It’s really a feeling of total and complete liberation, is what it is.
Now, I’m sure there must be some science to all of this… something about how an alarm interrupting a REM cycle or some nonsense isn’t as good as allowing your body to simply wake of its own accord… but the bottom line is there’s no denying how much more refreshing it feels to wake up without an alarm clock.
I’m not even a guy who can sleep late. In fact, as I’ve gotten older, I’ve become more and more of a light sleeper… to the point where I’m not getting much past 9:30 AM on a normal day.
Still… waking up without an alarm is bliss. Don’t get me wrong, I wake up to a CD (Yes, a compact disc) jam-packed with some of my favorite light hits but it still doesn’t compare to the real thing. Perfect example came a few weeks ago… Two separate nights I was working til 2 AM. After one of them I had to be up early for something the next morning, the other I could get up at my leisure. I wound up getting up at the same basic time on each day because I can’t sleep, but I felt much better on the no-alarm day.
I think it boils down to two things… first is that you’re on your own time, your own schedule. You don’t have to be up for anything other than what you want to be up for. The second thing, I’m sure, has something to do with bodily science.
Polar Opposite of this Feeling?: Accidentally setting your alarm to the BUZZER setting. Those people who use that setting repeatedly/intentionally are, without question, psychotic. There’s no two ways about it.
scott spinelli 
I totally relate to this!