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Extreme stimuli to avoid
Photo: Molly Higgins
Flying alarm clock for $18: The idea behind this alarm is funny – when the alarm goes off, the fan comes out of the top and the sleeper has to get up, find the fan, and put it back on top to get the alarm to stop beeping. However, during the week I used it, the alarm did not stop beeping when I turned the fan back on, when I pressed the snooze button, or when I turned the alarm button off. The only way to stop it was to find a screwdriver and take out one of the five AA batteries required (not included). By the end of the week, I had my screwdriver handy in the morning. At least it kept me awake, but not for the right reasons.
Alarm clock app (in-app purchases): This is a puzzle-style alert app similar to Alarmy, but it has fewer features and is more cluttered. The alarm lets you hit the snooze button three times before forcing you to actually complete a task, which wasn’t helpful for a chronic snoozer like me. But the biggest problem is that the alarm did not sound when my phone was on vibrate or silent mode. For this reason, I had to have a backup alarm for most of the week I tested. When I remembered to turn on the ringtone, almost every morning the app would crash and the app would freeze or close completely.
EC Vision Lock N’ Load Alarm Clock, $28: This is another eye-catching clock that aims to be a fun interactive alarm clock. You set it up across the room, the alarm goes off, and a target pops up — the sleeper must then shoot the target with a toy gun to activate the snooze feature. However, setting off the alarm only controls snooze; To turn off the alarm, the sleeper has to press a physical button on the alarm clock – ultimately making the entire imaging part unnecessary to the clock’s function. Even by setting the alarm on the other side of the room and using the point-and-shoot element, this watch didn’t force me out of bed as effectively as some of the other watches on this list.
Which high alert is right for you?
Well, it all depends on your problem getting out of bed.
If you’re a chronic snoozer, choose alarms that physically get you out of bed. Many types involve movement to get the blood pumping and eliminate some of the drowsiness — like Clocky, an alarm clock on wheels, or an alarm clock that requires you to shoot at a target to turn it off.
If you have difficulty hearing, some of these alarms have adjustable pitch and volume, which is helpful for hearing loss in certain ranges. Some of these alarms also have a vibration pad, which can be inserted between the mattress and box spring or under the topper, which wakes the sleeper through the vibrating motion. There’s even a wrist watch that shocks the sleeper, which could be useful for those sleeping with partners who don’t want to be disturbed by the noise.
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