I Forgot to Replace My Bedroom Clock and My Sleep Has Never Been Better
An unintentional act has turned into a sleep hack
Time. We either have too much of it or not enough, and nothing makes that more obvious than a clock.
When I redid my room last year, it didn’t even occur to me to buy a new clock. I didn’t need one. My smartphone was always nearby, and I could just check the screen for the time.
And snooze the alarm as many times as possible.
And doomscroll well past midnight.
Two months ago, I started leaving my phone in another room overnight. I still set an alarm on my phone to motivate me to get up, leave my bedroom, and turn it off.
Since doing this, I’ve been falling asleep at more reasonable times, as I expected. What I didn’t expect was that I’d be waking up before my alarm most mornings — and not dragging myself back to bed for just five more minutes, pleeeeeease.
Does turning my bedroom into a time-free zone have something to do with that? Absolutely.
Once upon a time…
…when I was about six years old, I received my very first alarm clock to get me up for school in the morning.
For the next 30-plus years, I always had a clock in my bedroom: digital, analog, or faceless. Yes, faceless. For several years, my OG Amazon Echo served as my alarm. When Alexa woke me up, she’d tell me the time — and I’d tell her to shut up.
Looking back, I don’t think having a clock in my bedroom did much good for me.
When I was younger, I’d thumb my nose at the clock and resume whatever nonsense I was up to until the wee hours of the morning. Yet whenever I had trouble falling asleep, I’d keep my eyes glued on the time, wishing it would stop for just a brief moment.
If I opened my eyes and saw it was earlier than my official wake-up time, I’d go back to sleep, even if I wasn’t tired. I don’t know why I bothered setting an alarm — I’d just hit the snooze button as many times as my clock would let me anyway.
My addiction to snoozing left me scrambling to find time to do the things I had to do — and not feeling like I had time to do the things I wanted. Moreover, I was groggy from oversleeping and would force myself to stay up late to work to compensate for a lack of energy earlier in the day.
I’ve clocked out — but is it for good?
When I began keeping my smartphone out of my bedroom overnight, I didn’t consider that I’d effectively be removing any semblance of a time-telling device I had in there, either. I was purely focused on falling asleep without a screen glued to my face and staying up once I got out of bed.
Eventually, I started waking up naturally. At first, I worried I’d overslept or that my phone had died, but I was awake 30 to 45 minutes early. It took some willpower to resist going back to bed, but I’ve trained myself to stay awake, even when I’m early.
Has this made me a morning person? No. I don’t feel like my brain fully turns on until 9 am.
Provided I don’t have any early appointments or travel plans, I take it easy in the morning. I’ll check my emails and scroll the unholy trinity of Reddit, Substack, and LinkedIn. I’ve become addicted to my Kindle; lately, I’ll spend about 30 minutes reading before breakfast.
This isn’t too different from my previous morning routine, but now I can enjoy myself. My days seem longer, but in a good way. I accomplish a lot more and have plenty of time to relax in the morning and in the evening.
I have the occasional evening sprint, but even then, it's rare that I work past 11 pm. I feel like I have a lot more control over my schedule now, and can properly wind down when my body is broadcasting those bedtime signals.
While clocking out has been liberating and beneficial for my sleep, I’m not entirely against bringing a time source back into my bedroom.
I’ve been considering a sunrise alarm clock, as nothing energizes me in the morning more than sunlight. Ideally, I prefer one without a visible display (or a display I can turn off). If such a sunrise clock doesn’t exist, a light therapy lamp with a timer will suffice.
Honestly, I would love to hit a number so I can splurge on a smart bed with a built-in vibrating alarm. That was one of my favorite features of the Bryte Balance Smart Bed.
Should you sleep without a clock in your bedroom?
As with all things sleep, it depends on the individual.
If you can’t resist smashing the snooze button every morning… it may be worth kicking your clock out of your bedroom, at least temporarily. (You can place it in another room and still set an alarm, like I do.)
If you deal with insomnia… some sleep experts suggest covering your clock, turning it to face the wall, or keeping it out of your bedroom altogether. Research shows that watching the clock can increase pre-sleep anxiety and make insomnia worse12.
If you must have a clock in your bedroom…placement matters. The farther from arm’s length, the better. You could mount it on your wall or a very tall dresser across from your bed.
Are you Team Clock or Team No Clock? Do you have a sunrise alarm that you swear by? Share your thoughts in the comments. I'd love to know what works for you!
Like this post? Here’s another story you may want to check out:
Coming next week… Meet Vicki Powell
Formerly with Apple, Vicki is now the CEO of Lume Health, which develops what she describes as “the first at-home hormone tracker that measures your body’s internal biological rhythms.” Vicki will be sharing a day in her life, the story behind Lume, and how building a circadian health device changed her attitudes toward sleep.
Don’t miss this and other great stories coming later this month, including the return of The Sleep Tourist, another dive into the PR Pile, and a first-ever AMA where you can ask me questions and I will answer the ones I like best. (More details on that to follow.)
Disclaimer: The information in this post is for informational and entertainment purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. If you have sleep-related issues or concerns, please consult with your doctor or a qualified healthcare provider.
Tang NK, Anne Schmidt D, Harvey AG. Sleeping with the enemy: clock monitoring in the maintenance of insomnia. J Behav Ther Exp Psychiatry. 2007 Mar;38(1):40-55. doi: 10.1016/j.jbtep.2005.07.004. Epub 2006 Jun 21. PMID: 16793001.
Dawson SC, Krakow B, Haynes PL, Rojo-Wissar DM, McIver ND, Ulibarri VA. Use of Sleep Aids in Insomnia: The Role of Time Monitoring Behavior. Prim Care Companion CNS Disord. 2023 May 16;25(3):22m03344. doi: 10.4088/PCC.22m03344. PMID: 37227396; PMCID: PMC11166003