Wednesday, September 28, 2005

Quick question

I woke up again today one minute before the alarm went off. This happens so frequently, I don't really find it odd anymore. The strange part is that the time on the alarm clock is set twenty minutes ahead to allow for possible pushing of the snooze button.

So what part of me keeps track of time so accurately, to the minute, and also notes the fact that the clock is set twenty minutes ahead.

It must be a pretty smart part of me, but it definitely isn't the conscious part of me.

I am unable to explain how this occurs. I submit that science is unable to explain it either.

Even when I'm asleep, a part of me is still unbelievably aware.

Which part is it?

10 comments:

_Psycho said...

Hehe like last week went I drunk too much and woke up exactly at 7h30am ;) Happen to me too all the time.

Stupid "Horloge biologique", I usually think =P (biological clock ?)

Conan said...

No idea what explains this but it seems to happen to a lot of people who have a routine schedule every morning. Happens to me sometimes too, it really all depends on how tired I am

epicurist said...

I do the same thing - like clockwork. Wake up just before 4am every night to get a drink and go to the bathroom. It either indicates we are humans of habit or maybe it has to do with the Circadian rhthym.

Lyvvie said...

It's just one of those things...it happens, accept and move on. I do it too, very annoying as I actually prefer to wake up to music (and fanfare, applause and hot fresh cooked breakfast) I had myself trained to look at the clock at 13 minutes past the hour. It freaked me out for ages. After that, I stopped watching horror movies.

t said...

Happens to me, too.
I was on vacation from work last week and I still woke up at 5:45 a.m. Which is fine since I love going out to breakfast. Besides, if I got into the habit of sleeping in on vacation time, it would be hell getting up early again for work.

Shelly said...

you are in the midst of the time/space continuem...enjoy.

Adam said...

Interesting observation. My partner and I are discussing it, hes a philosopher and his specialty is consciousness and philosophy of mind. You are asking excellent questions.

One explanation is that you arent as asleep as you might think you are. Another could be that your rhythms are so regular that you might be percieving them as consciousness. Its a connundrum.

Same thing with dreams? Are you conscious in a dream even if the dream is in a different time or place than your usual time and place?

Anonymous said...

Oooh, I'm liking where Adam is going with the dream question.

So here is another question for you: does this happen only on the days you get up at the same time? Or does it happen no matter when the alarm is set for? I'm guessing it is the second thing, it is with me.

That part that is aware has also given me accurate time information throughout the day off and on through my life. It goes in waves. Sometimes I will be within a minute of the correct time, every time I guess. For weeks. Then, not.

There must be weeks of blogging material in all this. And it is obviously interesting to at least some of your commenters.

Rob said...

I usually wake up at around the same time, approximately half an hour before the alarm goes off. It's a nice time - half an hour of not having to move whilst being very aware of the fact.

Annoyingly I think my body is just programmed to go at that time automatically because when I don't set the alarm (like at weekends) I still wake up at that time.

Thing is, if for some reason I have to get up earlier and set the alarm accordingly I still somehow wake up half an hour early. I guess that means somehow I'm programming my body clock for special occasions.

Now if I could only set it to not wake up until midday on weekends I'd be laughing.

t said...

tornwordo, it almost sounds like sleep paralysis. I had that last January and posted about it in my blog. But with it usually comes a feeling of terror (yep!), you can't move any muscles - not even your mouth to talk (darned right!) and you feel any of the following: there's a heavy weight on your chest making it hard to breath, there's someone in the room watching you, or auditory hallucinations (I had 2 of the 3).
It lasts about 30 seconds but it felt like it was about 29 hours. The conscious part of your brain wakes up before any part that can move your muscles. Lots of people go have it at least once at some point in their lives.
That doesn't quite sound like what you go through, though....