Cool Alarm Clocks Information For Everyone

Alarm Clocks over the years have undergone a metamorphosis in their sizes, shapes, colours and features. Yet their underlying purpose remains the same, to get you up in time. Issues arise though when these devices affect your natural sleep patterns and the resultant sleep inertia, crankiness and irritability reach levels of serious concern.

Choosing your Alarm Clock should not be based on a quick visit to a store and grabbing the cheapest or the one closest to hand. It should be an exercise of care conducted as this lays the foundation to how your mood will be and has a spillover effect on your productivity.

Do not pinch pennies when it comes to the right choice as your clock is what introduces you to a new day every time. Gone are the days of the bells ringing you off of your bed and into an immediate state of panic and confusion, the evolution of alarm clocks should promote and support your nights rest as best as possible.

We recommend the following criteria for choosing your ideal alarm clock. Ask yourself what will best suit your needs and make the wisest decision.

• Sound: Your alarm sound should not be one to jolt you out of bed, rather a sound to indicate to your body that it is time to rise and face another day. Our recommendation is to set a clock radio on a pleasant radio station playing instrumental music. There is no harm in being woken up to sounds of Beethoven or Bach. If this is not available, there are several clocks out there that sound off with natural sounds of the beach, rain or even birds chirping. What is not pleasant for you to awaken to is that incredibly coarse beeping or loud buzzing that makes your heart leap and scares you out of your wits. Initial sleep inertia is a common phenomenon but should wear off quickly for the average person as they go through their morning absolutions;

• Sight: Many alarm clocks have the feature of light which is particularly useful for the hearing impaired amongst us. However even those that are not impaired in this way have given good reviews for the clocks that light up their dark room with a pleasant imitation of a sunrise. This is mostly comprised of a bulb of specific wattage that gets brighter as the preset time to awaken nears. This alarm clock is excellent for persons that prefer or have no choice but to sleep in very dark rooms. Being awaken by conventional alarm clocks in a very dark room especially on a cool day may only result in the alarm being turned off so a little light may be just what is required.

• Features and workability: So many alarm clocks these days come with manuals as thick as some complicated smart phones that you are sure you will never discover all its facets. We recommend the simpler ones that have limited controls and that stick to their basic functions. A knob to set the alarm; a volume knob for the audio functions such as radio, ipod or CD; a knob to set the time and a snooze function. That is what you should look for in an alarm clock

• Space and aesthetics:  Look at the availability of space on your designated spot. Ideally the alarm clock should be placed within an arm’s length of your bedside so you can get a good little stretch in as you awaken. Look for an alarm clock that fits into your décor so it does not stand out like a sore thumb clashing with your pleasant room colours (more on room colours in a related article). Your alarm clock should not be the only thing you can place on your side table, there should be adequate room for that nice relaxing article or novel, a small glass of water and your reading lamp. 

• Our recommendation: We particularly like the alarm clocks that assist the waking process. The ones with the phone or musical device docks that you can synchronize your favourite relaxing tunes to and awaken with a smile.  

It must be reiterated that a pleasant awakening from your sleep is only possible with a complimentary environment:

• Get the required amount of sleep (at least eight full hours),
• Create a relaxing ambiance in your room,
• Practice the proper night time rituals, e.g. “wind-down” time and no hoagies before bed!
• Your room must be at a comfortable temperature for you with minimum or no light,
• Remember, no lap-tops or smart phones in the bed, this is a place to rest not get wound up,
• Have a stretch before bed, get your body relaxed for rest after a tough day.