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"I set my alarm, but I didn't hear it and couldn't wake up in the morning." Many people may have had such an experience. These waking up problems can be caused by various factors, such as sleep disorders, irregular lifestyle habits, and physical health issues.
This article explains in detail the causes of not hearing your alarm, how to improve your sleep environment, and solutions utilizing the latest sleep technology, all to help you achieve a healthy morning.
Reasons You Can't Hear Your Alarm
There are several reasons why you might not hear your alarm.
Sleep Deprivation
Even if you think you are getting enough sleep mentally, your body may be suffering from a lack of sleep (rest). In such cases, even if you secure sufficient sleep hours, the sleep might be shallow, preventing proper rest.
Generally, a healthy amount of sleep is said to be 6 to 8 hours, but this is just a guideline. There are individual differences depending on age, lifestyle, and constitution, so it is important to find the appropriate sleep duration that suits you.
Also, if you want to know more about ideal sleep duration, please refer to the article below.
How much sleep is ideal? How to find and ensure optimal sleep duration
Low Blood Pressure
Low blood pressure refers to a state where the pressure of blood flowing through the arteries against the blood vessel walls is low, and a decrease in blood pressure reduces the blood supply to various organs.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) global standards, low blood pressure is defined as a systolic blood pressure of 100mmHg or less and a diastolic blood pressure of 60mmHg or less.
As a result of low blood pressure, symptoms such as difficulty waking up and being unable to move your body immediately even when the alarm rings may appear.
This symptom is particularly common in women, who often take a long time to get ready in the morning. Those who self-identify as having low blood pressure and being slow in the morning need to establish regular sleep habits, get moderate exercise, and take measures such as setting the alarm early to slowly get up in the morning.
Depression
While depression is generally known to cause insomnia, it can also manifest as excessive sleepiness or hypersomnia, where long periods of sleep continue.
This is due to a decrease in motivation, increased fatigue, and a disrupted body clock caused by depression. It is not uncommon for individuals to continue feeling fatigued despite sleeping longer than usual.
Long Sleeper Constitution
Long sleepers, whose bodies inherently require more sleep, need a greater amount of sleep than the average person.
Therefore, if they don't go to bed early the night before, they may not get enough sleep, making it difficult to wake up the next morning and potentially interfering with their daytime activities.
For more information on long sleepers, please see the article below.
Am I a Long Sleeper? Characteristics, Causes, Diagnostic Methods, and Cures
Side Effects of Medication
Long-acting sleeping pills can have effects that persist until the next morning, meaning their action may still be present in the morning.
As a result, even if the alarm clock rings, you may not be able to wake up feeling refreshed, making it difficult to get out of bed or interfering with morning activities.
Illnesses that may be linked to not hearing your alarm
If you sleep through a loud alarm, it might not just be oversleeping or lack of sleep, but could indicate underlying conditions such as Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome or Circadian Rhythm Sleep Disorder.
Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome
Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome is a sleep rhythm disorder where the body clock is disrupted by light stimulation at night, causing the bedtime and wake-up time to be later than usual.
Even if there are important exams or work appointments, individuals cannot wake up, causing serious impacts on daily life, such as affecting their studies or work.
This syndrome is known to occur frequently from adolescence to young adulthood, and it is a disease that can significantly disrupt the lives of younger generations.
Reference: e-Health Net | Delayed (Advanced) Sleep Phase Syndrome
Circadian Rhythm Sleep Disorder
Circadian rhythm sleep disorder is a condition where there is a problem with the body's internal clock's regulation of sleep-wake cycles.
The human body clock, like body temperature fluctuations, the autonomic nervous system, the endocrine hormone system, and the immune and metabolic systems, is controlled by a circadian rhythm that operates on approximately a 24-hour cycle.
Normally, the human body clock runs on an approximately 25-hour cycle, but when it cannot properly synchronize with the external 24-hour cycle, the sleep and wake rhythm becomes disrupted, leading to various sleep-related problems.
Reference: e-Health Net | Circadian Rhythm Sleep Disorder
Orthostatic Dysregulation
This is a condition caused by a decrease in autonomic nervous system function, leading to inadequate blood supply to the entire body and brain when standing up.
In a healthy state, when standing up, the sympathetic nervous system activates, increasing venous return to the heart and maintaining blood pressure. However, if this function declines, waking up in the morning becomes significantly difficult.
In severe cases, individuals may experience such severe difficulty waking up that they cannot even recognize the alarm sound. A characteristic of this condition is that symptoms tend to improve gradually in the afternoon.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Obstructive Sleep Apnea is one of the most common types of sleep apnea syndrome, with an estimated over 9 million patients in Japan.
However, due to a lack of self-awareness of symptoms, fewer than 500,000 patients are actually receiving treatment.
Obstructive sleep apnea is primarily caused by obesity or enlarged tonsils. When the upper airway is blocked, breathing temporarily stops during sleep, causing frequent awakenings at night and shallow sleep.
As a result, adequate rest is not obtained, and symptoms such as difficulty waking up in the morning appear.
