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[snaildog]

I hate them. My least favourite sound is an alarm clock. So anyway, I was talking to my American friend and he told me about what he calls "Buddhist alarm clocks". He says that they start going off ten minutes early but very very quietly, and slowly build up to a noise loud enough to wake you up. So you subconciously get used to the noise and wake up slowly and naturally. Now this would be absolutely perfect for me. Seems that neither Ebay or Google know what it is though.

So anyway, has anyone heard of these? I'd love to know what they're called or where to get one. Cheers.

 

[Rei_Toei]

Wow, sounds awesome. I hate my clock with a passion. However, I have this strange conditioned response, whatever time I set it, I always wake up 15-30 minutes before it goes off. Doesn't matter if it's 6/7/8 am or later. So usually I can avoid teh horror. Unless I have a massive hangover or loss of sleep or something. Anyway, something like you described sounds great. Hope you'll find it.

 

[Chrono]

That does sound cool. O__o

I set my alarm clock to wake me up as early as possible on weekends and holidays just so I can have the power to shut it off and go to back to sleep. It's good therapy.

 

[Prospero]

Light alarm clock:

The SunRise Clock gently wakes you to a simulated sunrise rather than jarring you awake with a loud noise. Waking to the SunRise Clock can help you start the day in a better mood and feeling more refreshed. The clock's light slowly begins to shine 15, 30, 60, or 90 minutes before your wake-up time, gradually illuminating the room and becoming brighter until it is time for you to awaken.

The SunRise Clock doubles as a great bedside lamp with a fully adjustable light. You can also use the clock's relaxing "sundown" sequence to help you fall asleep naturally as the light gradually dims at bedtime.

There's also a Peaceful Chime Alarm Clock:

Start your day more peacefully — with our chime alarm, you can wake up to the soft ring of a real chime instead of a blaring radio or a jarring electric buzzer. Enclosed in a slim hardwood case, the perfectly tuned B-note chimes at progressively shorter intervals over ten minutes.

 

[Tuvoc]

I dunno about that light alarm clock. Some mornings it doesnt matter how bright it is outside, I still won't wake up.


But it's gotta be better than the alarm clock I have now w/ that generic buzzer. I swear, everytime I hear that sound on the radio or tv, I cringe.

 

[shibbs]

My alarmclock sounds like a fucking fire alarm but then again... its ancient and it does wake you up.

 

[Lucky Forward]

"Buddhist alarm clocks"… they start going off ten minutes early but very very quietly, and slowly build up to a noise loud enough to wake you up. So you subconciously get used to the noise and wake up slowly and naturally.

If you can burn your own CD’s, get a CD alarm clock and wake up to whatever you like. I once put a nice Enya track on CD, only I kept the recording level low at first, and gradually turned it up over a few minutes as it recorded. This does exactly what you described: gradually wake you up over a few minutes instead of jolting you awake.

 

[sprsk]

I just trained myself to wake up at 8 in the morning without an alarm. Much nicer.

 

[FortNinety]

I have a problem... alarm clocks never usually work. I need at least four alarms to get me up. I have one loud ass clock (which wakes up my roomates, who are on the other side of the apartment) and my cell phone, which lies right next to my head, and goes off three times. But I still sleep in and am always late for work...

 

[Chrono]

I have a problem... alarm clocks never usually work. I need at least four alarms to get me up. I have one loud ass clock (which wakes up my roomates, who are on the other side of the apartment) and my cell phone, which lies right next to my head, and goes off three times. But I still sleep in and am always late for work...

Maybe you don't get enough sleep?

Some times I wake up 2 or 3 hours after I was supposed to with NO MEMORY of turning off the alarm. It happens when I've only been sleeping for 2 hours or so after a long day.

 

[SaitoH]

My alarm clock does bird sounds. Roosters, loons and some rainforest bird. I currently have it set to loons. It made me laugh ... that's why I bought it.

