If I was randomly asked what time it is, I wouldn’t be very accurate without looking at a clock. Likewise, if I was asked to guess when the clock hits exactly 8pm, I would be pretty far off. Yet I very frequently wake 2-3 minutes before my alarm goes off. How can my passed out brain be such an accurate time keeper?
In: Biology
Another explanation I’ve heard is that it’s a result of how sleeping and waking aren’t on/off states. It’s more of a spectrum so you can be half asleep and your consciousness (what you are aware of and what you remember and your feelings) are muddled.
So you half wake up due to circadian rhythm, check the time and see it’s 30 minutes early and fall deeper back into sleep. Then again at 23, 18, 12, 8… 1 minute before and some mental combination of alarm and acceptance makes you fully and finally awaken. And then you’ve forgotten the previous 30 minutes just like a dream or being road hypnotized.
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