All the FAQ answers I found emphasized that before the Industrial Revolution, you wouldn't get paid by the hour, you wouldn't have to meet at "7:00 sharp," you would just get up at dawn with the rest of your family. And not having artificial light, you'd go to bed early and wake up naturally.

Cool. But presumably there were people who needed to wake up before dawn, and at a time their bodies weren't used to. Soldiers who want to march at first light. Travelers who want to take a ship that leaves at dawn or get on the road as early as possible. A nobleman who normally wakes up at dawn but today is going hunting and wants everything ready by dawn. Monks who would wake up in the middle of the night to pray. Muezzins who needed to call people to prayer at dawn.

So how would they do it? Was it all dependent on having a friend or servant (or two or three) who would stay up and take turns waking each other up? (Along with an hour glass to know when each shift ended?)