Does anyone use a wake-up light/clock? Looking for recommendations for dd

[samba]

My dd15 has a difficult time getting out of bed in the morning.  It's one of our few areas of conflict.  She will get up, walk across the room, turn off her alarm clock and go back to sleep.  She doesn't even remember doing it.

 

We have mornings when sleeping until she's ready to get up isn't an option.  Would a wake-up light help?  Does  anyone use one of these?  Do you have any brand recommendations?  I'd rather not spend $200 on something like this but if it really helps, I might be willing.  I don't understand not being able to just.get.up.  I've always been an early riser with no alarm (ds is the same way).  I'd like to remove this stress from our school year, if possible.  Thanks!

[mom2bee]

I use multiple alarms scattered around my room, all set to go off within 2-5 minutes of each other. If I think I'll sleep very hard, I also set up an alarm outside my room.

 

My phone is very useful because I can set several alarms + alarm clock + computer alarm + screaming meanie + back up alarm clock.

 

I've gotten to the point where the first alarm wakes me up and then I use the next several alarms to pace myself through the morning even though I'm groggy/tired.

1st  alarm Wake up

2nd alarm stretch + pace

3rd  alarm wash face + brush teeth,

4 -- get in the shower

5 -- put on a load of laundry + get dressed

6 -- begin waking up others (yes, my family of heavy sleepers mostly sleep through the alarms)

 

The from the 1st to the 7th alarm is about 30 minutes. After I do all that, I'm reliably awake during the day.

 

[vonfirmath]

The thing that helped me get up was an alarm where 1) I could set two alarms. The first started rousing me. and 2) The alarm got louder and louder until turned off.

[samba]

She has two alarms which she sets most of the time.  I was trying to think of something other than sound alarms because they are so startling.  I had hoped that a light would help her to gradually wake and feel more ready to get up.

[KungFuPanda]

What if you had one of those timers like people use for Christmas lights and used it with a a bright lamp, or even one of those happy lamps people use to get though winter? As a non-morning person and heavy sleeper, please try to understand that this isn't a discipline issue. Yes, she'll have to learn to manage it, but it's HARD starting out the day with dread. I survived the Army, so it can be done successfully, but I never ever turned into a morning person.

 

If I go on trips with my morning-person friends I see them struggling to be human at night, so there is a flip side to this.

[samba]

What if you had one of those timers like people use for Christmas lights and used it with a a bright lamp, or even one of those happy lamps people use to get though winter? As a non-morning person and heavy sleeper, please try to understand that this isn't a discipline issue. Yes, she'll have to learn to manage it, but it's HARD starting out the day with dread. I survived the Army, so it can be done successfully, but I never ever turned into a morning person.

 

If I go on trips with my morning-person friends I see them struggling to be human at night, so there is a flip side to this.

Yes, you're right.  I know it isn't a discipline issue.  She's compliant in every other area (except maybe keeping a clean room).  So, I understand it's difficult for her.  The alarm makes her miserable.  Even when she gets up, she is clearly not ready to be functional.  That's why I'm looking for another, possibly gentler solution.  I had considered a timer on one of those SAD lights.  I'll look again.

 

I'm one who struggles to be human at night...I get it.  If I had no desire to spend time with my family, I'd be in bed by 9-9:30.

[KungFuPanda]

Yes, you're right. I know it isn't a discipline issue. She's compliant in every other area (except maybe keeping a clean room). So, I understand it's difficult for her. The alarm makes her miserable. Even when she gets up, she is clearly not ready to be functional. That's why I'm looking for another, possibly gentler solution. I had considered a timer on one of those SAD lights. I'll look again.

 

I'm one who struggles to be human at night...I get it. If I had no desire to spend time with my family, I'd be in bed by 9-9:30.

I think I could wake up easier if someone brought me a cup of tea in the morning and made sure I was upright and holding it before leaving the room. I can't get anyone here on board with this plan :-/ A TV/laptop tuned to a show I like might be nice too so I can watch and sip. ("Where's my chai wallah?" is a common phrase at this house.) The trouble is, I'm not all the way awake when I wake up. It's a gradual gearing up over the course of an hour. When DS and DH open their eyes in the morning, they are as wide awake as they'll be all day. This fascinates me. I also need more sleep than them. They're good with 7 hours. Dd is more like me.