 

[Minotauro]

Does anyone else have a system for hitting the snooze button? Me, I set my alarm for a half-hour early and then hit the snooze 4 or 5 times. I know this really doesn't do much for me as far as sleep goes but it makes it a bit easier.

 

[Archaix]

Does anyone else have a system for hitting the snooze button? Me, I set my alarm for a half-hour early and then hit the snooze 4 or 5 times. I know this really doesn't do much for me as far as sleep goes but it makes it a bit easier.

My roomate does this, and I hold a great grudge against him when he has to wake up a few hours before I do.

 

[ghostface]

Light alarm clock:

There's also a Peaceful Chime Alarm Clock:

That light alarm clock seems pretty pointless if you want to wake up after sunrise, which is pretty much most people.

 

[Panajev2001a]

My roomate does this, and I hold a great grudge against him when he has to wake up a few hours before I do.

My girlfriend does this: I have developed an instinctual reaction that hits the Snooze buton not too long after it starts ringing and buzzing and all.

If I put an alarm early, I normally want to wake up early, not wait 30 minutes, but I got adjusted.

 

[Marty Chinn]

Does anyone else have a system for hitting the snooze button? Me, I set my alarm for a half-hour early and then hit the snooze 4 or 5 times. I know this really doesn't do much for me as far as sleep goes but it makes it a bit easier.

Heh I do this. I developed this habit in the last two years when I got my new alarm clock. I love it too. It's got dual alarms which is nice. It's hard to find a good alarm clock with dual alarms.

 

[gofreak]

I set my alarm for 6.20am, then when I wake at that time, I turn it off, and set it again for 6.45am. So I have that period of 25 mins of semi-sleep to prepare myself for getting up.

 

[SKluck]

I don't see how any of those things would work. I need something to shock me the hell out of bed. Most of the time I wake up like 10 minutes, 20 minutes past when I set it and notice my alarm was mysteriously turned off. I'll even face the alarm the other way, or put it a couple feet away and this STILL happens.

What the hell.

 

[carpal]

<---- Designed by that guy.

http://www.modernclocks.net/ModernClocks/clocksdetail.asp?ProductID=2175

The best alarm clock on the face of the earth. Gradual increase in alarm sound, touch sensitive light up face and snooze feature, perfect size for gripping and throwing across the room. I love mine so much that I still use it even though the minute hand no longer works -- makes for some interesting morning rushes sometimes.

 

[iapetus]

and my cell phone, which lies right next to my head, and goes off three times.

There's your problem. Your cell phone should be out of reach. Mine lives just by my door (where I've got a handy charger unit) so that I have to get out of bed to turn it off or set it to snooze. Pretty much guarantees I'm at least partly awake when it goes off.

 

[ghostface]

There's your problem. Your cell phone should be out of reach. Mine lives just by my door (where I've got a handy charger unit) so that I have to get out of bed to turn it off or set it to snooze. Pretty much guarantees I'm at least partly awake when it goes off.

dind ding ding! We have a winner.

Seriously, that's what I do with my alarm clock. I put it far, far from me so that I actually have to get up to snooze. After getting up 2-3 times, forget about going back to sleep.

 

[Incognito]

I just trained myself to wake up at 8 in the morning without an alarm. Much nicer.

Is that you, Kramer??

Anyway, my alarm clock is my cell phone. Loud as fuck.

 

[mrmyth]

Anybody else been unable to get through this thread without hearing Coldplay in their heads?

 

[belgurdo]

Once you figure out how long you sleep on average and when you should go to sleep, you won't need alarm clocks

 

[Claus]

I use my computer. Regular alarm clocks aren't loud or annoying enough to wake me up.

 

[human5892]

My old roomate had the ability to sleep right through an alarm. He had the standard loud, blaring kind, and nine times out of ten, it would completely fail to even move him. He just slept soundly through it as it beeped. I can't tell you how many times I came back to the room after class to find him snoring away as the alarm pissed off everyone in the hall.

 

[Cauliflower of Love]

Alarms don't work for me, no matter how loud, or how far away they are.

