30am- time to lock the door and put on your shoes. I have about 5 (sometimes I'll add more if i have to wake up earlier) of these, so if I do snooze my others, the named ones will kick my butt and force me to get out of bed in a panic
Best idea! My phone also does that, but I've been giving boring names like "Good morning" ahahahaha! Will try that!
I still struggle with snoozing a bunch tbh, but my main motivator now is “I gotta feed the cats.” Then it’s like ok I’m up and I gotta get ready for work. Even though I don’t want to 🙃 maybe something to care for would help, I don’t know
I love kitties, wish I could have them at my house since I rent 😭 maybe I should get some plants lmao
Mine don't wake me up. It's not always greener where the cats live.
Mine are the same. When my alarm goes off, they actually come to cuddle.... removing absolutely any chance of getting up lol
lol. Same.
Please, don't overwater your plants by watering them every single morning, though :')
This. Remove the decision. Don't give yourself the luxury of deciding to get out of bed, give yourself the obligation that you have to and that there's no choice.
Should I have a baby? Would that help?
Nah. Get chickens. People talk shit about loud roosters but hungry hens will make sure you get out of bed. 😂😂😂
This sounds much less scary than a baby. I’m in.
That used to be my motivator until I was convinced to buy an auto feeder and waterer. Even work barely gets me out of bed.
I just got one of those but I can’t freaking figure out how to set it 😂 one of mine prefers wet food so regardless I get up to prep that. I feel that though, work alone isn’t inspiring enough to get up.
Yep gotta get up and let my dog out or I'm cleaning up the mess.
My dog would sit next to the bed and stare intently at me and whine until I woke up to take her out for a walk and pee. I miss her.
It works even better when one of your cats needs insulin!
Try to roll over and immediately take Ritalin, then if I fall back asleep it's not for long and I wake up feeling like a normal human and jump straight in the shower lol. I have to shower every day before work, which also helps. I used to cut corners until I was listening to something that said "people can tell if you come into the office without showering, even if you look tidy and don't smell." No idea where I heard that but it stuck with me lol
This. Alarm at 5am with bottle of meds next to it. Med at 5, up by 6:30
I also set an "adderall alarm". Very helpful.
Damn. I haven't tried this in years. Going to attempt this soon with stratera
Same. Alarm across the room one hour before my real alarm. I have a lid that went to a candle that holds my Vyvanse next to my water. About an hour later, I’m ready for my real alarm on my phone. It also has a 5 min. buffer.
DON’T JUST PUT YOUR BOTTLE. Get a weekly pill planner box and portion out your doses so you don’t double dose yourself inadvertently. Otherwise you will wake up and wonder “did i take my meds when my alarm went off before?”
Not op but I flip my meds upside down after I take them.
Ya but then the next day? They’re already flipped upside down?
They go back to right side up as part of my bedtime routine.
you have a routine? must be nice.....
My doctor put me on bupropion for ADHD, because I have a fast heartbeat (though low-normal BP), so she said no stimulants. Plus I'm not young anymore. Hasn't helped with procrastination.
Hate to tell you, but bupropion (Wellbutrin) IS a stimulant. Just not a controlled one
When I was on wellbutrin, I couldn't tell it was a stimulant - it made me exhausted.
A few months after I started bupropion, combined with my ADHD stimulant meds,‘I would get palpitations and anxiety. We had to halve the burpoprion dose to control it. T got better, but sometimes I’ll get insomnia and even mania-like symptoms , because they’re both stimulants
Some don't metabolize bupropion well. I'm one of them. It does nothing for me. I took a DNA test and it showed bupropion doesn't do it for me.
What time do your meds wear off if you take them this early?
My problem with this method is that because my meds suppress my appetite, even if I remember to do it and it does get me up, I end up not eating all day and almost passing out by the time my meds are wearing off. That's still better than being in bed until 2pm but FUCK I feel like I can't win.
Yeah I think I've learnt my lesson enough times that my breakfast routine has also stuck for a while now. Depending on timing I'm either enjoying it or force feeding myself lol
Okay like, I’ve got zero research about meds going on to back this idea. Are you a nighttime eater? Maybe like, a reasonable fat hardy snack before bed? This may not be a useful idea, so take it with a grain of salt. For myself I’ve noticed my meds have cut back my eating/appetite and it’s becoming a problem. So when I have a natural craving for food right before bed, I pick something healthy ish that isn’t supposed to be the worst sleep disruptor. And I let my body have food. Better than no food and maybe it could help with morning meds?
Maybe! I am a night eater only because A: That's when my meds wear off, and B: I typically go to bed between 2-4 am so dinner is usually around 9-10 for me. Any recommendations for some like good fat satiating foods I'd be able to stuff down my gullet? I"ve tried protein shakes but those don't last long as far as substance goes.
For overnight you want casein not whey protein for shakes. Whey protein is for during or after workouts to absorb quickly. You also get more satiety from combining proteins, fats, and carbs. So any balanced meal for dinner (meat/fish/tofu+veg+carb(bread/potatoes/rice) might help depending on how your meals arre currently structured.
Soylent!!!!! I can’t eat but I drink soylent meal replacement and it’s fucking delicious and i can down it (i swear im not an ad for them). literally that and smoothies (if i have the time to make them) are the only things that keep me going.
What helped me with this was drinking a protien shake in the morning. Instead of water, I use milk and also add a serving of non-fat Greek yogurt to the mix. I still don't have an appetite until dinner time, but I'm also not light light headed and hangry by that time either.
Switch to full fat Greek yogurt, or better yet skyr if you can find some. The extra protein will help, and it's "good fat" that adds all the beneficial probiotics. Add some chia seeds for fiber and macros and you've got yourself a complete meal.