[klmama]

To help her get in the habit of getting up earlier and going to bed earlier, could you help her transition in the a.m. by opening her door and turning on her light a little while before she needs to be up?  Then, once she is up, she should get outside for some full daylight. 

[happi duck]

What if you had one of those timers like people use for Christmas lights and used it with a a bright lamp, or even one of those happy lamps people use to get though winter? As a non-morning person and heavy sleeper, please try to understand that this isn't a discipline issue. Yes, she'll have to learn to manage it, but it's HARD starting out the day with dread. I survived the Army, so it can be done successfully, but I never ever turned into a morning person.

 

If I go on trips with my morning-person friends I see them struggling to be human at night, so there is a flip side to this.

Well said!

[happi duck]

I've considered trying a light but I wonder if it works if it isn't dark.

 

I've always been a night owl and alarms give me an adrenaline rush and a headache. It's a terrible way to start the day.

 

I also don't sleep well the night before a morning appointment because I'm afraid of oversleeping. :(

 

I have always relied on kind family members to wake me.

[73349]

I have one, and it truly does help, but also it works best when

• I went to bed early enough,
• I fell asleep soon enough (I really do best with 9 hours), which a meditation CD helps with,
• DH brings me a cup of coffee, and
• I head directly for the shower.

 

The problem with timers for lights is that they switch on with a loud click. The gradual, silent light is much better. They are expensive, though.

I was much better at getting up when I would wake up hungry at 6 AM every day. That hasn't happened much since DS weaned.

[vonfirmath]

To help her get in the habit of getting up earlier and going to bed earlier, could you help her transition in the a.m. by opening her door and turning on her light a little while before she needs to be up?  Then, once she is up, she should get outside for some full daylight. 

 

This sounds very similar to how I wake up my 4 year old.  She's pretty grumpy when she gets up. So the first thing I do is turn on the hall light, stand in her door and call her name.  Then I walk away.  IF she hasn't come out in a few minutes I go back in and rub her back, encourage her to get up in other physical ways.  She's only 4 and I don't think an alarm would work at all considering she's slept through several smoke alarms going off outside her door!

 

But I remember my mom waking me up sometimes as a kid by singing. (And remember fondly)

[Hypatia.]

My husband got one a couple years ago, it seemed to help him (though he still has problems with staying up too late). I need to start using it myself because I'm having a really hard time getting going in the mornings.

 

This is the one we have:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0093162RM

[marbel]

We have one one those light alarms.  I think it works fine.  The light gets brighter and brighter as it gets closer to wakeup time.  Then, birds start chirping. They get louder and more insistent as time goes on. 

 

My husband got it to replace the clock radio. That worked fine for us too, but it was set to NPR so it was easy to justify lying there to hear news stories that were neither meaningful nor useful to us.  The chirping birds get annoying pretty quickly. 

 

It might not help your daughter though.  I think some people are just harder to wake up.  Not because they want to be difficult; it's just hard.

 

We paid about $90 for it in 2011 (I checked Amazon); the  one that replaced it is about $135.  That's a lot of money (in my opinion) for an alarm clock, but if it works, it works.

 

 

[Daria]

If simply having a light on helps her wake up, wouldn't turning on her light half an hour before you need her up work?  

My son is similar in that he can be very hard to rouse, but he sleeps through alarms for hours, rather than getting up.  His bed is under a window without blinds, and he can still sleep until noon easily, so I doubt that a wake up light would be the answer.  

[samba]

Right now, I'm trying to figure out what will work and preserve our relationship.  All last year, I had to go in and wake, rouse, remind, nudge, etc. repeatedly.  I would like to remove myself from the drama, if possible.  If it works, I will consider it worth the price!  If if doesn't, maybe there's a good return policy.

[forty-two]

My husband got one a couple years ago, it seemed to help him (though he still has problems with staying up too late). I need to start using it myself because I'm having a really hard time getting going in the mornings.

 

This is the one we have:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0093162RM

 

I have the same one - it was pricey but it is *awesome*.  I hated the adrenaline rush from a traditional alarm clock (and I got into the habit of hitting snooze over and over).  I can sleep through just the light when I'm really tired, though - I have to set the nature sounds to a moderate volume to ensure I wake up when the nature-sounds-alarm actually goes off, not 15-20 min later.  (I do have mine at the foot of the bed, not right by my head, so I'm not getting the full force of the light - which is quite bright fully lit in a darkish room, esp when you are right next to it - which probably affects how it wakes me.)  It's still a relaxing, calm waking up even when I sleep till the alarm, but usually I start waking up during the half-hour it's slowing lighting up, and am fairly awake by the time the nature sounds start.

