Get a smart light. Schedule it to turn on before your alarm. The best is gradual over 30-60 minutes, ending at full brightness, but just turning it on halfway five minutes before your alarm is also way better than nothing.
Other things helped–like drinking half a liter of water before going to bed so biology forces the issue–but the sunrise light was the key for me too. I set it to fade in over 10 minutes, ending 10 minutes before my alarm goes off. I used to set alarms in three minute increments and still take an hour to get up. Now I’m usually up with the first alarm, and much more alert.
Get a smart light. Schedule it to turn on before your alarm. The best is gradual over 30-60 minutes, ending at full brightness, but just turning it on halfway five minutes before your alarm is also way better than nothing.
Other things helped–like drinking half a liter of water before going to bed so biology forces the issue–but the sunrise light was the key for me too. I set it to fade in over 10 minutes, ending 10 minutes before my alarm goes off. I used to set alarms in three minute increments and still take an hour to get up. Now I’m usually up with the first alarm, and much more alert.
Unfortunately this stops working as you get older and your bladder decides 3:30am is a good time to wake up.
Placement is key. You want to make sure it’s close enough to still wake you, while far enough that you can’t turn it off without getting out of bed.