I Can’t Wake Up! How To Wake Up A Heavy Sleeper

Are you notoriously difficult to wake up in the morning? Do you sleep through your numerous alarms? Then this is the article for you. We are sharing our top tips on how to wake up a heavy sleeper. Whether you are setting your own alarms, or you have a teenager that just won’t wake up in the morning, these tips are here to help you or your loved one finally wake up and start your day. If you’re looking for a way to wake up a heavy sleeper, then keep reading to learn more.

Possible Causes for Heavy Sleepers:

Any time you are looking into an irregular sleeping habit, it is important to determine what is causing the irregularity. This way you can take proper action in order to change your habits and get to sleep or wake up as needed.

• Not Enough Sleep
• Low Motivation
• Erratic Sleep Schedule
• Poor Diet
• Lack of Exercise
• Electronics in Bed
• Poor Mental Health
• Complications with Medications
• Addictions (Alcohol, pills, drugs, etc.)
• Depression & Anxiety
• Health Complications
• Sleep Disorders (Sleep apnea, narcolepsy, insomnia, etc.)

Tips On How To Wake Up For Heavy Sleepers:

For deep sleepers, a simple alarm clock just isn’t enough to wake them up. Which is why we are going to share with you our top tips on how to wake up heavy sleepers.

Whether you are a parent of a teenager who just doesn’t seem to hear any/all alarms. Or if you struggle to wake up and get out of bed yourself. We are going to go through some possible causes of heavy sleeping, as well as our best tips on how you can start to wake up on time.

Drink Water Before Bed

Normally we would advice against drinking a lot of liquids right before heading off to sleep.

This is because it can cause disruptions in sleep. You may find yourself waking up to use the restroom. Or when you begin to wake up in the morning the urge to use the restroom will outweigh the urge to stay in bed.

We do think we should note that. if you are such a heavy sleeper as an adult that you are releasing your bladder in bed without waking up, then this is a very extreme case. If this sounds familiar to you, then we suggest talking to your doctor.

Learn about the importance of Sleep & Hydration

Turn Up The Lights

If you are having trouble waking up in the mornings, turn up the lights. Parents, open up the blinds or turn on the overhead lights.

If you are trying to wake yourself up, get a light alarm clock or a smart device lightbulb that can be scheduled to turn on 30 minutes before you would like to wake up. Light sends signals to our brain and circadian rhythm that the sun has risen and it is time to start the day.

Vibrating Alarm Clock

Does sound simply not affect your sleep? If you’re constantly sleeping through alarms like they are soft lullabies, then perhaps you should try a different tactic. Stop turning up the volume, and try an alarm clock that works a bit differently.

A vibrating alarm clock may make a difference for you. There are mats and pillow inserts all made to do the same thing, vibrate and disrupt your sleep so that you wake up. These are often used by many who are hard of hearing and need an alternative way to wake themselves up.

Automated Wake Up Call

There are so many different new gadgets that can be used to set up an automatic wakeup call. You can have Alexa turn on the light in your bedroom. Or have Siri start playing your favorite playlist to wakeup to. There are even coffee pots that can be set to go off at a certain time.

You can even have your heat turn on in your home automatically at a certain time. (When your body begins to warm up, it sends signals to your brain to wake up.) You can even set your TV to turn on and start playing a TV show you like. With so many new ways to automate your morning wakeup call, there is no excuse to stay in bed.

Use Your Phone Addiction For Good

There are so many reasons why being on your phone at night can ruin your sleep. The light sends signals to your brain that it is time to wake up. While your device is filled with stimulation, an endless supply of entertainment and things to do.

All of this is terrible for falling asleep, and great for waking yourself up. While there are dozens of better ways to wake up in the morning that could be deemed healthier, this one will at least work. Just be sure to get out of bed as soon as you are actually awake.

Get A Wake Up Buddy

Know someone far more reliable at waking up than you? Have them give you a wake up call in the morning.

If you live with this person, it is even more effective, see if they would be willing to check in to ensure you have woken up by a certain time in the morning. Parental figures, spouses, and roommates are great options for this. No one you can rely on to call you? No problem, there are now wake up call apps! Simply schedule a the app to call you at your desired wake up time.

This is an especially great tactic to use on really important mornings, or if you are having to wake up especially early for a flight or important meeting, doctor’s appointment, etc.

Eat Breakfast Daily

Eating breakfast when you wake up in the mornings accomplishes several things. The first is that eating in the mornings kick starts your circadian rhythm. It helps to assure your brain that this time of day is made for being awake and getting everything moving.

It also trains your body to be hungry during the morning around the time you wake up. Which means if you have a day when you accidently sleep in, you will begin to feel hunger pains. It is hard to sleep in when your stomach is grumbling away. If you are looking for a way to wake up a heavy sleeper, make some delicious smelling breakfast. This will get anyone out of bed asap.

Make Mornings Fun

Is your struggle with the morning that it is all about getting ready for work or school? Why not make your mornings more fun? If you wake up earlier, you can watch one of your favorite shows while you eat breakfast or drink coffee. Or give yourself a little incentive to wake up for. Perhaps a trip to your favorite coffee shop if you get out of bed with enough time to make the trip.

Whatever is fun for you, add a little bit of it to your morning routine. This way waking up isn’t such a dreaded task. It gives you something enjoyable to get out of bed for.

Click the link to create your very own Stress Free Morning Routine

Get A Pet

Dogs, cats, and other pets often are great alarm clocks. They need you to wake up for they can go outside, or get their breakfast on time. They will pester you relentlessly so that they get their food in the mornings. Which makes them great alarm clocks.

It is difficult to stay asleep with a cat meowing in your face incessantly, or your dog pulling off your covers and barking to be let outside. They are also full of love, which is of course the main reason to get a pet.

Get our top tips on how to sleep along side with your dog or cat in our post: Sleeping With Your Pet

App Alarms

There are a seemingly endless number of ingenious apps out there these days. And there are constantly more being added every single day. Of course, all smartphone come with a standard alarm clock, but apps can do far more than that.

There are apps that give you wakeup call, turn on your lights at a specific time, turn up the music on a schedule, force you to do a math problem in order to turn off the alarm, and many more.

Get creative and download some new creative alarm clocks on your smartphone to see what works.

You May Also Enjoy: Chronotypes: Your Circadian Typology

Talk To Your Doctor About A Sleep Study

If you are seriously unable to be woken up in the morning, and it is disrupting your life. Then it may be time to talk to your doctor. Sleep studies are a great way for you and your doctor to figure out what is the cause of your inability to wake up in the mornings.

Your inability to wake up in the mornings could potentially be caused by some kind of sleep disorder. This could potentially stop the treating of the symptoms and instead get to the root of what is making it so difficult for you to wake up in the mornings.

Yes – You Can Wake Up!

Whether you simply have a lack of motivation to get up in the morning, or you have more serious complications making it hard to get up in the morning. We hope these tips and tricks will help you to find a way to wake up and start your mornings off right.

Want to go a step further and become a morning person? Check out How To Become a Morning Person for our tips and tricks.