[samba]

Thanks, everyone.  Please keep the recommendations coming.  We've tried many of the strategies mentioned here already and that's why I'm considering something more drastic.  I can't imagine needing an expensive wake-up device or multiple alarms.  But my problem has always been waking too early or too much; never sleeping too late...so I'm trying to see my dd's side and help her.  

 

Dd has late sports practices a few nights a week and we cannot get around that.  It throws off my routine so I'm sure it impacts her winding down in the evening.  But this has been going on for years, prior to later evening events.

[marbel]

My husband got one a couple years ago, it seemed to help him (though he still has problems with staying up too late). I need to start using it myself because I'm having a really hard time getting going in the mornings.

 

This is the one we have:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0093162RM

 

When I clicked on our order from 2011, to buy the item again, it brought me to this one.  I'm sure there have been improvements since we bought it!

[happi duck]

Right now, I'm trying to figure out what will work and preserve our relationship. All last year, I had to go in and wake, rouse, remind, nudge, etc. repeatedly. I would like to remove myself from the drama, if possible. If it works, I will consider it worth the price! If if doesn't, maybe there's a good return policy.

I'm a night owl and my mum woke me and now dh wakes me. It worked/works with no drama.

 

May I ask what you mean by drama? Are you willing to be the "alarm"? If so the two of you will need to work out and agree upon a system.

 

"It's 7:30, wake up!" is not a system.

 

I hope something works out. It's tough being a night owl in a pro-morning lark world!

 

I'll never understand you morning people!

;)

[Starr]

Some people sleep more soundly and aren't morning people but we still need to get up and go to work or feed the children etc. If she can't work out a plan to get out of bed at 15 maybe she needs to cut back on the late sports evenings. You sound like you are being generous. I would look into all the ways one can relax and fall asleep sooner. 

[samba]

Some people sleep more soundly and aren't morning people but we still need to get up and go to work or feed the children etc. If she can't work out a plan to get out of bed at 15 maybe she needs to cut back on the late sports evenings. You sound like you are being generous. I would look into all the ways one can relax and fall asleep sooner. 

I agree that she needs to learn to adapt to the "real world" to some extent.  She does get up; she does get started.  I'm trying to help with the transition.  I have no control over the evening sports other than to say, "Oh well, no sports, I guess."  I'm not wiling to do that yet because I see her trying.  I would definitely prefer that sports not end at 9:30 a half hour from home but our opportunities as homeschoolers are limited in this area.  She is a great kid and a great student (just not a fast worker; she needs all the time she can get). Wake-up time shouldn't be a hill to die on. 

[Storygirl]

Try the lighted alarm clock. I have used one for years, and it helps me, especially in the winter when it is still very dark when it's time to get up. Turning on a light (as someone suggested) does not give the same effect, because the alarm light brightens gradually. Mine doesn't make nature sounds (which would annoy me) but has a regular clock radio that switches on sometime after the light begins. I did a quick check on amazon and don't see the one I have; it is quite a few years old.

 

Another thing that used to help me during the years when it was hardest (when I had little ones waking me up in the middle of the night) was to keep a mini juice box by my bed ready to drink first thing before getting up. Having a little hit of sugar made a difference. If caffeine helps her, you could have a mini can of pop by her bedside. Since it doesn't need to be refrigerated, the juice or pop is easy to get ready the night before.

 

I'd also consider scheduling her morning so that she can have a slow and easy start to school. It doesn't need to stay slow and easy all day long; just let it start that way. Maybe let her read her literature book in bed before getting up (as long as she can do so without falling back to sleep). At least let her do something that doesn't require talking or listening to someone talk first thing in the morning. Having to talk to people right when I wake up irritates me and puts me in a bad mood.

[Beaniemom]

When I first read this my mind went to my son's alarm clock. He is deaf so it has settings for light, bed shaker, and traditional alarm sound or combinations thereof. Not the way to go if you want gentle though. On the plus side it only cost about $30.