You know that person who sets five alarms starting at 6:00 AM, even though they’re already awake by 5:45, staring at the ceiling? That was me for years.
Every night, I’d line them up like dominoes—6:00, 6:05, 6:10, 6:15, 6:20—knowing full well I’d be conscious before the first one rang.
I used to think it was just a quirk. Turns out, it’s a window into how certain minds operate under pressure.
After digging into the research and observing this pattern in high performers I’ve trained, I’ve noticed something interesting: people who set multiple alarms despite waking up early aren’t just anxious about oversleeping.
They’re displaying specific psychological traits that shape how they handle everything from deadlines to difficult conversations.
Here are the nine traits that show up most consistently.
1. They treat certainty like insurance
These aren’t people who trust easily—especially not themselves. Setting multiple alarms when you wake up naturally is like buying three backup generators when you’ve never lost power. It’s not about the actual risk; it’s about the feeling of control.
I see this same pattern when they prepare for meetings (three different presentation formats), pack for trips (backup chargers for the backup chargers), or plan projects (contingency plans with their own contingency plans).
The mind that sets unnecessary alarms is constantly running worst-case scenarios. Not because they’re pessimistic, but because they’ve learned that being caught off-guard feels worse than being over-prepared.
2. They’re secretly perfectionists who pretend they’re not
Here’s the contradiction: they’ll tell you they’re “laid back” or “go with the flow,” but their alarm strategy reveals the truth. Each alarm represents a different version of the morning they’re trying to control—the ideal wake-up, the acceptable wake-up, the barely-making-it wake-up.
This shows up everywhere. They’ll spend forty minutes choosing a restaurant for a casual lunch. They’ll rewrite emails nobody will remember. They’ll practice “spontaneous” conversations in their head.
The multiple alarms aren’t about waking up. They’re about having multiple chances to start the day “right.”
3. They experience time differently than others
People who set redundant alarms often have what I call “elastic time perception.” Five minutes feels like thirty when they’re waiting, but an hour disappears when they’re focused. Their internal clock runs on anxiety, not actual time.
They’ll arrive twenty minutes early to everything, then sit in their car scrolling their phone. They’ll rush through enjoyable experiences because they’re already thinking about the next obligation.
Alicia Roth, PhD, a sleep psychologist, puts it bluntly: “The more alarms you have, the harder it’s going to be for you to wake up in the morning.” But that’s not stopping them—because it was never about the waking up.
4. They need external validation for internal decisions
That alarm isn’t just noise—it’s permission. Permission to get up, to start moving, to begin the day. Even when they’re already awake, they wait for the alarm’s approval.
Watch how they make other decisions. They’ll know exactly what they want to order, then ask everyone else first. They’ll have a strong opinion but phrase it as a question. They’ll finish a project, then triple-check requirements they’ve already memorized.
The alarm is their external referee for an internal game they’re always playing.
5. They’re managing anxiety through rituals
Multiple alarms are a modern ritual—a repeated action that soothes psychological discomfort. Like checking a locked door three times or refreshing email every five minutes, it’s not logical; it’s emotional.
These people often have other rituals too. A specific coffee routine that can’t be disrupted. A exact sequence for getting ready. A particular way files must be organized.
Research from Hall et al. found that “Multiple alarms can invoke a stress response, leading to higher heart rate and cortisol levels before and upon waking.” They’re literally creating the stress they’re trying to avoid.
6. They struggle with transitions
Moving from sleep to wake, rest to action, planning to doing—these transitions feel like jumping across chasms. Multiple alarms create stepping stones, even if they don’t use them.
This shows up in their work style too. They’ll spend thirty minutes “getting ready to start.” They’ll need buffer time between meetings. They’ll create elaborate wind-down routines because shifting gears doesn’t come naturally.
The alarms aren’t wake-up calls; they’re transition markers.
7. They’re high-functioning overthinkers
Setting alarms you don’t need requires a special kind of mental gymnastics. You have to simultaneously believe you might oversleep (you won’t) and that alarms will help (they don’t).
This is the same mind that rehearses conversations that will never happen, prepares for scenarios that won’t occur, and solves problems that don’t exist. It’s exhausting, but it’s also why they catch details others miss and spot problems before they materialize.
8. They confuse motion with progress
Setting multiple alarms feels productive. It’s planning! It’s preparation! It’s taking control! Except it’s not—it’s the illusion of control dressed up as responsibility.
I’ve noticed this in my own behavior. When a task threatens my identity (if I fail at this, what does that say about me?), I’ll spend hours preparing to start instead of actually starting. The alarms are the same—all preparation, no progress.
9. They have trust issues with themselves
This is the core trait. Every extra alarm is a vote of no confidence in their own ability to handle basic functions. They don’t trust themselves to wake up, just like they don’t trust themselves to remember, to decide, to commit.
Jordan Bruss, a nurse, doesn’t sugarcoat it: “If you’re somebody who sets multiple alarms, I have bad news for you.” The bad news isn’t about sleep—it’s about what this pattern reveals about self-trust.
Bottom line
If you recognize yourself in these traits, here’s your experiment: Set one alarm tomorrow. Just one. Put it across the room if you need to, but resist the urge to create your usual safety net.
You’ll probably wake up before it goes off anyway—you always do. But this time, instead of lying there waiting for permission to start your day, get up when your eyes open. Trust that your body knows what it’s doing.
The goal isn’t to become someone who springs out of bed at dawn. It’s to stop treating yourself like an unreliable employee who needs constant supervision.
Start with the alarms. The rest will follow.
