People Who Have To Set More Than One Alarm In The Morning Usually Have These 10 Unique Personality Traits
Olga666 | Shutterstock While everyone has their own nighttime routines and sleeping habits, many of which are intrinsically tied to their lifestyle and personality traits, there are some problematic quirks that sabotage their well-being.
While it's sometimes harmless, people who have to set more than one alarm in the morning usually have certain unique personality traits. From a natural sense of creativity, which thrives in quiet idleness at night, to feeling energetic after avoiding a rigid alarm, sometimes it's the best parts of ourselves that sometimes feed into a misguided, draining morning routine.
People who have to set more than one alarm in the morning usually have these 10 unique personality traits
1. Their mood is easily altered by daily obligations
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Snoozing an alarm multiple times is often negatively related to happiness in the morning, according to a study from JMIR Human Factors. Despite that, many people who need to set multiple alarms in the morning don't have any other choice. Especially if they're easily distracted or take on anxiety around their daily obligations, they likely need the extra sleep.
These disruptions to mood and added stress about the next day's obligations can encourage people to wake up throughout the night. While it might seem harmless, they end up feeling more tired and irritable from the second they wake up, hence the multiple alarms and snoozing behaviors.
2. They're more energetic
While it might feel counterintuitive that people sleeping through alarms are fully rested, with the assumption that they "need" more deep rest to compensate for something, a study from UVA Health found that being abruptly woken up by an alarm can negatively affect health and drain a person's energy right away in the morning.
If someone's not waking up to an alarm, whether it's by choice or not, they're waking up in a much more natural way. They're waking up without abrupt stress and tension. They're starting their days without immediately putting their nervous system in fight or flight mode.
3. They're mentally stable
Our brains have a natural preference for protecting and cultivating stability, which can sometimes make it harder for certain people to wake up in the morning. If they're comfortable, stress-free, and mentally or emotionally stable, chances are they're less anxious about waking up to an alarm, making it generally more difficult.
Especially if they're not crafting a lot of anxiety about daily obligations or feeling stressed about the next day, their bodies and minds fully relax into rest without the abrupt wake-ups an overstimulated, anxious person experiences.
4. They're creative thinkers
While "night owl" behaviors can often harm mental health and well-being, many people with inherently creative minds stay up later to protect the quietness and idleness they need to tap into innovation. Even if it comes at the expense of waking up early to an alarm, they protect their late nights to indulge in hobbies and creative pursuits they're too distracted for during the day.
People who have to set more than one alarm in the morning may regret their late nights the second their alarm goes off, but it's this time for creativity that still adds meaning and value to their mundane routines.
5. They work best at night
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Whether it's workaholic tendencies that encourage people to bring their laptop to bed or "night owl" preferences that keep people up into the early morning hours, Dr. Guy Meadows, the co-founder at Sleep School, argues that these inconsistent sleep routines and late bedtimes can alter someone's ability to wake up to an alarm.
"Whether it's one night or over the course of several nights, by not getting a full 8 hours of sleep, you create a sleep debt that needs to be repaid," they explain. If someone's regularly overworking themselves into the early morning hours, even when they need to wake up early, multiple alarms might be their only way of actually waking up when they're stuck in a later, prolonged state of deep sleep.
6. They're 'gamers'
According to a 2014 study, people with imaginative minds who also play video games are often more likely to have vivid dreams throughout the night. These vivid dreams, especially when morphed into night terrors, often hurt a person's sleep quality, resulting in more fatigue and exhaustion the next morning.
People who have to set more alarms in the morning than the average person might believe their tiredness is natural, but it could be easily tied to these personality traits and daily routines.
7. They have a fear of missing out
While it's a casual part of social discourse in our culture, the "fear of missing out," otherwise coined "FOMO," is actually more powerful than we realize. Motivated by powerful fears of social pain and rejection, "FOMO" can urge people into habits and routines that sabotage their personal well-being for the sake of being seen and included.
From saying "yes" to late social plans after a long day at work to doomscrolling on social media into the early morning hours, feeling an innate pressure to indulge in these habits, instead of a healthy nighttime routine, can lead to struggles waking up to alarms in the morning.
8. They're prone to procrastination
Whether it's pushing off projects that are stressing them out or creating a "snooze buffer" in their morning routine to cling to a few extra minutes of sleep, people who are prone to procrastination may struggle more with getting out of bed.
According to a study from Scientific Reports, the majority of people who rely regularly on "snooze" buttons have more erratic sleep schedules. They stay up late some days, working or indulging in mindless entertainment as a distraction, and avoid night routines to make space for everything they've procrastinated throughout the day.
9. They subconsciously seek pressure
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While some people procrastinate obligations and adopt "night owl" behaviors that lead to anxious wake-ups to feed a belief that they "work better under pressure," the truth is the stress these behaviors cultivate is often misguided and mythical.
Stress might make it easier to lean into productivity without breaks, but in the long run, these people are only sabotaging their sleep, energy levels, and general well-being by leaning into pressure instead of ease.
10. They value comfort
People who value comfort, especially amid stressful routines and obligations, may find it harder to wake up to a single alarm in the morning. They're protected by the comfort of a warm bed or a heavy comforter. Of course, they don't want to get up right away.
People who have to set more than one alarm may misguidedly seek comfort in other aspects of their lives that also sabotage their energy in the morning. From relying on mindless entertainment to comfort their overactive minds to leaning into doomscrolling when they don't want to face the quietness of bedtime, this comfort can often strain people's lives if they're not careful.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a senior editorial strategist with a bachelor's degree in social relations & policy and gender studies who focuses on psychology, relationships, self-help, and human interest stories.
