What’s the best alarm?

The body’s natural circadian rhythm is the ideal wake-up call; however, many of us have to rely on artificial methods to pull us out of sleep in the morning.

Although some people are biologically primed to leap out of bed the moment their eyes open (see Why am I more nocturnal than others I know?), in a major study, around 80 percent of people used an alarm clock on work days, and nearly 70 percent slept at least an hour longer on free days.

A loud, blaring alarm may seem like an obvious choice, especially if you need be up and ready to go quickly—but the repeated shock of such a sudden noise could eventually train your brain to anticipate it and lead to disturbed early-morning sleep.

CHOOSE A SONG

An alarm with melodic sound may have a more energizing effect than a harsh “beep beep.” One study of reactions to various sounds found that melodies with rising and falling tones seemed to increase people’s arousal and cognition, helping them feel less groggy. As well as melody, rhythm also seemed to affect the alertness of participants. While noting that further work is needed, researchers suggested songs such as “Good Vibrations” by The Beach Boys and “Close To Me” by The Cure were most effective in the transition from sleep to alertness.

Whatever sound you choose, avoid getting into the habit of hitting the snooze button, which can leave you feeling sluggish for longer (see Why do I feel groggy when I’ve had more sleep than usual?). Place your sound alarm device just far enough away from the bed so you have to get out of bed to turn it off—some phone-based alarm apps make you solve a puzzle or vigorously shake the phone before turning off.

An alternative to sound alarms, a dawn simulator or “sunrise alarm” gradually increases artificial light into the bedroom in the final 30–60 minutes of sleep. The theory is that this helps you wake up naturally and effectively, even when it’s dark outside. In one study, people who normally found it difficult to wake up said they felt more alert and showed faster reaction times after using a sunrise alarm. The light from these alarms is much less intense than from light boxes, which are a recognized therapy for sleep disorders such as SAD. But there’s some evidence that sunrise alarms can be of help to those with mild or moderate winter depression.

Using a sunrise alarm

Even through closed eyes, photoreceptor cells in the retinas can still detect light and will signal the master clock in the brain that it’s time to wake up.

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