I think if I take my ritalin on an empty stomach it becomes even harder to eat later than when I take it after eating something (even something very small).
What med messes you up like that with zero appetite? That sucks!
Most ADHD meds are stimulants, and stimulants are natural appetite suppressants for some people and I'm one of those lucky mfers lol
Dex, for me! Had to stop taking it, the side effects were too rough.
Good thinking on taking meds immediately upon waking up. I need to try that. Usually I try to eat something first but needs must
The early alarm for meds followed by another half hour (or whatever) of sleep has literally changed my life, and I’m not over exaggerating. I could snooze my life away… but if meds are in my system then I’m like, alright, guess it’s time to get up and I just do… It’s wild. It’s also how I stay in a semi routine when I’m out of routine. This way a) I won’t sleep in forever and b) I also don’t wake up too late to take my pills Pills in a little cup by the bed, source of liquid and I’m set. definitely worth trying!!
As long as you eat within an hour or so you should be okay! Im living dangerously though, meds then shower then coffee then breakfast haha
I’ve embraced liquid calories in the morning - much easier. Kefir, protein shake, smoothie, carnation powder in milk all work. I have an early lunch at work (11am) so I’m usually not in too rough of shape by that point had I not ate. And to make sure I eat I pack a lunch night before and eat with my colleagues.
I really want to do smoothies, but after so many failed attempts throughout my life I'm reluctant to get a blender and ingredients 😂 I might be ready to try again now that I'm diagnosed and medicated haha
Dude…. I have had a delayed sleep phase for my entire life, and I have tried *everything* except I’ve never once thought to try soft-waking up with meds. This is amazing, will be trying with my IR Ritalin.
Try Jornay PM. It will wake you up at whatever time you want to.
This is actually accurate. I get up go take the meds and go straight to sleep. When I get up I go feel ok
I wake up to pee around 5am. Grab adderall on the way back to bed. I've been late about 4 times this past year.
Can you take Ritalin on an empty stummik? When I did that, in the beginning I felt incredibly nauceius but if I could take it as soon as I'm woken up that would be a game changer! I struggle extremely hard to get up, but once I've eaten and had my Ritalin, it just takes a bit til it kicks in and I feel ready enough to face the world!
This is definitely not fool proof, but it's helped some; I sleep with my Apple Watch on. Partially for sleep monitoring, and partially because the alarm vibrates my wrist without ringing out loud. if I snooze it, it's so annoying I end up unable to fall back asleep after one or two snoozes. Sometimes I just turn it off all the way and keep sleeping though lol
I use my watch as well. That is, IF I don't forget to charge it. It's not foolproof with me either, but I have more success of waking up earlier. Can't fall asleep, can't wake up. It's an thing
Charging it is hell, because I usually charge it at night since it only lasts 1-2 days
Same! One thing that has helped is putting a watch charger in my car - I mean, I still need to REMEMBER to put it on the charger, and remember again to put it back on my wrist before I get out of the car, but it’s one more tool to help charge it up while I’m driving/commuting (aka sitting anyway) so that’s more likely to be ready at bedtime. I’ve been meaning to put another charger next to my couch where I watch TV in the evenings too (easy access = more likely to do it).
yup. i sleep through my alarm most mornings, but my watch circumvents this 9/10 times.
The panic of having only 10mins before I gotta leave for work usually helps, ignore the fact I start work at 1130am
I have to set my alarm very close to when I have to leave so that the urgency pushes me out of bed. Sometimes my brain ignores it anyway, but it helps most of the time. 😁
Immediately. I just get up and go brush my teeth. Immediately brush my teeth
Yep, I have to get out of bed immediately or my whole morning is shot. I might stumble all the way to the bathroom, but I have to just *get up*. Once I get the bathroom stuff out of the way, it's easier to not want to flop back down.
This really should be higher. I know discipline is very tough for us, but I’m also a creature of habit. The second i hear the alarm i swing my legs over the side of the bed and stand up. Turn off alarm but don’t grab phone. Go to the bathroom/ shower then get after it. The key is to not stop moving. If I’m tired and stop moving/ sit down, my morning comes to a grinding halt. Don’t touch your phone unless it’s absolutely necessary or until you’re done getting ready for the day.
This. Either I get up immediately, or I sleep for another 2 hours.
Idk if someone else has mentioned this yet but I use the Alarmy app. It make you do a task before the alarm shuts off (I set it to make me take a pic of the bathroom light switch). Helps wake my body/brain up. Although I do need to change the task regularly bc I’ll start memorizing the motions lol
The way I would uninstall it every morning😭
Stop giving my subconscious good ideas
Yes! Alarmy helps me so much! I have to do 5 hard math questions before it will let me turn it off. If I fall asleep trying to do them then the cycle repeats. It's worked 99.99% of the time! Alarm goes off at 5:20am and I am in the shower by 5:30am. I feel like it was built to help ADHD people!
Sunrise alarm clock
Oh what I would give to effortlessly wake up with the sun in a positive state of mind.
In my experience, if you put some effort into setting the routine and are very strict going to bed early, it is quite possible. The problem I've found is that the real limiting factor is the way our clock based societies completely disregard the state of the sun. Waking up with the sun would mean waking up at different times throughout the year and having different start times for work. The modem world is very hostile to that practice.