Reference: The Japanese Society of Internal Medicine | II. Epidemiology of Sleep Apnea Syndrome (SAS)
Periodic Limb Movement Disorder
Periodic limb movement disorder is a sleep-related movement disorder often seen in combination with restless legs syndrome. During the night, the legs periodically twitch, causing individuals to wake up or experience shallow sleep.
As a result, they don't feel well-rested, and daytime sleepiness and fatigue increase, affecting daily life.
This disorder is also characterized by an increased risk of onset with age. Most people are unaware of their leg movements during sleep and often only become aware of them after being pointed out by family or partners.
Periodic limb movement disorder often develops with underlying conditions such as iron deficiency anemia or kidney failure, and dopamine production disorder due to iron deficiency is known to be one of the causes.
REM Sleep Behavior Disorder
REM sleep is a light sleep state where dreaming occurs. Normally, during REM sleep, body muscles are relaxed, and movement is suppressed.
However, in REM sleep behavior disorder, this muscle suppression mechanism does not function properly, and the content of dreams is acted out as actual physical movements.
When symptoms are pronounced, individuals may talk loudly in their sleep in response to dreams, make gestures as if reaching for something, or engage in violent actions such as punching or kicking. If it becomes severe, there is a risk of injury to the individual or their sleeping partner, so early intervention is necessary.
Reference: e-Health Net | REM Sleep Behavior Disorder
How to Improve When You Can't Hear Your Alarm
Here are six tips for when you can't hear your alarm clock.
- Avoid using smartphones before bed
- Get sunlight in the morning
- Review your diet
- Incorporate moderate exercise
- Set alarms in two stages
- Improve your sleep environment with bedding, etc.
Avoid Using Smartphones Before Bed
Exposure to light stimulation (blue light) from screens of smartphones and computers at night can disrupt the body's internal clock, hindering a healthy sleep cycle.
Therefore, to promote a comfortable awakening, it is important to avoid using light-emitting devices before bed and maintain the normal functioning of your body clock.
Get Sunlight in the Morning
Morning sunlight helps regulate the body's internal clock and awakens the brain. By creating an environment where morning sun naturally enters, you can wake up more smoothly.
Bathing in morning light also helps reset the body's internal clock, making it a recommended method for establishing a healthy sleep rhythm.
However, when leaving curtains open at bedtime, crime prevention risks should also be considered, so attention must be paid to window locking and security measures.
Review Your Diet
Eating breakfast activates internal organs and awakens the body and brain.
Furthermore, allowing at least three hours between dinner and bedtime prevents digestive activity from affecting sleep quality, leading to better sleep and, consequently, improved morning awakenings.
Incorporate Moderate Exercise
It is recommended to start with about three times a week for 30 minutes to one hour per session, at a comfortable pace.
However, engaging in intense exercise from the start can overstimulate the sympathetic nervous system and have the opposite effect, so it's important to maintain a moderate intensity.
Also, avoid strenuous exercise within one hour before bedtime, as it can negatively impact sleep quality and quantity.
If you're too busy to exercise, try incorporating movement into your daily life, such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator or walking short distances.
Other ways to improve sleep quality are introduced in the article below. Please refer to it.
How to Improve Sleep Quality? Explaining How Quality is Determined and Causes of Decline
Set Alarms in Two Stages
By setting two alarms with an interval of about 20 minutes between the first and second, there is a higher chance of waking up during REM sleep, which is a state of light sleep.
Waking up during REM sleep makes it relatively easier to get out of bed, making this an effective method for waking up.
Improve Your Sleep Environment with Bedding, etc.
To ensure comfortable sleep, it is important to arrange your bedroom environment. Maintaining appropriate temperature and humidity can improve sleep quality.
Also, choosing bedding that suits your body type and sleeping posture can create a comfortable sleep environment, which in turn improves morning awakenings.
Try Using Sleep Apps and Sleep Clocks
Various sleep apps and specialized sleep alarms have been developed for those who have trouble hearing their alarm.
With the recent development of IoT devices, functions that analyze sleep cycles and prompt waking at the optimal timing, and tools that visualize sleep quality to improve the sleep environment, are becoming widespread.
By utilizing these, more effective awakenings can be expected.
The latest sleep apps are introduced in the article below, so please make use of them.
【Latest 2024】How to Choose a Truly Useful Sleep App
Solve Your Problem of Not Hearing Your Alarm by Improving Your Lifestyle and Sleep Environment
The problem of not hearing your alarm can often be improved by reviewing daily lifestyle habits and establishing an appropriate sleep environment.
Avoid using your smartphone before bed, utilize morning sunlight, and incorporate moderate exercise into your routine. Furthermore, by creating a comfortable bedroom environment, you can promote natural awakening.
By striving for lifestyle improvements in your daily life, you can enjoy a healthy awakening and a fulfilling morning.
Brain Sleep offers recommended items to improve sleep quality, so please take a look.
Improve Sleep Quality and Wake Up Refreshed! 4 Recommended Brain Sleep Items
Brain Sleep sells items that can be easily incorporated into daily life for those who suffer from sleep problems. Please check them out if you are interested.
