I have struggled all my son’s life (so far) with getting him to wake up. He is now 26 and still struggles. It is like his brain “hears” his alarms as he sometimes turns them off but his brain doesn’t engage the action of “waking” and moving (he doesn’t remember switching them off). I used to go in and he would have some gobble-de-gook conversations and sometimes abusive ones - of which he remembers nothing. I was always told he was just being lazy/typical teen or having a late night but it doesn’t matter what time he goes to bed. He used to stay up all night before exams in case he couldn’t wake up on time.
He is now 26, in a very good job but one that needs him to work a 9 to 5 hour day so I ring him (even though he lives with me) to help break the cycle and help him get up. He is really worried that when he has saved up enough to move out, he will end up losing his job being late for work a lot.
Is this something out there we can try that can help as we have had no help and not sure where to turn
thank you.
This inability to wake up is generally called “sleep inertia”. I’ve actually experienced it myself for my entire life, although I’m not sure if it’s as severe as your son’s. Something that helped me is setting multiple loud alarms away from the bed, forcing me to get out of my bed instead of turn them off and fall back asleep. At some points in my life I’ve even had a coffee maker right next to the alarm so I can start brewing coffee immediately.
Another thing he can try is maximizing light in the morning. This might involve sleeping with the curtains open if possible, or perhaps looking into some lighting with a timer function. Don’t be afraid to get creative, and do whatever is possible to create as much noise and light in the morning.
If these things still don’t work, it sounds like something that should be taken to a medical specialist.
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I agree with sleeping with the curtains open. Alarms loud away from the bed so have to walk to it to turn it off. Setting regular bedtime and wake up time 7 days a week so the circadian rhythms become synched. Good luck he’s lucky to have you
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Hiya, I struggle with this exact issue and this is the first time I’ve seen someone else with the same issues, even down to staying awake in fear of sleeping in. I’m 19 and I still haven’t found a solution, similar to your son I’ve had this issue for years, it becoming more prevalent now that I live alone. I’ve tried going to the doctors but they don’t have much hope for a sleep study considering I don’t have narcolepsy or sleep apnea. Have you found anything that works for your son? I would love some new tips rather than hearing “go to bed early” because like him it also doesn’t matter for me what time I go to bed at.
Thanks in advance!
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Hi Sleepyjerm,
(sorry, I lost my login to reply sooner and then forgot to)….. we have been to medical specialists, hence why I thought I would ask on a forum for sleep. Things we have done:-
He has multiple alarms, and we have tried away from the bed but to no avail - it’s like he was auto-pilot / sleepwalking as he didn’t remember doing it. He also has a sunshine alarm for the winter months to brighten his room but it doesn’t do much to wake him to his alarm but it does help after he takes my call and I have got his brain woken up. We tried the alarm where he has to do a maths question (for example) to cancel the alarm. I even invested in an alarm for the deaf to try. The doctors have never been any help once these suggestions didn’t work and they concluded he must just be a bit lazy - although not in those words
Hiya
we started off with GP and the med centre suggestions way back when he was about 7. Things we have done:-
Multiple alarms, and we have tried away from the bed but to no avail he didn’t remember going and turning them off on the occasions he didn’t sleep through them. He also has a sunshine alarm for the winter months to brighten his room but it doesn’t do much to wake him to his alarm but it does help after he takes my call and I have got his brain woken up. We tried the alarm where he has to solve puzzles to cancel the alarm. I even invested in an alarm for the deaf to try. The doctors have never seemed to want to help once these suggestions didn’t work and like you say, the sleep studies seem to be geared towards those having trouble sleeping rather than those having trouble waking up. If I find anything new, or if you do, drop another comment here please.
Good Luck and if anything we have tried already that you haven’t - but it works, then fabulous!
I have also used the puzzle alarms and the deaf alarms, surprisingly the deaf alarms don’t help me either, so far the only things that’s helped a little bit, which isn’t recommended by anyone but if I go on my phone I will normally wake myself up that way. Or the ‘Alarmy’ app sometimes works because it has extra loud alarms. I’ve seen a watch by a brand called ‘fit sleep’ that is supposed to be good for extremely heavy sleepers, I haven’t tried it myself but I think it’s defo worth looking into
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