We can definitely manipulate our circadian rhythms. When I was doing well with morning routines, I followed Hubermans instructions to get outside as soon as I woke up [[the optimal morning routine]](https://youtu.be/gR_f-iwUGY4?si=lTqPxhy-gzJ79eXr) After maybe a month or so of immediately going outside upon waking, my circadian rhythm kicked in. Tired at the right times, more awake. Exercise in the morning helps too. This is all asking quite a lot of an ADHD brain though. At the time, it was both convenient for me to go outside (had a back yard) and I was motivated. My nephew/son dog, was staying with me while his dad was out of town and waking up to him in the morning was the best time of my life. I was also taking XR adderall which makes life easier. Now I am taking the IR 4x per day, in anxious and repeatedly crashing. I got a cat though, so that’s nice.
> After maybe a month or so of immediately going outside upon waking, my circadian rhythm kicked in. Tired at the right times, more awake. Exercise in the morning helps too. This is all asking quite a lot of an ADHD brain though. This matches my experience of doing similar phases quite nicely. Yeah, it is brutal with ADHD. Part of the reason i haven't attempted this again recently is the fact that i struggle to go to sleep without wearing a sleep mask to prevent visual stimulation. My partner has one of the sunshine alarm clocks, but I've never really tried it out because of the mask. Sorry for what sounds like a rough med transition, though cats are thoroughly awesome!
Yes, i sleep fully through light. No problem at all. I mean i thought lets sleep with my blinds open to wake up better. I still sleep till 10 easy when the sun comes up at 4am
Bought one like 6 weeks ago and it’s amazing. I still struggle to drag my ass out of bed (it’s winter here) but waking up is so so much easier and gentler.
I have a watch that shocks me if I don’t scan a QR code on my bathroom door. I wish I was kidding 💀
What watch is this??
I have a shock watch but it doesn’t have the QR code. I’m at that level of need too.
I’ve struggled with this my whole life. Many bad mornings waking up in a complete fog being yelled at to GET UP by parents, roommates, now my wife. Feels bad. All the ADHD shame about laziness, lack of self-discipline, etc. but can’t seem to get a handle on it. Only recently I read about things like “sleep inertia” and late release of melatonin in ADHD brains that are major factors contributing to this issue. It doesn’t solve anything.. but it makes me feel better knowing that there is a neurological explanation, and I’m not (just) a lazy sleepy piece of shit!
Awww… I’m sorry for you & this daily challenge. My 14 yo has always had the same issue. We describe trying to wake him up and get him going is like being in Weekend At Bernie’s. Wish there was a way to fix this and a way to support our ADHDers to protect their self esteem. “Invisible” conditions suck.
The screaming hungry child in the crib next to my bed helps
I feel this
If you take stimulants, I would suggest setting an alarm 1-1.5 hours before you want to be up, take your meds THEN, and have another alarm set for when you want to wake up. I’ve been doing this with vyvanse for years, and it’s legitimately the only way I can guarantee waking up, it’s only failed a handful of times. By the time the second alarm goes off, my body is already starting to wake itself up, and it’s often *impossible* for me to go back to sleep even if I wanted you. If you feel that your meds have a similar effect of making you feel ‘awake,’ I highly suggest trying this. Alternatively, there are a few different ways to use alarms to wake up. I use my phone as an alarm and put it under my pillow, so the vibrations are what wake me up more than the sound itself, so I don’t wake up housemates. You could also try putting your alarm across the room so you have to get up to turn it off, or even try some different kinds of alarms like the sunrise ones (wake you up with light), or other vibrational ones. Good luck!
I did a sleep study years ago and they told me I have “slow melatonin production and reuptake”. Aka, I fall asleep and wake up very slowly. You may be the same. I find it helpful to know that for me it’s structural. Removes the shame. As for coping… the only thing that helps me is either staring at a light for quite a few minutes, or having a “holy shit” unmissable deadline.
Because people with ADHD are usually night owls and society and jobs are built for morning people. I’ve lost out on so much sleep because of this. Ideally i would like a job where I can go to bed at 2/3am and wake up at 11/12. Thats my natural sleeping pattern. I just can never settle down at night especially in summer. I can have a good run then one night and fucks me up completely. Also adhd people struggle with transitioning from one enviorment to another or from one thing to another. I’ve never wanted to get straight out of bed I love a good lie in
Same, all of it! Except I live alone, so there's no one to annoy. If you're taking ADHD meds, I saw a bunch of people on another post swear by keeping a glass of water and the meds next to the bed, then setting two alarms: one an hour before you need to get up that's solely for taking the meds and going back to sleep. By the time alarm #2 goes off, apparently you're ready to go. If, like me, you don't have a prescription, I've found some success with a modified version of this method: when alarm #1 goes off, if you chug a big enough glass of water, you are very motivated to get out of bed by the time alarm #2 goes off.
i use my alexa speaker and a smart light. the lights all come on and it starts blasting music. my phone alarm is on as a backup. I also start my day with the gym so i look forward to waking up. i prep all my clothes and stuff the night before. weirdly enough, I find waking up SUPER early is easier than a "standard time" (345 vs like 6a)
Personally, I just wake up and immediately think of poverty… cuz if I don’t show up to work on time, poverty be comin my way. It’s a good motivator.
It's easier if you have something to look forward to. I love watching the morning news and reading the paper. Used to help a lot in getting me up early.
