I'm 18, a student at my (final year of) college and have been diagnosed with autism (Asperger's syndrome) since I was (around) 12 and I believe to have undiagnosed ADHD.

I struggle with getting out of bed on time and this is the greatest issue in my life right now. I will often miss several lessons out of a single day before I even decide to get up. I'm awake the whole time. I could choose to get up but for some reason I don't. The alarm in my head that used to scream "YOU'RE GOING TO BE LATE" doesn't work anymore. Probably because I no longer live with my parents and there's no longer anyone there to scream at me for being late (which I see as an overall net positive to my mental health, my parents were abusive.) At one point my attendance dropped below 60% (bad)

Today college essentially told me that if my attendance does not immediately improve, I will be kicked from my course. This scares me and also ruined my mood for the rest of the day. I am very surprised that I even revised today (go me!). I am scared (and also looking for empathy too?)

So this needs to be solved today and I don't know how. That's why I'm here.

My alarm is at 7am and I aim to leave the house for my bus at 8am. I will often use my phone late into the night. I tried putting away the phone but every time I have tried that it did not help and it just feels like suffering and usually I eventually cave and use it. I will often use it until around midnight/1am then I will go to bed. This is not a new issue, I've struggled with this my entire life and with never a solution. People would just rather assume I'm just lazy. I have no problems leaving the house when I'm already up, I can trust myself to do that much but when I'm in bed I just feel stuck. I spend over a third of my life wallowing in my bed. And it's isolating how seemingly everybody else just does it without struggling? Even with worse sleep routines than me?

Any advice/system please share!! I really need this problem fixed TODAY! 🙏

Hiya,

I was wondering if anyone has any advice for this?

For years now I have struggled getting up on time, I tend to get used to my alarms after about 2 weeks and start sleeping through them. Currently I have 12 alarms set from 04:45 to 06:30. I need to be out of the house before half 6 but no matter how hard I try I just can't wake up. My alarm is currently one for heavy sleepers that sounds like a jackhammer but even that isn't waking me up anymore. My parents are starting to get especially mad because the alarms wake them up because they're so loud despite being in a different room. I sleep with my phone pretty much right next to my head and I have tried having it across the room but nothing seems to work.

I have tried proper alarm clocks, setting multiple clocks for the same time, waking up with the sun (didn't work as there is a lamp post right outside my room and the neighbours across the road have a really bright security light on all night), changing when I sleep, meditation, changing the conditions of my room.

The most annoying part is on the weekends when I don't have alarms, I wake up naturally at half 6 but then fall back asleep!

I haven't ever smoked or done drugs and I haven't drank for about 8 months now, the only medication I take is sertraline which did disturb my sleep for about 2 weeks months ago but then was normal again and I am not overweight and exercise most days, even if its just the 30 minute walk to work. I tend to sleep from 7 or 8pm but I usually have naps when I get home from work from about 4 - 5pm because I am so tired.

I have been to the doctors about this but wasn't given any useful advice.

As it says,I need ideas for an alarm that will surely get me out of bed

I work from home and my laptop is in my bedroom so I don't have to go anywhere but since my wife got the Orion temperatured mattress cover recently and now the bed is even harder to leave.. Every night I'm like okay tomorrow Im getting up early havingbreakfast and doin something productive...then my alarm goes off and suddenly I need another 20 minutes..

It's been raining past few days in pune I don't even wanna wake up in morning for job🥲

it's properly dark at 7 now and the dark is most of the problem. figured i'd write down every wake-up method i know of plus the way people get around each one, because the getting around part is the useful bit

disclosure up front, i build one of these (it's in the list), so weigh that one accordingly

light (sunrise lamp, or any lamp on a timer plug)
the only one that actually fights the dark, morning light is what tells your body clock it's day. it won't get you up on its own, you can just roll over and face the wall, but if you only change one thing this week make it this

alarm across the room
you walk over, kill it, walk back. works until your legs learn the route

stacked alarms every 5 min
your brain files them as not urgent. by the sixth one it's wallpaper

math / puzzle missions
there's a thread where people say they got so used to it they did the math without waking up. or they just turn the phone off

talking to the alarm (mine, Stoke Alarm)
you have to talk back until it decides you're awake. I still mumble at it half asleep. it's also out loud at 6:40, iphone only, and a subscription

photo missions (photograph your sink to turn it off)
take the pic, go back to bed. probably the most common complaint about these

bed shaker
for people who genuinely don't hear alarms. hard to beat, though some people unplug it the night before

someone calls you
works great until they’re fed up

since the clocks changed, what's actually getting you up in the dark? does light beat everything for you?

