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There are many benefits of waking up before sunrise, especially if you sleep early. Arising before sunrise gets you motivated and energized for the day ahead. But arising early is a battle many people have dealt with for years, and some seemed to have lost the battle.

Learning how to wake up to your alarm is a journey that needs commitment and discipline. And no, you don’t have to involve the gadgets into the equation to concur. But if you must use an alarm, then learn to stay off the snooze button.

But the breaking of the snoozing habit is another journey on its own. So, how do you train yourself to wake up when your alarm goes off? Here are some tricks and tips on how to make sure your alarm wakes you up.

Understand the Reason Why You Need to Wake Up Early

If you’re planning to wake up early because successful people are off the bed before sunrise, then this is not going to be easy. After all, you have nothing important to do in the morning, and you’re not successful yet! You need a genuine motivation to be able to pull up your tired body off the bed.

Maybe you want to get to the office before everyone else; you have urgent tasks waiting or want to exercise before going to work. Before you grab the snooze button in your alarm, remind yourself why you set the alarm in the first place. If possible, name your alarm with something that will remind you of the reason.

Don’t Snooze the Alarm

There is no point in going back to sleep after the alarm hoping to catch an additional 30-minute nap. The quality of sleep you’ll get within the short period is not even worth it. Don’t set the alarm 30 minutes earlier, hoping that you’ll snooze it because this is a habit you’re not going to let go of.

The snooze addiction is very common, but you can overcome it if you train yourself to wake up just when the first alarm goes off. No additional snooze time and no turning side to side, debating with yourself whether to wake up or not. Well, you’re not going to do this the first day, but if you train yourself, you’ll get used to it.

Appreciate Your Waking Up

Nobody wants to wake up, but you’ll make it worse if you don’t change your attitude. You need to change your mindset about waking up and start appreciating it.

Every time your alarm goes off, don’t think of the hardship of having to leave your comfortable bedding. How about you change your mindset and think of new opportunities that await you every time your alarm rings. Think of the fact that you’ll be able to live your life to the fullest that particular day.

Learn How to Wake Up to Your Alarm If You Sleep Early

If you plan to wake up early, you should organize yourself to sleep early. To get enough rest, your body needs to relax for at least 7 hours. Enough sleep not only helps you get the energy to wake up but also ensure you’re productive the whole day. Both the quality and quantity of sleep are vital factors for waking up early.

If you go to bed late, it will be hard for you to wake up early because you’d not have had enough rest. If you feel like snoozing the alarm, it’s a clear indicator that your body did not get enough rest.

If you don’t fall asleep as soon as you go to bed, try creating a conducive sleep environment. Also, remember to adopt habits such as a good diet and exercise so that you tune your body to wake up at the right time.

Keep Your Alarm Away from the Bed

Keeping your alarm in your nightstand will increase the snoozing temptation. It will be easier to snooze and go back to sleep if all you have to move is your hand and reach the snooze button. You need to move your head out of the comfortable pillow and get your whole body up to fight the sleep.

One way to make sure you wake up is to put your alarm in another room so that you’ll be forced to rise fully to switch it off. By the time you walk up to the other room, you’ll be fully awake and ready to start the day.

Another better alternative is to get an alarm that only goes off when you’re in the light stages of your sleep. Find the best atomic wall clock that also works as a sleep tracker. This feature will ensure gentle vibration when you’re asleep until you’re able to wake up.

Maintain Your Usual Wake up Time

It’s easy for your body and brain to rebound and go back to the lazy state associated with snooze addiction. There are times when you’ll be tempted to snooze the alarm or just can’t wake up to the alarm.

But if you train your body to wake up around the same time every day, you won’t even need an alarm clock. Maintain a regular sleep pattern even if you have nothing important to wake up to. This way, your body begins to prepare long before the alarm goes off, making it easier for you to arise.

Waking Up Early Involves Training and Discipline

Waking up with your first alarm is not easy. But every day, you’re faced with either decision to wake up and chase your dreams or sleep and let opportunities slip away. Of course, you have to choose the second option, and that’s why you must learn how to wake up to your alarm.

It’s going to be hard to train yourself to wake up early, but soon your body will get used to the process, and you won’t need to struggle anymore. Don’t worry if you find it hard to maintain the habit because we’ll be here to help you out. Go through other articles on this site for more tricks and tips to maintain a healthy sleep lifestyle.

For some people, a vacation might be a weekend getaway. For others, a vacation could be a month-long trip out of the country. No matter where on this spectrum you fall, there are always steps to be done to keep your home safe, in addition to other preparations, so that everything from departure to coming home goes smoothly and without a hiccup.

Preparation is the key to so many things in our lives, it is a wonder we spend so little time preparing ourselves and our homes before taking off on a vacation. Lack of preparation before a vacation can lead to missed flights, forgotten luggage, and general stress. Understanding why you should prepare yourself and your home before vacation might seem to be easy, but you would be surprised what other people (probably including you!) forget to do.

Start with a List

Speaking of forgetfulness, the first thing you need to do to prepare for a getaway is to make a checklist. If you do not write out exactly what needs to be done before you leave, it is likely that you will forget something, or at least feel like you have forgotten something. Studies have shown that people who make checklists are significantly less likely to do something that they are supposed to have done.

Do Not Forget the Pets

Make sure that you have made arrangements for your pets, either with a sitter or with a pet-boarding company. If you are leaving your pet with a sitter, make sure that you give them plenty of pet food, some toys, and any medicines that your pet might require. If you are leaving your pet at home and having someone check in with them several times a day, do not forget to leave your house key for them, and make sure that anything valuable or dangerous that your pet might get into is put safely out of reach.

Some people may have plants instead of (or in addition to) pets. These require care too. Make sure to get a friend to water your plants as necessary, or purchase self-watering plant stakes.

Secure Your Home

If you are taking a short trip (a couple of days) leave a lamp on in a few different rooms. This will deter thieves from attempting to break into your home. If you are going on a lengthier vacation, you should purchase light timers that can turn your lights on and off at specified intervals. You should also let any alarm system companies that you might use that you are going on vacation so that they can keep a closer eye on your home.

Something that many people do not think of when it comes to securing their home before a vacation is having their mail held at the post office. If a potential burglar sees your mail piling up, they may realize that you are not home. That makes you an easy target.

Tidying Up

Nobody wants to come home from a relaxing vacation just to realize that they left their house a mess. Make sure to clean out your refrigerator before you leave, and toss any food that will expire in your absence. Take care of any laundry you have laying around before you leave, and spray insecticide in any areas of frequent bug activity.

Coming Home

Just like with the chores, there are some things you can do to make your transition back into everyday life easier. Try to purchase some non-perishable goods before you leave that you can have for your first meal back. Make sure that you do not leave any dishes in the sink, and wipe down all of the surfaces in your home. Give your bathroom and kitchen a quick clean, and sweep or vacuum all of your floors. The day of your departure, put clean sheets on your bed so that you can unwind in comfort after a long day of travelling.

Preparing for a vacation does not need to be stressful. If you start your preparations early enough, they almost seem like the chores you do on a daily basis anyway. When you leave, you will feel much more comfortable knowing that your home is in good shape, and secured against criminals.