Wake up refreshed! Mornings don't have to be hard. Our tips will get you out of bed faster and help you feel sharper and more energetic once you're up

Natural Health, July, 2002 by Steve Calechman

Gentle Alarm Clock Alternatives

These clocks nudge you awake so you're more likely to start the day feeling calm and refreshed.

The Zen Alarm Clock: Its mellow chime grows more frequent over a 10-minute period. The manufacturer says this wake-up is so gentle that it won't scare your dreams away ($99.95; 800-779-6383; www.now-zen.com).

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Soleil Sun Alarm: Thirty minutes before your wake-up time, this clock lights up and grows brighter to replicate sunrise. When the light reaches full intensity, a beeper sounds to make sure you're up ($119; 800-298-2240; soleilsunalarm.com).

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Nature's Clock: It uses a combination of tactics: light (it mimics a sunrise); sound (you choose from six nature sounds); and aromatherapy (use your favorite essential oil on the enclosed felt disk). If all that doesn't wake you, a beeper sounds ($69; 800-736-4648; www.remingtonstore.com).

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RELATED ARTICLE: An NH editor seeks some morning pep.

I used to be a night owl. It wouldn't be unusual for me to clean the bathroom at 10 p.m. or stay at the gym till 11. But I paid for my habit: In the mornings I would hit the snooze button repeatedly, wake up late and groggy, and scramble to get to work on time.

Hoping to become a morning person, I agreed to test our "Wake Up Refreshed" plan. Three weeks later, I have found it is easier to get up. I only hit the snooze once (or not at all). I now wake up early on weekends--something I never did before--and am amazed at how much I can get done before lunch (going to yoga class first thing on Sunday gives me a nice sense of accomplishment).

But the program isn't easy if you're addicted to nighttime activity like I was. It takes discipline to slow down an hour before bed and to adopt a consistently early bedtime. Yet the program has helped me see that it's foolish to think I can gain an extra hour by staying up later; doing so only hurts my productivity the following day.--Susanne Althoff

Steve Calechman, a regular contributor to Natural Health, lives in Waltham, Mass. Writing this article has made him less likely to sleep through his alarm.