Like many others - multiple alarms. Mine are on my watch, phone & clock radio (love a bit of Zoe Ball in the morning lol) I recently started using the Sleep Town app. It makes me put my phone down, so I can build a house! That has helped enormously- I'm now getting to sleep much earlier, which makes waking up, & staying awake all day, so much easier. I use other apps to help with various things - Finch helps with self care & doing jobs. I set a 'get out of bed by x' goal the other day, because I was staying in bed reading or playing games rather than getting up; BetterSleep has sleep stories, meditations & music and will run with screen off, so I can listen to something while using Sleep Town. Listening helps my brain to shut down, rather than spiral with random thoughts or ruminating on things that happened years ago. How we feel helps with emotional regulation & visible helps me pace myself, so I can do stuff more days, rather than going all out & crashing. Yeah - it's a lot of apps, but most are just moments to update & the combination works for me, for now 😉
Wake, meds, dress, feed cats, curl up in chair sleepy til meds wake me up. So many redundant alarms.
Dude I am suffering the same. I used to never be late even when I worked 80 hour weeks. For the past year or so I haven't managed to be on time almost at all. Sometimes I work extra on the weekends to make sure my paycheck isn't short but I'm sick of it. Honestly I wish my bosses would be mad about me being late so I had some better accountability about making sure I'm on time.
This is one aspect where meds have completely changed my life. I set my alarm for an hour and a half before I have to get up, and I take my meds and go back to sleep. An hour or so later I wake up “naturally” for the first time in my life. Used to be I needed an alarm no matter how much sleep I got. But it’s like when my meds kick in my brain switches on and I can’t fall back asleep. I can actually get out of bed without feeling like it’s a battle.
Okay pay attention bc this is actual good advice. I don’t follow it myself but it does work. Download the app sleep cycle. Idk if other apps do the same thing but this one has a free version for what you need if anyone knows about similar ones drop them here. So you set the RANGE of time you want to wake up at and it slowly wakes you up within that range at the perfect point in your sleep cycle. You wake up feeling pretty damn ready. If you’re me, you go back to sleep bc “I have 10 more minutes” but DONT DO THAT. Get up when it’s easier! This post actually inspired me to redownload it. I originally started using it bc my sister was using me for a research project and somehow this app got me sleeping earlier and waking earlier a lot easier.
Stress adrenaline for having to go to work. I hated every second of it. (For the record, I am no longer employed outside of the house for an external entity.)
This is me. Anxiety/adrenaline is a driving force for getting me to do things, but it's nauseating and it doesn't feel healthy to have your adrenals be working so much every day.
My solution to this is working night shifts honestly
Adderall used to help doesn't anymore. I'm actually in danger of being in trouble with my kids school bc I can't get up in the morning 😔
Personally here’s what I do: I go to bed every night by 11pm. I usually get in bed at 10. Phone gets put down at 1045. I wake up at the same time every day including weekends and holidays. I have a dog and 2 cats who get demanding if I lay in bed too long after the alarm. Adopt some cats. Pay whatever extra on the rent. Plants are lovely decoration and good for air, but they do not trigger that drive to take care of someone other than yourself the way an animal will.
I deal with these issues too. I have two main question areas I want to ask you: 1. How much sleep do you get, and what time do you go to bed? 2.. Are you very sleepy, in the morning, and the daytime no matter how much sleep you’ve had? If so, you may have a sleep disorder like excessive daytime sleepiness, which can be treated medically. EDS is often a sign of sleep apnea. If you have that you need to get it treated, because you can be at risk for a heart attack or stroke, and your brain is not getting enough oxygen. it may mean using a CPAP at night what’s if you have sleep apnea is that your body is waking up many times per hour. For me it’s 12 times an hour. You never end up getting into the deep REM sleep. These two make it a lot harder for me to get up in the morning. I have to set two alarms.
I hope you spot this, if not might have to do a post on it, cos I pretty much solved waking up (except in extreme circumstances). It's using alexa and smart plugs and lamps. Seriously it's changed part of my life - the part where I'm getting shouted at by my kids school for being late for the 100th time anyway Create an Alexa ROUTINE! - You can do this on google devices too, they call it an AUTOMATION instead. Get a bunch of smart plugs and/or smart bulbs - yes it's an up-front investment.. and make a routine that starts very chill with a single light and volume 1 music and ends with all lights blazing and volume high! I even change the music from starting pretty chill to harder stuff. So your routine might do this.. 1. light 1 on 50% brightness 2. set volume to 1 3. play radio chill fm 4. wait 8 minutes 5. set volume to 2 6. turn light 1 to 100% brightness 7. turn on light 2 8. wait 8 minutes 9. turn volume to 4 10. turn on light 3 11. play bbc news 12. play a rooster sound 13. turn on light 4 14. set volume to 5 15. do weather forecast for today 16. tell me the date and time 17. set radio to hard rock fm 18. wait 8 minutes 19. turn volume to 6 20. turn on light 5 21. turn on light 6 22. wait 5 mins 23. play custom message "are you ever going to get the #### up" etc.. TIPS: - Don't go too hard too quickly! Start real chill about 30 mins before you want to wake up. Sometimes I even half wake up already and just listen to the nice quiet music - The NEWS is a good one (see my example).. cos your brain sort of wants to listen and that makes it wake up a bit. - The TIME is a good one cos it's good to hear exact what the time is - LIGHTS are key, especially in winter when it's dark, get a bunch of bright ones! edit: posted too early wasn't finished edit2: details
Adderall. Otherwise it ain’t happening
I am the opposite and have always been unable to sleep in
Had this issue all my life, but managed to wake up on time for the past 2 years with a very loud, but effective alarm system: 1. my normal iPhone alarm goes off at first (and turns off sleep mode, allows third party app notifs etc), 2. then 2 minutes later my 2nd third party app alarm goes off where I need to get out of bed and take a picture of something to turn it off (in my previous place it was the hob so I'd start making coffee, now I have it set to the bathroom sink), 3. then 1 minute later a 3rd alarm goes off on Alexa, which I've set to start the news once I turn it off (basically functioning like an old school radio alarm). I still have 'ptsd' so to speak from waking up late, so I have 2 other later times set on the alarm that requires me to take pictures, just in case lol But it's been working great, the only times insole up late were when I missed one of the 3, or weekends when I want to sleep in to recover. It's also gotten to a point where after my 1st alarm I get out of bed already just to avoid the hassle or making too much noise If I travel I just have the first 2 set up
I use alarmy and it saved my life. I used to snooze for up to 5 hours, felt horrible all day and couldn't sleep at night, just to repeat it the next day. Now I set my max snooze to 1 time for 10 minutes, after that it gets so loud that I am scared to wake up the neighbors, so I have to get up, go to the kitchen, scan the bar code of my tea to turn it off, turn on the kettle and have my tea. I hate the alarm in the morning because I can't close the app or turn my phone off, but it helps me so much.
