Trouble waking up

[Exian]

I've had trouble waking up my entire life and I'm sick of it. I'm sick of making excuses for missing appointments or being late for work. I'm sick of waking up furious that I didn't hear my alarm while I was out cold, and that it's my fault and always being apologetic. It's a bit like living in an African tribe while the whole world blames you for Greece's economy- "Wait a minute, I wasn't in charge. I wasn't even there!"

People call me a night owl, but that isn't even it. Give me long enough, like a few months, and I'll be a morning lark again once I've come full circle. I feel like my body's days are longer than 24 hours, because this shit isn't adding up. For almost my entire adult life, my remedy has been 3rd shift jobs (because even 2nd shift is pushing it) and afternoon appointments, but since around March I've had a 1st shift job and I've been late twice already due to me not hearing my alarm, and when I'm on time it's in the nick of time. I feel that it's getting out of my control.

I've observed other people's lives and how they carry on and handle life, and things like waking up at early times don't seem to phase them. They just carry on with their day on short sleep- "Oh, I better get home. I have to wake up in four hours." How!?! For me, if I push it into the night, I know I won't wake up. I don't care if you set a bomb off next to me, I won't hear it. And the problem is I don't fall asleep well either, so it's an inevitability. If I have to wake up in 3-4 hours, sometimes as much as 6, I just won't go to sleep. I can't risk it.

I also seem to be in the minority, if not the only damn person with this problem. A problem that I consider extremely serious and one that has made my life very difficult going back to my school days.

So, do any of you have this problem? Do you have any advice?

[vorlon13]

I work from home quite a bit, and get up when I have to pee.

I try not to schedule stuff in the morning.

If I have a free afternoon, good chance I'll take a nap too.

[Exian]

I envy people who somehow work from home. I wouldn't have the slightest idea how to even get a foot in that door. I've never had employable computer skills.

I'm not a napper either. I used to be, but that was a sure fire way to give me sleep paralysis later that night.

[Minimalist]

Ahhhhhhh!   Naps.

[Thumpalumpacus]

I used to have a problem with tardiness. I solved it with a loud, obnoxious alarm clock that I placed across my bedroom so I had to get out of bed to touch snooze.

[Jackalope]

I have struggled with that and other sleep issues. If you can, seeing a medical sleep specialist might be what's needed. I don't even want to speculate what may be the case with you, but its possibly a treatable condition.

[Losty]

I feel like the OP actually just described my life.

[SteelCurtain]

The Sonic Boom Alarm Clock with 12V Bed Shaker is here to save you.

Try sleeping through that bitch. 113dB. A Circular Saw from 3' away is about 110dB.

[Losty]

The Sonic Boom Alarm Clock with 12V Bed Shaker is here to save you.

Try sleeping through that bitch. 113dB. A Circular Saw from 3' away is about 110dB.

This "alarm clock" sounds like it could be more fun if used while awake.

[Athene]

Shift work can screw you up good, no doubt. I suffer from severe insomnia and wind up collapsing into a deep, coma-like sleep after 4-6 hours total sleep over 3 or 4 days. Oddly enough, I was only late to work 1 day in my entire life (about a month ago). Now I set my alarm clock for 6 AND my cellphone alarms to 6:00, 6:02, 6:03, 6:05 and 6:07. It guarantees that I won't simply turn off my alarm in haze of semi-consciousness. It's too confusing to turn off all the alarms and the continual, annoying disruptions force me awake, even on coma days.