When you wake before your alarm

How to use a little found time

Many of us wake, most days, to an alarm clock. We have to get up for work or to get kids off to school. Even on weekends there might be activities or worship services to attend. We don’t want to sleep through these things, or at least we decide it would be better if we didn’t, so we set an alarm.

But if you have good sleep habits, you might not always wind up needing your alarm. I tend to believe that a good sleep goal is to get enough sleep, each night, that you’re not constantly working to erase a debt. This means getting to bed at a time, each night, that allows for your daily sleep requirement before you need to wake up.

So, for instance, if you need 7.5 hours of sleep, and you need to wake up at 6:30 a.m. on weekday mornings, then you need to be sleeping by 11:00 p.m. That means turning out the lights somewhere between 10:30 and 11:00 p.m.

But if you do that consistently, an interesting thing can start to occur. Some nights you’ll fall asleep at, say, 10:45 p.m. If you need 7.5 hours of sleep, and you aren’t working off a sleep debt, you will likely start drifting awake closer to 6:15 a.m. on those mornings. You will be up before your alarm.

Unexpected availability

Now, obviously, there are other reasons people wake before their alarms than that they’ve gotten all the sleep they need. Trust me, my babies have rendered alarms unnecessary for a great many years of my life. Sometimes neighbors or other housemates make noise, or we can be woken by light or traffic. Or you just really have to go to the bathroom! Those wake-ups aren’t always so awesome. But when you start drifting up on your own, naturally, this can provide a chance to do a few things.

First, congratulate yourself. You are winning on the sleep front! It might also be useful information. I used to think I needed 8 hours of sleep a night, but thanks to time tracking, I now know that over the long term I average between 7.3-7.4 hours per day. That explains why, when I get into bed at 11 p.m. on weekends, I will often wake up at 6:22 a.m. You might discover something similar, which can keep you from feeling anxious about not getting 8 hours (not all adults need 8 hours; many people land somewhere between 7-8).

And then, give some thought to how you might use this before your alarm time. Like any unexpected time, it can be easy to spend mindlessly. And on some level that’s OK. Many of us do the same scrolling that we would have done the night before, only now we’re doing it well-rested instead of doing it to put off sleep. It’s not great, but at least there’s no collateral damage.

A delightfully groggy state

But you might try doing a few other things. First, lie there and enjoy your cozy bed. A groggy morning state can be a wonderful mix between dream land and real life. We don’t necessarily experience that state much but it can bring on some great ideas.

If it’s getting light out you might get up and watch the sunrise. You might quietly enjoy a few minutes before your household is up. Get a cup of coffee, read a book, or do some creative or planning work. It might help to have a book right by your bed, or to read an ebook that’s on your phone so you don’t have to get up and go find it. If it works, you could quickly get dressed and go outside for a morning walk. You’ll have time for the shower and such later — remember, you’re up before your alarm — so this can be a bonus time for experiencing the new day.

Honestly, anything that makes the morning feel special is great. But it does help to think about this, because as you build good sleep habits, this time will start appearing more regularly. Like any time, we want to enjoy it, and start the day right.