 [ Symptoms ] what should i do if i have trouble waking up in the morning [ Disease ] humans go through four to six sleep cycles every night each cycle consists of five stages ranging from very light sleep stage 1 to very deep sleep stage 4 and then the rapid eye movement stage during which you are most likely to dream waking up out of a deep stage 3 or stage 4 sleep is notoriously difficult that is why being awakened from a nap can be so disorienting it is also why waking too early in the morning can mean a miserable start to your day most people hit their deepest sleep between 4 a m and 6 a m so it is very hard to wake up during that time so wake up later if you can otherwise make sure you go to bed early enough to get a good night is rest some other tips for waking up set your alarm for the latest possible moment so you are not tempted to fall back asleep lose the snooze button you might go back to sleep for a few minutes each time you hit the knob but you are getting crappy sleep you just feel worse sit up and swing your legs over the side of the bed breathe deeply three or four times to orient yourself to the real world exercise first thing in the morning to energize your mind and body and boost your fitness but do not choose exercise over getting the sleep you need