I dont use an alarm clock any more. I just mentally tell myself when to wake up and i do? How can this be ?

Answer 1

Your brain is powerful !! I do that sometimes and I tell myself to wake up one minute before my alarm clock rings. It works pretty well -- except when I stay up too late!! LOL

Answer 2

You have a mental alarm clock. Even though you are sleeping, a part of your brain is awaiting that moment of awakening.

However, at very important times, this alarm clock may decide to take a morning off. I always wake up when I set this mental alarm, but the other morning, I caught an excursion bus just as it was leaving, with my blouse on backward, my bedhead hair, and no time for my beloved coffee.

Answer 3

Your body has a biological clock. When you get up at the same time for a while it tells your body that, that is how long you need to sleep. It'll wake you up when you've slept until then. It's the same as if you eat at the same time everyday you get hungry around that time everyday.

Answer 4

CHRONOHABITUATION

Description
Definition: Chronohabituation is a relatively common sleep-related phenomenon whereby the sleeper awakens (unaided by alarms) at the same time (typically at least 2 hours before rising for the day) on a regular basis (i.e., more than 3 times per week). For example, if a patient reports that he/she wakes up at 2:34am every morning (without an alarm), and then falls back to sleep, this phenomenon would be termed "chronohabituation".

Types
Circumscribed/"Transient": The sufferer experiences chronohabituation phenomena for less than 2 weeks on a regular basis (i.e., 3 or more times/week)
Intermittent: The sufferer experiences circumscribed chronohabituation phenomena periodically over the course of a year (i.e., 3 or more instances of circumscribed chronohabituation in a calendar year)
Chronic: The sufferer experiences intermittent chronohabituation phenomena for more than one year.
Severity
For the majority of sufferers, chronohabituation represents a curious, minor annoyance and/or topic of humorous dinner conversation. For others, however, the experience is markedly disturbing. So much so, in fact, that many have sought treatment to eliminate it.

Casusative Theories
The root cause of chronohabituation has been the subject of much debate. Convincing psychological, physiological, and spiritual explanations have been posed, but a definitive cause remains elusive. There is some evidence to suggest that certain neurotransmitters (i.e., dopamine, norepinephrine) may play a pivotal role.

Prevelance
Overall: Estimates range from ~1:250 to 1:1000
Gender: No gender difference in chronohabituation have been noted.
Children/adults Chronohabituation can present as early as a child can understand and accurately communicate time concepts.
Race: Reports of the incidence of chronohabituation does not vary significantly by race
Heritability: No data are available on the heritbility of chronohabituation. Ancedotal reports, however, seem to indicate that this phenomenon is more common among those with a first degree relative who also suffers from the condition.

Co-morbidity
Chronohabituation is more prevelent in patients with other sleep disorders (e.g., somnambulism).

Approaches to Treatment
The decision to treat or not to treat: Treatment decisions hinge largely on the extent to which the chronohabituation phenomenon disrupts good sleep hygeine. Some sufferers report difficulty falling back to sleep after they have been awakened . Others report initial insomnia (i.e., difficulty falling asleep)owing largely to anxiety regarding the chronohabituation phenomenon itself.
Medication: Anxiolytics may be appropriate for chronohabituation sufferers who experience unremitting, moderate to severe anxiety regarding their condition. Short term sedative/hypnotics (e.g., Lunesta, Ambien) are not generally recommended, and are frequently ineffective in treating this condition. This is particularly true for those who suffer with the chronic form(s).

Answer 5

It's actually self-hypnotism. It's more effective when you repeatedly tell yourself what time you need to wake up when you're very sleepy (and hence, your brain is open to suggestion). I've been doing this for years. My dad taught it to me and he learned it from my grandfather who read about it in a book many years ago. When you "program" your subconsious mind to wake up the conscious mind at a certain time, it tunes in to your biological clock, which is why you can wake up at exactly the hour you desire. :) Note: contrary to chronohabituation, this actually works for ANY hour you tell yourself to wake up, even if it means having only 3 hours of sleep instead of your usual 6-8 hours. Try it. :)

Answer 6

I use an alarm, but unless I am dreaming I always seem to wake up right before the alarm goes off...

Answer 7

It can't be.

You are getting up from habit, visual clues (i.e., light), or other biological urges are waking you up at specific times.

As others said, you are used to waking up at a specific time and you body has set that biorhythm to wake you up.

Test it. Say tonight, "Wake up at 3:12 am". Won't happen.

Answer 8

It's a neurological thing. If you wake up at the same time everyday, you will unconsiously remember when to wake up. Your brain sends a message to you, to wake up at 6 am or whenever you always do. Cool, huh?

Answer 9

I think its our sub concious mind that makes it work but for me, if i wake up early for more than 3 days it will become a habit. So i'll wake up early everyday even if i planned to wake up late before i go to bed... ;P

Answer 10

this is great. It is the way it should be. you need to have ryhthm and be ablet o naturally wake up. Congradulations!