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The Conversation
The Conversation
Yaqoot Fatima, Professor of Sleep Health, University of the Sunshine Coast

Why do we wake up shortly before our alarm goes off? It’s not by chance

Malvestida/Unsplash

You’ve probably experienced it – your alarm is set for 6:30am, yet somehow your eyes snap open a few minutes before it goes off. There’s no sound, no external cue, just the body somehow knowing it’s time.

It might seem strange, but you didn’t wake up by chance. It’s your body clock at work – an amazingly precise internal timing system that regulates when you sleep and wake.

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