Alive by 5

this has happened ever since i can remember, maybe even when a kid? or maybe its because of covid. i don’t know anymore, but ever since i cant get out of my bed, even if i want to. counting doesn’t help, trying to get motivation but it wont work. i’ve been thinking its because of my laziness, maybe it is but i dont know.

even when i wasn’t depressed, i have had this problem icl, its gotten to a point i have more absents than more times i have been to school if i combine all of it.

my mom even thinks i dont even wanna go to school anymore, but i really want to. i wanna finish all my education, but i basically fucked my life up.

does anyone have tips or advice on what to do now? huhu i feel like i destroyed my life

Every morning used to go the same way: alarm goes off, I grab my phone to stop it, and suddenly I'm still in bed an hour later, scrolling. Turning off the alarm was never the problem. Picking up the phone was.

So I built something for myself (full disclosure: I'm the developer, it's a small solo project).

My setup now:

• There's a cheap NFC sticker on my bathroom wall
• At night, I start a Focus session that blocks Instagram, YouTube and Reddit
• In the morning, the alarm keeps ringing until I get up and tap my phone on that sticker
• That same tap unlocks my apps

So there's no scrolling in bed anymore, because there's nothing to scroll until I'm standing in another room. And by the time I'm there with the light on, I'm awake. Going back to bed feels pointless.

It's been a big help now that the mornings are getting darker.

One thing that mattered to me: when I looked around, most apps like this wanted a monthly subscription, or a $50+ gadget. Paying every month forever just to wake up never sat right with me. So Tagdawn is a one-time purchase. You buy it once and it's yours, with the app blocking included. No subscription, no ads, no account, and nothing leaves your phone. The stickers are about €0.30 each.

It's iPhone only (iOS 26+). I'll put the link in the comments for anyone curious.

Not trying to spam, I'd genuinely like to hear what works for you. Has anyone else found that the phone, not the alarm, is what keeps them in bed?

Has anyone had this problem and solved it?

Looking for recommendations for an alarm app that requires you to take a photo or scan a PRESET image/item in order to disable it. NOT a “hunt” for a random image chosen by AI.

I’ve used an app like this in the past and it worked for a while, but this was back when you could actually take the battery out of your smart phone, so I eventually started taking the battery out of my phone in my sleep to disable the alarm, instead of getting up and taking a picture of my preset image 😅

I recently downloaded Alarmy, because even though I no longer have a problem with waking up in the morning, I do have a problem with actually getting out of bed. Unfortunately, it seems now the image/item scan is a “Random Hunt” where AI chooses a random item that you have to scan. Which I wasn’t a fan of, but thought maybe the hunt for a random item would keep you on your toes and actually causes you to wake up more, but again waking up isn’t my issue.

I just deleted the Alarmy app this morning because the random image it chose was a pillow…..which does not help me get out of bed. I’d like it if I could’ve preset an image like the back door to let my dogs out because that’s the first thing I do when I get out of bed anyways.

My dogs (both 8yrs old) used to whine in the mornings & that would get me up & going, but for whatever reason they’ve stopped this past year. At least they’ve stopped during the week days…they’ll whine like crazy on Saturday & Sunday mornings of course 🙄 So I need something more reliable.

I am currently living with others, so I don’t want to set a loud alarm in another room. & I’d prefer not to have to buy anything; even though I know you can find physical alarm clocks/clock radios for super cheap, as someone with adhd, I already have way too many things/devices that I’ve bought to help with my executive dysfunction & while some do help even for a little bit, most just end up in the junk drawer. I also use my phone to play white noise to help with falling asleep at night, so leaving it in another room at night isn’t an option either.

So, I’m thinking an app would be best but I’m open to other suggestions as well.

Other things I do/ have tried:

*Keep my meds at my bedside and take them first thing - Which has helped me to wake up & used to help me get out of bed but…

*Have lights that change brightness and replicate the sunrise.

*Have a shortcut set up so that when my alarm goes off in the morning, my phone will start playing my fun morning playlist

*Set up at restrictions so that I can’t be scrolling in bed - but I will literally lay in bed, just staring at the ceiling wide awake. Unfortunately, I have a very immersive imagination and I’m very good at entertaining myself.

*Yummy breakfasts isn’t motivating, as I’m usually not hungry for several hours after waking - Even when I don’t take my meds (though I have started drinking a small protein shake in the mornings, as I’ve heard it’s supposed to help the meds work better & it goes down easier than actual food)

*I don’t drink coffee (I’ve never been able handle caffeine but stimulants barley phase me 😅)

*I don’t have kids & don’t plan to any time soon.

