iPhone, iPad app rewards being a couch potato

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Want to earn stuff by watching TV? A free app for that debuted Wednesday.

When you tap the screen, Viggle's software for iPhones and iPads listens to what's on, recognizes what you're watching and gives you credit at roughly two points per minute. It even works for shows you've saved on a digital video recorder.

Rack up 7,500 points, and you'll be rewarded with a $5 gift card from retailers such as Burger King, Starbucks, Apple's iTunes, Best Buy and CVS, which you can redeem directly from your device.

With some back-of-the-envelope math, you can figure that it would take three weeks of watching TV every night for three hours to earn enough for a latte at Starbucks.

But the company plans to offer bonus points for checking into certain shows such as "American Idol" and 1,500 points for signing up. You can also get extra points for watching an ad on your device. The beta version awarded 100 points for watching a 15-second ad from Verizon Wireless.

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7 Tips to Wake Up and Get Out of Bed Fast

You're late to work, again. No matter how much you reason with yourself, your lateness is probably due to the fact that you couldn't get out of bed. It's always unpleasant to drag yourself out of bed, so here are some tips to help you wake up alert and get you out of bed quickly:

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• Assess your health. Your drowsiness in the morning might be health-related. Perhaps you need a better diet and exercise plan or maybe you have sleep apnea. If you've been doing everything right, go to a doctor for an expert opinion.
• Coffee on your bedside table. This is for extreme cases, but leaving some coffee or another caffeinated drink like Mountain Dew on your bedside table might be a good way to get yourself out of bed.
• Place your alarm clock strategically. If you place your alarm clock across the room or outside your door, this might force you walk to the clock to shut it off.

Read on for more tips.

• Get an alarm clock that lights up. You can mimic waking up naturally with this BioBrite Sunrise Clock ($134). This alarm clock will gradually glow brighter and brighter and will act like your own mini sunrise. You will no longer be jerked awake by jarring noises with this clock. BioBrite also has a cheaper version for $90.
• Don't drink caffeine or alcohol the night before. It takes a while for caffeine and alcohol to get out of your system so for a better night's sleep, refrain from imbibing these liquids the night before.
• Smelling salts. Smelling salts have been reviving people for hundreds of years, but you don't have to smell something distasteful. Put a bottle of a pleasant-smelling essential oil like orange, grapefruit, or mint next to your bed to sniff in order to shake yourself out of a groggy state
• Train yourself. Instead of forcing yourself to wake up, train yourself to react instantly by practicing the motions of waking up. During the day, turn your lights off and practice jumping out of the bed as soon as your alarm goes off. Do this repeatedly twice a day for about 10 times until it feels automatic.