Set Alarm for 11:45 PM

Some people do their most creative work at night, when the phone stops ringing and the world goes quiet. If you are a night owl who thrives at 23:45, an alarm can help you structure creative sessions so they do not spiral into all-nighters.

Set a 23:45 alarm as your creative start time and another alarm 90-120 minutes later as your stop signal. This bounded approach harnesses the focused energy of late-night hours while ensuring you still get adequate sleep. Protect at least six hours between your stop alarm and your morning commitment.

Paradoxically, one of the best uses of a late-night alarm is reminding yourself to stop being awake. A 23:45 alarm labeled "Go to bed" interrupts the autopilot scrolling, reading, or TV watching that keeps millions of people up far later than they intended.

When the alarm sounds at 23:45, begin your final bedtime sequence: brush your teeth, set out tomorrow's items, and get into bed. Treating bedtime as a scheduled event rather than something that happens when you feel tired enough is one of the most effective sleep hygiene improvements you can make.

Blue light from phones, tablets, and computers suppresses melatonin production and tricks your brain into thinking it is still daytime. If you must use screens near 23:45, enable night mode, use blue-light-blocking glasses, or install a screen filter application that shifts your display to warmer tones after sunset.

The most effective strategy is a complete screen cutoff 60-90 minutes before the time you intend to sleep. If 23:45 is your alarm to go to bed, that means screens should go off well before 23:45. Replace the screen with a book, conversation, or a brief stretching routine — activities that allow melatonin to rise naturally.

In regions prone to natural disasters, a nighttime alarm system is an essential safety measure. A 23:45 alarm can be part of a drill routine — practicing evacuation or shelter-in-place procedures so that if a real emergency occurs during sleeping hours, your family responds quickly and calmly.

Beyond drills, keep an emergency bag packed and accessible near the bedroom. Program a distinct alarm sound for safety drills so it is never confused with a regular wake-up alarm. Practicing the response at 23:45 even once per month builds muscle memory that could prove life-saving during an actual nighttime emergency.

If you work the night shift, a 23:45 alarm is essential for managing an unconventional sleep-wake cycle. Unlike day workers, you cannot rely on natural light as a cue, which makes external alarms your primary tool for staying on schedule.

Set your 23:45 alarm with a high-volume, hard-to-ignore sound, and consider pairing it with a vibrating wearable device. Night shift workers often sleep in environments with ambient noise, so choose an alarm tone that cuts through background sound without being disorienting.

Nighttime anxiety — racing thoughts, worry spirals, and the feeling of dread that intensifies in the dark — is extremely common and often peaks around the hours when a 23:45 alarm might wake you. Grounding techniques bring your attention back to the present moment and short-circuit the anxiety loop.

Try the 5-4-3-2-1 method: identify five things you can see (even in dim light), four you can touch, three you can hear, two you can smell, and one you can taste. This sensory exercise occupies your working memory so anxious thoughts cannot dominate. Practice it whenever your 23:45 alarm triggers wakefulness accompanied by worry, and the anxiety typically fades within five minutes.