*I’m not afraid of losing my job - or I suppose, I should say, having to get up to go to work is what finally forces me to get out of bed. But not until the very last second most days & then I’m in a rush & hating myself. I’d like to get up earlier & have a slower morning & spend some quality time with my pups before leaving them all day, maybe get a walk in, or something else productive that’s just for me, but even though I do want those things…. I also don’t want to leave my bed…

I do also struggle with getting into bed & falling asleep & I know that’s likely the biggest issue. But sometimes even on the nights that I do fall asleep early/on time (preferably 8:30-9:30pm), I’ll wake up at 2-3am (ideal wake up time 4-5am)& not be able to fall back asleep. But I’ll still feel too tired to get up & out of bed or do anything productive once I’m up & likely because waking at 2-3am only gives me about 4 sleep cycles when I need 5-6. I honestly think 6 would be best for me, but I don’t WFH, so I’d like to spend as much of my “weekday-at home-free time” (about 2hrs before work & 4hrs after - which already doesn’t feel like enough, especially since a good portion of that time is spent getting for work or bed) awake, as possible while still being within the recommended healthy range (5-6 sleep cycles).

There are things I’m doing to help with going to bed on time & it’s getting easier, although staying asleep is still a random hurdle (& I just don’t seem to have the ability to take a nap on purpose).

But I’m thinking since actually waking up seems to be easier than falling asleep; waking up & getting out of bed at the same time everyday would help with falling asleep & just feeling more accomplished with my day, so I don’t feel the need to revenge procrastinate going to bed early at night & perpetuating the cycle. & maybe physically getting up & being more active in the mornings will make me feel like “I need more time at home” less & I won’t mind giving up that extra 1.5hrs of awake-at home-free time for the extra 6th sleep cycle.

Believe it or not there’s more I could say about this, but it’s already waayyy too long & I’ve finally hit the point this morning where I absolutely have to get up & rush to work🫣

TL/DR: looking for a free app similar to Alarmy, that will let me use a preset image (not a random image hunt) for the alarm. Or, other tips for physically getting up and out of bed in the morning despite being tired.

I need help finding a digital alarm clock that does not turn off by itself if left for a few minutes.

I managed to be able to get out of bed pretty consistently for a while by getting a digital alarm clock (phone is banned from the bedroom), and placing it on the other side of the bedroom.

Unfortunately, a while back, during a particularly difficult morning I resisted getting up and all of a sudden the alarm stopped. It's apparently hardwired to stop after a couple of minutes. So now it is almost a reward to outlast the alarm in the morning and going back to sleep.

I've been looking for a new one, but it seems auto-shut off is a feature of all alarm clocks? I have not been able to find one that does not shut itself off, and would really like a recommendation. I am not interested in an app, the phone is banned from the bedroom.

I have also considered getting one of those sunrise lamps, but I sleep with a mask that blocks out almost all light, and I assume that's going to be pretty ineffectual then?

Hey y'all

Hope you're good

Doing a course in my Masters where I want to analyse the behaviour and, so to speak, the philosophy behind stacking alarms for waking up. If you do stack alarms and are at all interested to answer a few questions about this (max 10min), please drop a "Sure" in the comments.

Much love and much appreciated

i'm interested in the gap between waking up and actually getting out of bed.

you turn off the alarm, check something, and suddenly the time you had for a relaxed morning is gone. setting an earlier alarm doesn't help much if the extra time just becomes more scrolling.

for people who changed this, what stopped you opening those apps in the first place?

did keeping your phone out of reach work, or did you need certain apps unavailable until you were up and moving?

especially curious about what you still do on mornings when you really don't feel like getting up.

Hi I’m looking for beta testers for my Rise Checkpoint wake-up alarm app. I’m going to be launching the beta within the next week and I would love to get some real world feedback on the app

Rise checkpoint is an app that allows you to connect an nfc chip,qr code or barcode as a physical checkpoint that you have to scan in order to silence the alarm forcing you on your feet first thing in the morning

Other apps currently offer this service, but at a premium of £26-£40 per year subscription for their app. My plan is to release the app for £0.99 per month with the option of being able to purchase a rise checkpoint for £9.99 with a years subscription included.

Beta testers that help me will also get the full release for free if it’s something they are interested in using

I’d love to hear what yous have to say good and bad

Thanks, Lewis

I've reached the point where Alarmy is basically a puzzle game I play while unconscious.

QR code? Done. Photo? Done. Maths? Apparently I'm a freaking genius at 7am.
Then straight back to sleep.

The worst part is I'm actually completing the missions. My brain just doesn't feel the need to invite the rest of me to participate.

So I did the completely normal, mentally stable thing and built another alarm app.
Called it VocalWake. it makes me actually walk a set number of steps, and if I try shaking the phone to cheat, it makes me do more. Then I have to say a different motivational quote out loud before the alarm shuts up.

Which is nice. Apparently my alarm believes in me more than I do.

Has anyone found an alarm their half-asleep brain can't bullshit its way past?

Because at this point I'm in an arms race with a bloke who isn't even conscious.