Why You Wake Up 1 Minute Before Your Alarm

Apr 18, 2025 Khushi Kumari

Ever wonder why you wake up just before your alarm rings? It’s not a coincidence

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Your Brain Has an Internal Clock The body has a natural circadian rhythm that predicts your waking time

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The Role of the 'Anticipation Hormone' Before your usual wake time, the brain releases stress hormones like cortisol to prep your body

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Your Body Prepares for Wakefulness This hormone boost increases alertness, so you’re not jolted awake

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Habitual Sleep Patterns Waking up at the same time daily helps the brain "expect" it down to the minute

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Light Sleep Phase Before Alarm Your brain often puts you in lighter sleep before the alarm, making it easier to wake naturally

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Your Brain Hates Alarms Alarms are disruptive. Your brain avoids the stress by waking you up before it goes off

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Sleep Tracking in the Brain The brain subconsciously tracks time, even while you sleep like an internal stopwatch

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