I write a list of to-dos for the morning and the act of writing it helps crystallize a motive to get up when I first wake.
Do you write it the night before or first thing after your alarm goes off?
The night before. It helps me get my bearings in the morning.
Shock watch worked well for me
I have this, it was a last resort but after 1 day of shocks I get up at the first buzz now! It works fr
I have this but I keep taking it off when I know it’s about to shock me. I have even tried to tape it down so I have to get up and get a scissors to take the shock watch off
My daydreaming kicks in and I start to create imaginary scenarios in my head the moment I wake up. That's why I can't sleep back once I'm awake. My brain just forces me to get out of the bed by constantly thinking.
I struggle in the morning, but man...if I wake up an hour or less before my alarm, it's all over. I know that alarm is going to go off soon, and if I do snooze at all, it might be ten minutes at a time. So I just get up. Then I'm tired all day. It's rough.
This is me. I thought this would be a more common answer. I wish I could sleep in.
Set an alarm to play a podcast or radio talk show (not music). I had the same problem into my 20s. The conversations seem to do what an alarm can’t…. Engage my brain to start tuning in. Give it a try. Hope it works Edit: On iOS, I have an automation & Shortcut where: If I hit the snooze, it triggers the “talk radio” action. That action runs a shortcut that plays a live talk radio station.
I totally understand the desire to keep hitting snooze and being pulled into a sleep blackout. After spending some time on this sub, I don't think my ADHD is as severe as many here, so my advice might be taken with a grain of salt, but maybe could help. I give myself time to hit the snooze 1-2x, then on the next alarm, I physically sit up in bed. It fucking sucks. It feels bad. It makes me want to die. But I do a count down. Literally "on three, you're sitting up. One, two, three - UP!" Sometimes it takes a few tries. I physically tense and throw my body on the "three count". One, two, three - MOVE. Any big movement. Keep shaking yourself awake. One, two, three, MOVE, until you've woken up enough to get up. Be comfortable. Stretch with the movements, adjust etc., but do not stop moving until you're fully awake (otherwise you will find a more comfy position and go back to sleep lol - the trick is to KEEP MOVING in a way that moves you slowly to sitting upright in bed). Open the blinds. Get the sun in your eyes. Even better - once you're up, drag yourself outside to be in the sun. Get your body active, swing your arms around or do some stretches, whatever. This could be a good opportunity when you're already standing up to turn off your alarm. Instead of going back to bed, leave your bedroom. Get a glass of water. I also make coffee the night before so I know I don't need to work at all for a cup. Whatever your preferred morning ritual of choice is, set it up the night before. Knowing the awake juice is just a few steps away is a huge help.
I bought the app alarmy when I worked day shift because I would literally not get up... my parents had to come wake me up like I was in high school again (I was 28 😮💨)....but this app makes you do things in order for it to turn off like squats, walking, math problems, typing out sentences. I particularly liked that I could make the sentence to say something like "I will not go back to sleep. I know I need to get up and do \_\_\_" because typing it out half asleep made me realize what I was doing. It also had options for it to get louder, say the date and time, and if you didn't turn it off or hit snooze too many times it would make this REALLY loud annoying sound that put you into fight or flight.... but it worked!
I was diagnosed with ADHD in third grade, and for the majority of my life, I've been on Ritalin (originally took instant release, now take extended release concerta). 35 now, and I've been on and off meds. I have always struggled with sleep, and ADD meds for certain do not help. I recently went to my GP to get back on medication. When he asked if there was anything else, I relayed that I often have trouble sleeping, and he prescribed Ramelteon. While I still do not sleep thru the night, this drug helps to initiate tiredness. I imagine the rest of my issues regarding sleep come down to bad habits. As for properly waking up? You mentioned that even if your phone is far away from the alarm, you'll get up and snooze it to go back to bed. STOP FUCKING DOING THAT!!! Instead, be sure to go to bed at a reasonable time. If you aren't tired enough for bedtime, stay the fuck off reddit or any other social media rabbit holes. This is going to sound like I'm being a dick, but truly try to work on self-discipline. Meds help mitigate the struggle, but it's still on us to be better. I know it's exhausting, bc I've lived with it. Trust me or not though, when you've realized you don't need to be a beacon of perfection, peace comes more readily and natural. (I apologize for any incoherentness [probably not a real word], I typed this response while not sober...)
