Why do we wake up just before the alarm rings?
Brain's Secret Timer
Why do we wake up just before the alarm rings?
You set your alarm for 7:00 AM. Your eyes pop open. You check the clock: 6:58. Two minutes early! It happens again and again, like your brain has a secret timer. How does it know?
Your brain never fully shuts down when you sleep. It cycles through different stages all night long — deep sleep, light sleep, dream sleep, over and over. Each cycle takes about 90 minutes, like a washing machine running through its program.
