Excessive alarm clocks should be avoided
Photograph: Molly Higgins
Flying Alarm Clock for $18:The idea behind this alarm is weird – when the alarm goes off, a propeller pops out of the top and the sleeper has to get up, find the propeller, and put it back on top for the alarm to stop beeping. However, in the week I used it, the alarm did not stop when the propeller was placed back on top, when the snooze button was pressed, or when the alarm button was turned off. The only way to stop it was to find a screwdriver and remove one of the five required AA batteries (not included). By the end of the week, I had my screwdriver available in the morning. At least it sustained me, but not for the right reasons.
Alarm Clock App (In-App Purchase): This is a puzzle-style alarm app similar to the Alarmy app, but has fewer features and is more cluttered. The alarm lets you press snooze three times before forcing you to actually complete a task, which wasn’t helpful for a chronic snoozer like me. However, the biggest issue was that the alarm would not go off when my phone was in vibrate or silent mode. For this reason, I had to keep the backup alarm on for most of the week I tested. The app would glitch almost every morning when I remembered to turn on the ringer and the app would either freeze or close completely.
EC Vision Lock N’ Load Gun Alarm Clock for $28: This is another gimmicky clock that aims to be a fun, interactive alarm. You set it up across the room, the alarm sounds, and a target appears – the sleeper must shoot the target with the toy gun to activate the snooze feature. However, shooting the alarm only controls the snooze; To turn off the alarm, the sleeper has to press an actual button on the alarm clock – making the entire shooting part ultimately redundant to the clock’s functionality. Even with setting the alarm on the other side of the room and using the aiming and shooting element, this clock didn’t really force me to get out of bed as effectively as some of the others on this list.
Which is the extreme alarm for you?
Well, it all depends on your problem in getting out of bed.
If you’re a frequent snoozer, choose alarms that force you to physically get out of bed. Many types involve movement to get your blood pumping and ward off sleep jitters – like clockies, alarms on wheels, or an alarm clock that requires you to shoot a target to go off.
If you are hard of hearing, some of these alarms have adjustable pitch and volume, which is useful for certain ranges of hearing loss. Some of these alarms also have a vibration pad, which can be inserted between the mattress and box spring or under the top sheet, which wakes the sleeper through the vibration motion. There’s also a wristwatch that shocks a sleeping person, which may be helpful for people who sleep with partners who don’t want to be disturbed by noise.
Power up with unlimited access to WIRED. Get best-in-class reporting and exclusive client content that is too important to ignore. Subscribe today.