I have a friend from high school who found it impossible to get up and go to school every morning. If he was less than a half-hour late, that was considered a good day. Below, you’ll find five suggestions that have been tested and proven to get you up in the morning, regardless of how much of a struggle it is.

1. Have you considered going to bed earlier?

I can tell you my friend usually went to bed around 3:30 or four o’clock in the morning. We had to be in homeroom at seven. You do the math. That’s roughly three hours of sleep, and unless you’re a wizard that can magically erase exhaustion, you need more than that. Implementing a more effective sleeping schedule might be your answer right off the bat.

2. The-clock-on-the-desk-treatment

If you put your alarm clock on your desk, dresser, or whatever, you’ll be more inclined to turn the terrible noise off. Unless you’re like my friend, who could sleep through both World Wars and not even bat an eyelash, this suggestion will help you start your day off the right way and not frantically.

3. Keep your sleeping schedule consistent

I’m the biggest violator of this. On most weeknights, I’m so busy that I go to bed anywhere from 12:30 to 2:00 a.m., depending on how much I have to do on a daily basis. It may be tough, but make sure your sleep schedule’s as consistent as possible. If you go to bed closer to my later time, you’ll almost always be running on empty, but if you do the earlier time, you might feel better if your body’s not trying to catch up from other 2:00 a.m. nights. It makes a world of difference.

4. A college student’s best friend – the nap

I used to avoid these like the plaque when I was a freshman. It’s not very fun trying to make it through the day. You’ll be off your game and certainly won’t be yourself. However, if you find yourself missing your morning class or struggling through it, take a nap during the day. You might miss a couple classes through the process, but even taking a 20 minute nap will help you catch up on your sleep debt.

5. Pull out the big guns

No, this isn’t anything actually violent, like a cup of hot coffee in your face. However, you can do something a little different, such as having a cold bowl of water next to your bed. It’s easy – when your eyes are struggling to open, splash the water on your face. If this doesn’t work, then maybe you’re not meant to go to that class that day.