Steps

1. Don’t rely on an annoying, loud, obnoxious alarm. Use two different alarms; one with a loud beep, and one with peaceful music. Set a radio, MP3 player, or other device to gradually wake you up first, 15-30 minutes prior to your regular alarm. It will help to remind you that the your loud beeping alarm will soon follow.
2. Try one of the new alarm watches that monitors your sleep patterns. They determine the optimum moment to wake you based upon your sleep rhythms. Waking at the wrong time according to your body’s natural sleep cycle can make you feel groggy and irritable. These watches are supposed to eliminate this by waking you at the proper time for your body and the alarm time you.
3. Avoid drinking caffeinated beverages after sunset if you usually go to sleep after 8 pm. Caffeine interferes with your sleeping and waking cycle.
4. Bypass overly stimulating TV shows and movies that kick up an adrenaline response in your body. This includes avoiding shows which depict murder, action movies, and stressful reality shows. If you must watch these shows, try to TiVo the show and watch it at another time if you can.
5. Foods you can safely have in the evening that won’t harm your sleep cycle include milk products, which can cause drowsiness and help you get to sleep. And also turkey and nuts and other foods which contain tryptophan, a natural sleep aid, are okay for most people.
6. If you must set an alarm clock to wake up in the morning, try using one with natural sounds or musical instruments as part of the alarm. Waking up to loud bells and beeps has been proven to induce a startle response, which creates extreme stress upon wakening and can negatively affect you throughout the day.
7. Try taking a bath before you go to bed. Pour in some bubble bath and soak for half an hour/an hour. This should make you feel sleepy and drowsy, and ready to sleep.
8. Clinical trials in Japan have showed that people who are slowly woken up by the light of the sun feel better in the morning. If you can, set up some system of lighting that slowly turns on at the desired time, using a dimmer. The light should increase in strength over about half an hour before you wake up.

Tips

• Experiment with different types of peaceful music.
• Try iSnooze. It’s a free program that works with iTunes to wake you up.
• Be aware of the transition phase when you emerge from sleep into consciousness.