I have jack shit to look forward to in the day. That's the best way to get someone up, give them something to look forward to in the morning.

 

[Quadrophenic]

Alarm clocks only work for me if I know I have to get up in the morning...otherwise I'll sleep throgh them no matter how loud/annoying they may be.

Likewise, if I know I have to get up in the morning at a certain time, and don't have an alarm clock (or I am using a different/new alarm clock and unsure about its ability to wake me up), I will wake up at various times before the alarm is set...like 1 hour before, then 30 minutes before, then 15, then 5, ect. I probably could get by without an alarm clock to wake me up, but I like having an alarm clock just in case. Unlike Kramer.

 

[snaildog]

<---- Designed by that guy.

http://www.modernclocks.net/ModernClocks/clocksdetail.asp?ProductID=2175

The best alarm clock on the face of the earth. Gradual increase in alarm sound, touch sensitive light up face and snooze feature, perfect size for gripping and throwing across the room. I love mine so much that I still use it even though the minute hand no longer works -- makes for some interesting morning rushes sometimes.

It looks pretty cool, but how gradual is it? Is it over like 10 minutes or 30 seconds or what?

 

[Deleted member 1235]

My stereo does the quiet to loud thing, but only over a period of 10 seconds. 5 minutes would be much better I think. Also if the cd racks didn't whir and chug like a bitch before it did the nice relaxing volume thing, that would be better as well.

 

[ced]

Once you figure out how long you sleep on average and when you should go to sleep, you won't need alarm clocks

I wish this were the case with me but its not. I can get 12 hours sleep and still cant get my ass out of bed at 6 or 7.

Ive started setting my alarm 30 mins early, then getting up and turning the lights on and going back to sleep for 30 mins. It doesnt really help but I cant stand having to get up before sunrise.

Its like a mental condition, I dont hate my job or anything, its just a horrible pain for me to wake up on weekdays sometimes.

 

[Penguin]

I use a two alarm system.

I had an alarm set for 30 mins before I'm supposed to be up, which I usually turn off when it goes off.

And then I have my cell phone set for the time I need to wake up, which is set to Mission Impossible, which doesn't gradually build up, the loud buzzing sound at the beginning always wakes me up pretty good. Annoying as hell but gets the job done.

 

[Dan]

I have a CD alarm clock made by Sony I think. You can set it to go off at three different times, one set to a normal alarm, one set to the radio and one set to a CD, each with custom volume adjustment. I just put that several yards away from my bed, spread out the alarm times, and I'm pretty much set. I never manage to get up and turn it off three times without being awake. I can throw my cell phone into play too if I think I'll need it, like when I'm extremely tired and can't sleep for long.

 

[Boogie9IGN]

I used to have some homo chicken alarm clock from Germany, it'd wake you up by crowing and saying WAKE UP, GOOD MORNING, GOOD MORNING until you shut it up

 

[Red Dolphin]

Cool topic.

There's nothing worse then the standard high pitched buzz of an alarm clock. As soon as I hear it I smash the Snooze button straight away and end up hitting it numerous times and then end up sleeping in to late. I would much prefer a clock that would start music softly and gradually increase the volume over a period of 5 minutes so you could wake up gradually. If I wake up really suddenly I feel shitty for at least an hour or two after waking up in this way. I feel much better if I wake up gradually.

I have to use my mobile phone to wake myself up these days as I broke my alarm clock because it was pissing me off. When you hold the "Alarm" button and then you have to press hours or minutes to set the alarm you'd have to hold the alarm button down so ridiculously hard that it would hurt your finger otherwise it wouldn't "register". I got sick of this and hit the clock hoping it would fix it. But now NONE of the buttons work. So I can't change the time or set the alarm now lol.
Mobile phone is ok for waking up. It actually has an alarm that starts off soft and gets louder but it only takes about 10 seconds before it starts getting ridiculously loud. Also the snooze button and off button are dangerously close to each other so you can't just fumble around and push the buttons without looking as I've hit the alarm off a few times and ended up sleeping in way too late.