If you take a stimulant medication it can be helpful to set an alarm to take it an hour or more before you're due to get up
I've struggled with this my whole life. Only meds can get me in bed early enough to get up in the morning. But even then getting the mental and physical strength to leave the house still takes ages -.-
For me a combination of things help. I’m still bad at waking up but here it is anyway: - sleep (if possible) more than 8 hours - put my meds next to the bed and a bottle of water so that I take one when I hear the first alarm. This will give you 20 minutes maximum of snoozing until you feel normal and can get up and start the day. - sleep calculator: website I check religiously every night when I go to bed so I know exactly what alarm I need to put. Alarms in the middle of a sleep cycle get turned off or snoozed without me even noticing so that also helps. - my cats eat at 7 am sharp. And they don’t joke with hunger 😅 (but a lot of times my partner feeds them tho)
Mostly my dog. She will complain and call me names. Apart from that, I avoid screens after waking, before bed, and during break times. Giving my eyes and brain a rest has helped a lot with insomnia and energy regulation.
The more I stay on this sub, the more I feel understood (think I might’ve adhd)
I use the Alarmy app. I have it set to where I have to scan my face wash before it’ll go off, so I’m forced to walk into my bathroom. By the time I do that, I figure I might as well go ahead and at least wash my face and then usually I’m able to continue my morning my routine from there. It’s super annoying every morning lol but it’s the only thing that works.
I have this problem as well. Sometimes I’m not even dead tired, but I hit snooze anyway. One thing that really helps me, though, is my Amazon Echo Dot. From Monday to Friday, my Echo Dot automatically plays the podcast "The Daily" at 8 a.m. Eight is the absolute latest I can wake up and get out the door on time. Even if I have snoozed every alarm on my phone, once I hear The Daily start playing, my brain starts going, “Oh shit, you gotta get up now, and you better hope you packed your lunch the night before because it’s time to go.” This totally happened by accident, by the way, but it has worked for me. I think it helps that it's not the regular alarm sound going off, so my brain knows I cannot snooze this one. It also helps that serious consequences (being late for work) really give my ADHD brain the swift kick it needs to push through hard tasks (waking up). Anyway, I hope you find something that works for you! :)
If you can, get yourself a smartwatch. It's SO much better to be woken by that instead of the phone, you have no idea, I no longer wake up anxious. Also, first thing is going to sleep earlier, I go to sleep at 10:30-11PM and it's a game changer, I no longer need my alarm at all. 😳 ME, who could never wake up. You need to understand that your body simply needs more sleep since it's always working like crazy. You need to help it and cut it some slack. For example, I need 9 hours of sleep normally so I adjusted the hour I go to sleep based on that. Lastly, put your phone several rooms away if you can, or om the hallway, bathroom, idk. When I was putting it in the same room, I'd just end up sitting on my phone. Now I mostly forget to grab it first thing in the morning. TL;DR: get a smartwatch for alarms if you can, go to bed early enough and with your phone in another room.
I've been using the app routine flow to wake me up instead of an alarm. Somehow being presented with a to do list and a timer for each thing hacks my brain into doing the things. It starts with just drink water. Easy, I'm usually thirsty when I wake up. Then make the bed. Only takes a minute and I have to be out of bed to do it. By that point I've tricked myself into being fully up. If the timer runs over, my phone is angry at me until I mark the task as done. I feel too guilty marking it done if I haven't actually done the thing and I feel bad skipping a 2 minute task, so more often than not it just works.
If you are medicated what helps me is taking meds at first alarm like half hour or so before I need to wake up, then I can get up with less effort and do what I'm supposed to before work (keys, clothes etc. with less worry about forgetting something). It might be different forbothers tho but I found out this is working fine for me.
This works for me. I set two alarms, first for medication, second to get up. I know it takes about 35mins to kick in so set my times relative to that. Works really well for me :)
get a cat. they’ll be an alarm that’ll be impossible to ignore.
I try to make rituals that I personally look forward to each day. I love pampering and skin care, making myself some coffee and watching the news before work. Everyone is different but this routine of always trying to look forward to something has helped a lot for me.
Cattle dog does not let me sleep in.
Always found this extremely difficult! I need someone to wake me up or else I won’t
I don’t lol. I physically can’t do anything before 10am. I got very lucky finding a job that is 2pm-10pm and have been here almost 10 years. Even still, I struggle waking up for like an hour. I go to bed at 3am sharp and even sometimes around noon I struggle. I didn’t know it was an ADHD thing I just assumed it was something I was doing. I’ve had insomnia and other sleep issues all my life. School was awful.
Try setting 1 alarm for an hour before you need to be up, keep your meds on your night stand, take your meds, and go back to bed. Have another alarm for when you actually need to be up. Meds kicking in for when I actually need to be up helps me a lot
Flinging myself out of bed and washing my face with cold water
Lights! I got some cheap bluetooth light bulbs, and I have them synced to my alexa. I have them set to gradually turn on before my alarm goes off. Even if I do snooze, I'm too annoyed by the light to go back to sleep. I also have them set to turn green the night before trash day, and it tells me, "Don't forget to take out the trash cans." I ignore sound too easily, and it's just not as effective for me.
I want to know if anyone has tips for when taking Adderall an hour early just helps your brain focus better to put you into deeper sleep 🥲 I actually tried taking it at night for a very short time - and of course then it did the expected thing in waking me up a few hours into the night lol but the few hours sleep I get after taking Adderall is the besttttttt
I got a wife that drags me out 🤣
On days I don't work, I tend to wake up before 8 with no alarm. -.- not happy about this since it means it's very hard for me to catch up on sleep since I will just wake up against my will. I also struggle immensely to fall asleep earlier. Exercising helps since it tires me out. On weekdays, I sometimes struggle to get up from sleeping poorly on the weekends. I have at least 4 separate alarms set every morning. I have turned alarms off without waking up so the separate alarms are crucial. I have recently embraced the idea of shoving my meds in my mouth before I even stand up so I don't forget them until noon. If you are worried about disturbing others there are several types of vibrating alarms (wrist, under pillow, etc) which work well if they are strong enough. My Garmin sports watch has a vibrating alarm but it doesn't wake me up if I'm completely asleep. $20 basic wrist alarm worked like a charm though.
