Stop Snoozing Alarm

People with children would probably tell you how much they would like to be able to sleep in. They remember the good old college days of staying up until 2 in the morning, then sleeping until noon. Well, don't feel too bad, research has shown that those who are early to rise are more productive throughout the day, feel less stress and actually feel less tired than those who sleep later. How does that sound? Wouldn't it be nice to be more productive during the day? What about less stressed? And who wouldn't like feeling less tired? Well, if this sounds nice to you, then read on, as what follows are some tips to help you break the snooze alarm habit, and get you up and going earlier in the day.

• Move your alarm clock While having your alarm next to the best is convenient, it is not the right place for it if you are trying to break the snooze alarm habit. Instead put it across the room, on a dresser, near the light switch, or anywhere that requires you to get up to turn it off. If you are actually out of bed, you are much more likely to get up rather than hit the snooze. If you use your cell phone instead of an alarm clock, the concept still applies, have it close enough to hear, but far enough away that you must get out of bed to turn it off.

• Get a new alarm clock One great way to get out of the snooze bar habit is to get a new alarm clock that does not offer this feature. If you don't have a snooze bar, sleeping those 12 extra minutes can really be a hassle with all the buttons you have to push to reset the alarm. And, if you do fiddle with your alarm, by the time you get it reset, you will probably ready to get up, or awake enough to anyway

• Change your tone or sound Many people are not woken up right away by the sound of their alarm clock because they become accustomed to the sound. So avoid this by changing the sound of your alarm every couple of weeks. This works best if you have a cell phone as your alarm clock.

• Make it difficult Put your alarm clock somewhere where it is more difficult to get to turn off, and then by the time you do, you will probably be awake enough to stay up. Try in a drawer, under the bathroom sink (if you have a bathroom attached to your room), under your bed, behind something, etc.

• Make a routine Being early to rise is a lot easier when you make it a daily thing. So, commit yourself to being good about it, and not pushing the snooze button for a couple of weeks. Try waking up earlier Monday-Friday and you will find yourself doing it naturally in a week or two.

• Give yourself a reason Many of us do not wake up early because we do not have tasks that need to be done early. However, if you make a schedule, or a set item you will take care of in the morning, you will have a reason NOT to push the snooze button. So, don't begin to wake up early for nothing. Do things early in the morning. It can really be anything, from going for a jog, to paying bills or just cooking breakfast for yourself or family. When you have a reason to get up, you are more likely to do so.