Do you wake up to an alarm every morning or do you wake up naturally, no alarm needed?
A survey by sleep health blog Each Night found that 80 percent of the participants used an alarm to wake up each day. Only 20 percent said they wake up naturally. Their survey concluded that the 20 percent who wake up without an alarm each morning tend to feel more rested throughout the day. They also reported a better mood and a more positive outlook and tended to be more productive throughout the day.
Well… we’re in trouble…
Please tell us in the poll below if you use an alarm to wake up or not. If not, leave a comment and tell us if you agree with the above findings.
Would the poll be more meaningful if you asked retired and working people separately?
I clicked every day but don’t use it on weekends
Don’t need an alarm clock, between the puppy and the snoring wife, I just get up and make the coffee! Besides, I can never go back to sleep because of chronic back pain, getting old sucks!
Yes, whoever coined the phrase “The Golden Years” couldn’t tell the difference between gold and rust!
Getting older beats the alternative.
Only if for some rare time I need to get up before 6AM, otherwise my internal alarm wakes me.
I also selected every day, but only weekdays or if I have to be somewhere early on a weekend day. Still a working stiff 😉
As a chronic insomniac who’s been to sleep clinics I can attest that waking up naturally doesn’t guarantee more energy throughout the day. Reason is that not needing an alarm means you never got into deep restorative sleep. Without restorative sleep you just never feel rested. In my 70 years I’ve never used an alarm.
Never my internal clock has me awake when I need to get up
Hey, I retired to go RVing AND not use alarm clocks!
When I was still working I used an alarm everyday, now that I’m retired I wake up before 6 AM daily, usually between 4:30 and 6. Of course going to bed at 9 PM may have an effect on that.
I get up every morning at 6:00 to to feed the pets, no alarm clock. When I open the bed room door there are R a lousy and Harley meowing.
We use an alarm clock, but We still have jobs. Once we are retired, no more alarms!
I workamp so I use the alarm on my 3 work days. Also, on Sunday for church.
As a retiree, IMHO it is important to get up each morning. 😉 Setting an alarm clock helps make it happen.
Why would I need an alarm clock? I’m retired and get up when I want.
We have 4 cats don’t need an alarm clock. Feed them and they go back to sleep.😻😻
everyday I don’t want to sleep past 7 and I would without alarm. And I hate to sleep away the best part of the day. Been retired over 10 and now I can read and drink coffee in bed. Yup that’s the best part of day:)
The only time use an alarm is when I need to get up earlier than normal. My normal time is between 7 and 7:30.
I regret that my bladder gets me up in the morning.
every saturday morning! someone who will remain nameless (it is not me and there are only 2 of us in this household) gets up at 6:00 to go rowing. some mornings he decides to ride his bike and so i set the phone alarm for 5:00!
Normally I wake up by 8 am but I set the alarm for 7:30 for Sunday morning to get to Church on time. Also, if I have an appointment I make sure to set it. I do not like to hear an alarm and usually wake up in time to shut it off.
Apple’s iPhones now have this absolutely wonderful tone you can choose that is above the actual “alarm clock.” it is so soothing it’s a wonder to wake to.
throughout my life the alarm was for “just in case” I didn’t wake in time, even when I started work at 5:00am for 16 years I would wake 10 to 15 min. before the alarm went off. Being retired I seldom have need to get up before 7:00am but when I do I still find myself often waking before the alarm goes off.
Only We have to be somewhere on time. The rest of the time or did get me up – usually between 6 & 7. Any earlier than 6 & I tell them “not time yet, go back to bed”
I hate alarm clocks. When traveling for work (staying in hotels) I use one of those white noise generators to cover the sounds of maids, trucks, people slamming doors, amorous neighbors, etc. The app has a “alarm” which turns the sound off. The lack of sound slowly wakes me up rather than a loud screeching noise.
I only use it for golf and Dr. appointments.
When I retired for the second time, I stopped wearing a watch and gave the alarm to my wife.
She’s the one that wants to be up at a certain time. Me, I can sleep ’till 9am. We make our appointments on time but anything else is “-ish” as far as time goes.
We used to… But with Wuhan/Covid our recreation center is no longer open for senior swim in the morning. So now we watch TV later and wake up later and that is when we feel like. There is no longer an outside driver to get us up sooner.
How times have changed. I use to live by the alarm, before retirement. Ah bliss!
I put “often” because my wife, who is up by 6:30 or 7 most mornings is my alarm. 🤪🤪
I don’t need an alarm. I have an old dog that wakes me up every morning by 5:30 to go potty.
see my comment too. I get to stay a half hour more.
Our alarm clock is my cell phone. I check the local weather with Weather Bug after the alarm sounds so we can dress properly to take our dog for a walk after his breakfast and before ours. I use my cell phone because I can choose the music used to awaken me (“Life Ain’t Always Beautiful,” by Gary Allan).
Not using an alarm is one of the great pleasures of retirement. We generally get up around 7:00 AM because we go to bed around 11. I answered rarely because once a great while we will have an appointment we need to accommodate. When I retired I also stopped wearing a watch. If I need to know the time my cell phone is reliable most everywhere.
I set an alarm on my phone but more often than not I am turning it off before it goes off.
Body clock does a way better job,… and much less jarring. Nobody should have to start their day with harsh noise.
But I get up between 3:00 and 4:00a.m. naturally anyway. I love the early mornings… my time to myself.
My grandma once told me she got up in the middle of the night (too!) because at her age, sleeping was a waste of precious limited time. I get it now. 😉
Your Grandma is SPOT ON!
When at home with time sensitive activities we use the alarm in my smartphone. When camping or residing in the 5er at Q almost never.
NOT having to set an alarm is one of the BEST perks of being retired! Covid-19 means it’s smarter to isolate in place rather than to be out and about.
I don’t need an alarm clock. I have two furbabies that have an aversion to sleeping past 06:00 AM.
The alarm clock went out the window when I retired! 😀
I don’t use an alarm clock but I do use the alarm on my phone.
My bride still works so I set the alarm for 5:15, get up, get the already made coffee, then get her up about 30 minutes later. I really like it when I wake up a couple of minutes before the alarm.
Still working, so five days a week. My Alexa wakes me up to music, and my cell phone acts as a backup/quit reading the paper alarm so I actually get out of bed on time.
Jumped up at 3:30 am 6 days a week for 35 years. Retired now. No alarm clock and I love it. Don’t have to go to bed before it gets dark either. Lol
I’m retired so use an alarm only when I have to. Getting somewhere on time is whenever I get there.
I retired and retired my alarm
If I don’t get up I’ll sleep all day. Especially since moving from the RV into a house with a yard for the dog…he doesn’t have to wake me up at 6 anymore. The alarm goes off at 8 and we go to the dog park so I can walk my two miles + and he can romp with his friends.