I'm always tired.
I have to be at work here at WFAA every day at 6 a.m., and my bed time of 9 p.m. is more or less difficult to achieve every day when I have improv comedy shows scheduled as late as 10:30.
This means when my alarm goes off at 5 a.m., I hit Snooze. Then I hit Snooze again. And again. One time I had as many as six alarms set in one morning.
By the time I leave my house, I'm running about 15 minutes late -- something that's not good for my reputation at work. I'm also sure the "panicky" and rushed feelings I get are unneeded stress before I start a long crazy day of breaking news.
But things have recently changed.
A friend of mine on Facebook posted about a new app she's using called Kiwake. She mentioned how she's tried everything to stop snoozing, and Kiwake was finally the app to work. Several friends chimed in, giving positive reviews about how it's changed their lives.
According to Kiwake's website, it's bad for your body to keep falling back to sleep in the morning. Yes, that initial feeling of "just five more minutes," and the instant relief you feel might make you happy, but it's not doing your body any favors.
A video posted to the app's website explains that constantly going back to sleep and waking up interrupts your body's natural stages it goes through in the morning.
I decided to download Kiwake and see if the rumors were true. It cost $1.99 in the app store, but I figured it was worth a shot.
Online the company says its creators wanted an app that would "coach us into becoming early-birds" instead of one that "punishes you every day."
"We divided this wake-up process into three main categories: the body, the brain and the motivation," the website states. "So instead of just ringing to wake you up, Kiwake will guide you through this process and help you wake up each of those categories."
So here's how it all works:
You set your alarm for each day, along with which sound you want as your alarm (you can also choose from your own songs saved on your phone).
Then you set up how long you want your "Cooldown" to last. After your alarm goes off initially, you have up to 30 seconds to get yourself together.
The next step is your "Body wake-up." You must take a picture of something a good distance away from your bed, requiring you to get up.
I took a picture of my shower.
When it's time for your "Body wake-up," your alarm won't stop until you've taken a picture of the same thing.
Then it's time for your "Mind wake-up," choosing a game you want to play each morning. There are several to choose from, but so far I've been playing "Falling Tiles," where I have to select each red tile as they quickly move up my screen.
By the time I've worked my body and mind, I'm out of bed, in my bathroom with the lights on, and awake.
If you think you can get out of the app -- turn it off, go back to bed, hit snooze -- you're in for a surprise. The app won't let you opt out without a horrible alarm going off.
I've tried the app for about a week, and so far I've developed a love-hate relationship with it. Of course I hate getting out of bed, but it gets me to work on time, even caffeinated with an occasional stop at Starbucks. Plus I have more energy in the afternoon, meaning less naps when I get home.
Kiwake is only available for iPhones right now, but the company says on its website it's working on that.
So, are you ready to join the #NoSnoozeChallenge? Join me (and the many others) in trying to kick an old habit to the curb! Follow me (@majordyrules) on Twitter and let me know how you're doing!