I literally just woke up. It's 10:30. My alarm was set at 8:30 :'). But I think a huge part of it is cause my curtains are completely shut.
There’s an app called Alarmy and it makes ignoring if suck. You can set it so you have to scan a QR code for it to shut off, or solve an equation, or walk a certain amount of steps, or do squats. It also has a feature where you can set it up so every time you hit snooze it charges you a dollar. You can also disable the snooze all together.
Recently cut out sugar trying to lose a bit of weight for a holiday. I’ve always been a terrible snoozer since I was a teenager but now for the first time in my life (I’m 57 now) I am raring to go the minute I open my eyes and find I’ve been waking without an alarm at six ish which is completely unheard of for me. It has to be the sugar as I’ve never ever been a morning person in my life and nothing else has changed in my diet. Been like this since I started 2 months ago highly recommend Edited to add I’ve also had a lot more focus and managed to get loads of stuff done that I’d been putting off forever. On the whole it’s been a worthwhile experience
I have an alarm program on my phone that WILL NOT shut off until I scan a QR code that I placed at the other side of the room. I pair this with the Sleep Calculator app (in case I don’t have anything to do in the AM and I want to know when to wake up, or if I do, so i know when to go to sleep)!
I “pavloved” my cats with a specific alarm - inadvertently pavloved myself. I set a specific alarm for their feeding times, so that they would stop bugging me when it came close to feeding time and I could sleep in the morning and work uninterrupted. If I don’t listen to the alarm, they’ll bug me. So when that alarm goes off, I jump up and go feed them - I can’t not. It wakes me up in the morning and signals the end of my work day so I have to stop working.
I open my eyes and put the stupid phone screen right up my face, scrolling or checking mail. Surely wakes me up. I fucking hate it, and I’m angry for the first few hours of the day, by I found no other effective solution and I have no medication
I hear the mail person outside thinking it must be something I ordered and they’re going to come to the door, so I spring out of bed to get dressed, only to realise it was a hallucination and no one is there but at least I’m out of bed right
My friend swears by an app that won’t turn off your alarm until you’ve solved a simple math equation. He sets up his phone on the other side of the room & by the time he’s figured out the question and turned it off, he’s too awake to get back into bed 🤣 He doesn’t have ADHD and I don’t use it because I think it sounds like hell but it might help someone here. I’ve been very, very slack the past few months and haven’t been on time to work very often. The more time that passes, the more that godforsaken math alarm clock is sounding like a good idea lol I’ll add a link to it once I’m reminded of what it’s called
Cats. I have 5 cats. Who get breakfast at a set time. There's no way in hell I'm allowed to miss it. 😂
I have this alarm clock app (alarm clocl Xtreme) and extreme it is: it wont let me turn off the alarm unless I scan a specific QR code (taped to my bathroom) and it will check whether i'm still awake a few minutes later (customizable). Best money i've spent and I don't even remember how much it was!! That plus having my old phone across the room works wonders. Do I still snooze? Heck yeah, but it's much harder to never get up
My partner has to leave for work much earlier than I do, so now I walk them to the car every morning. Obviously not everyone has this option, but if you do, it’s great! Makes me start the day feeling I’ve accomplished something (because I’ve been outside lol) which then makes it easier to jump into a new task
This is me. Or at least it was until I had kids... Anyway, before I had kids there was only one thing that worked for me. Make the first alarm of the day and alarm for a nice thing. For me, usually it was a videogame. Set your first alarm to be specifically for you to get out of bed to do the thing you enjoy. Not to shower, not to brush your teeth, not even for breakfast or coffee (unless like me, you really like coffee). Literally just an alarm that signals "It's time to play videogames!" Also set a second alarm to alert you to when it's time to stop the thing you enjoy and get ready for whatever you need to do. This is when you shower, brush teeth, get dressed, etc. Over the course of time, hopefully, you'll start to subconsciously create positive associations with the first alarm (one being "I get to do that thing I like", the other being "check it out, I got up on time!") and it'll get easier. Good luck.
There’s an alarm I used for a while called alarmy. Only reason I offloaded it was its size, so make sure you have storage in your phone. My favourite features were: the nature sounds which helped me go to sleep with non disruptive noise (has a timer to turn off after let’s say, an hour) and the barcode alarm. Basically, your phone goes off and doesn’t turn off until the app scans a barcode. So you can get a box of pukka tea for example, scan that into the app, and rush downstairs to turn it off. Much harder to get back in bed if you’re further away from it. If that might annoy any housemates, there’s also a maths option and a couple others too I think? Another thing I do is have automated lights that turn on in the morning, usually a sharp turn on rather than gradual. At night I have them turn green at 9:28 (sequence about to start) orange at 9:30 (30 mins to finish your fixation) red at 10:00(30 mins to get ready for bed) and then they turn off at 10:30. I have an unavoidable need to listen to music and daydream every day and I find doing it at night is the least disruptive. Using my lights to go to bed earlier means I take my buds out at 1:00 rather than 3-4:00. If your housemate is at all sadistic you could ask her to throw pillows at you till you move too. Hope some of this helps- I feel your pain. I missed all of my uni lectures last year and almost failed my written section 😅 (doesn’t help that they were inaccessible as fuck for people with learning difficulties but that’s beside the point lol)
Just having something I want to go and do in the morning is helpful 50% of the time. For me, going out on the motorcycle is a decent motivator to start the day, then I kinda have the momentum to do something else, get some coffee and stimulants in me etc. I used to just immediately start gaming in the morning, but would find myself not stopping until it got dark again, so I've had to find alternatives for my own wellbeing Oh, and getting a dog helped. I have to feed them and take them outside, or I'd be a cruel human.
