Before the invention of conventional alarm clock, how did people used to wake up, it would probably be with the sun for most of time, but in situations wherein they needed to be awake before the sun, for example, Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr’s dual, they met at dawn, which implicates that they had to both be up before the sun, and simply staying up the whole night seems like an irresponsible idea right before a duel?
There's always room for discussion but perhaps the section Waking up without alarm clocks from our FAQ will answer your inquiry.