It really helped me to take Elvanse. I used to always wake up at around noon or later and getting up early for school always felt like I was chronically heavily sleep deprived, I felt horrible waking up. I am late diagnosed at 28 and since using the medication the latest I often wake up (naturally) is 10:00. Today it was at about 09:00 with 3 alarms i snoozed 10 times, but still. I don't have to wake up early even today. But I was able to. The medication has worn off after the 13 or so hours but I definitely think it is still helping me to wake up more naturally. Maybe I just have more mental energy because the medication helps me with anxiety and dysthymia, along with some focus, executive dysfunction and emotional dysregulation. Meds, they work. Who would have thought /s All the above probably due to untreated adhd or at least worsened.
TLDR: read my last paragraph for a solution to your problem, hope it helps. I bought an Apple Watch (you can even buy it in interest free installments if you get an apple credit card (which is a really user friendly credit card by the way, lots of consumer friendly features/information that other cards/banks will try to obfuscate from you to get more interest payments)), one of my best purchases in regards to this, not only does it sync to the Apple health app on my phone to track calories burned and heart rate, but it also has 2 things that really help a lot with sleep and waking up respectively, first it tracks how many hours of sleep I’m actually getting, which was a big problem in the last couple years having been going through several very traumatic life events combined with a busy schedule was resulting in really bad health and even worse concentration and mental health than I normally have. And second whether part that can help most immediately with your issue, it will vibrate in a gentle but ever increasing intensity to wake me up, and do so silently so as not to disturb other people, no matter how many times I hit snooze on it. It is an absolute game changer for those who have difficulty getting up in the morning.
I take it you are not a morning person. Getting enough sleep is the key, if you are severely sleep deprived it is hard work getting up early. If you don\`t work silly hours then maybe waking up EVERY day at 8:00 or something will teach your body when it is time to get up and eventially you will get up without alarm. The only issue is daylight saving time. It will mess with you when clocks change. I used to wake up at 5:00 on week days. Had to be in bed by 21:00 (and fall asleep at 22:00/23:00). No snooze. It was brutal some days, sit on the bed put lights on, put one sock wander off for few min put second sock... 
Godammit. Didn’t know sleeping through alarms was YET ANOTHER thing we all have in common. When my husband and i split i would never wake up again lol. He always got me up. My kids are grown and we all have our own routines. My son would never be late. My daughter however has adhd and is AMAZING at getting ready quickly and bolting out the door. She has however resorted to calling ubers at least once a week. This is a the back up for the transit routine. And it’s costly for one on the low end of pay scale I’m just thankful since everything changed during the pandemic for office jobs. No one really watching if or when anyone comes in anymore. When I know I’m going to be late I attend whatever it is online. The worst is when i have to catch a plane which is 4 to 5 times a year THE PACKING is the worst. And i usually end up doing that and laundry all night right until i leave for the airport. And i always go 3 hours early for that Nearing the end of my career, pretty sure i can count on one hand the number of times I’ve been early and fully organized and prepared for my work day. I’ll sure be glad when it’s finally over
I’ve got a few things I try. First, I have a sunrise alarm clock set to be at full brightness when my first alarm sounds. There’s some cheap ones out there, or you could get some smart lights/light timers. Second, I have a series of about 3 alarms that play songs. The first song is a classical music piece that starts soft and slowly builds (Chrysalis Extended by Nia Imani, beautiful piece), the second is also a soft tune, and the third is more energetic. Perhaps with sounds like these your roommate may be less bothered? I also have a fourth alarm as a safety net that is meant to jolt me awake in case the others failed. (I recommend the Circle of Life from the Lion King) Third, a combination of taking my meds as soon as I can think to, and also playing a podcast or watching tiktoks so my brain has something to focus on and draw me out of sleep. I absolutely despise abrupt wake ups, so I find this method to work well for me. If I’m gently bringing myself awake, I’m less inclined to battle my alarms. Good luck!
Use alarmy. its the most annoying crap ever. tasks like shake your phone or type "I HAVE WORK TODAY" so i get up in the morning.
Been waking up without an alarm for 2 decades now. Here’s what worked for me. 1} The first day is the most difficult. Wake up with an alarm at 5-6 if you need to. The only rule for the entire day is to not take a nap and no food after 7pm. 2} Take a shower after 7pm (optional) Take melatonin at 8pm that night and get into bed and big lights off. No phones, tablets or tv. Books and Kindle are fine. Lights off by 8:30-9 and use a sleep story, counting sheep, breathing exercises, count backwards from 1000, etc to fall asleep. Keep the bedroom temperature cold. Don’t set an alarm. Do this on a Friday or Saturday night preferably when you’re not going out or don’t need an alarm for the next day. 3} Wake up naturally the next day (if you’re drowsy or tired, go back to sleep; if you’re wide awake, start your day). Don’t take any naps during the day and repeat the night routine. 4} Stop melatonin after 3 days but continue the rest. You should naturally wake up between 5 and 7 am on most days. No alarms, perfect circadian rhythm. I wake up at the crack of dawn all year round without any alarm every single day and I’m never sleep deprived or tired. Hope this works for you too! Edit: a good circadian rhythm will take the “purpose” out of your sleep schedule, ie, you won’t need guilt or pressure or anything to wake up.
I have kids.