Who came up with the great idea to have half the world wake up to aggressive, loud and insufferable beeping noises screaming at us to rise and shine? The terrifying feeling of jolting up in the mornings to arguably the most terrible sound on earth (next to nails on a chalkboard) is one I fear almost every day. But what if I told you that the alarm you’ve been waking up to every morning could actually be hurting you? In an article by Lily Ramsey, August 2023, she cites research which states that sudden and loud sounds cause higher blood pressure and heart rate, leading to a rush of adrenaline and stress on our bodies.
Starting the day off with stress levels through the roof is very obviously counterproductive to the objective of an alarm clock. We set alarms to start a productive day and yet the only available alarms are either extremely aggressive or could put you back to sleep.
Personally, my vendetta is with Apple and their “waves” ringtone. When you read the label you’re going to assume you’ll get a gentle relaxing tone to gradually wake you up from your slumber, right? Wrong. Instead, you’ll have the joy of waking up thinking you’ve been teleported into the Garage Band headquarters. They should really try a new name for it like, “wave away your sanity” or “rage comes in waves.”
Why is it that the only free alarms are a nightmare to wake up to? It shouldn’t be a privilege to wake up without high blood pressure. Companies such as Hatch have put great alarm clocks on the market, featuring gradual wakeup methods with customizable lighting, volume, and not-traumatizing alarm sounds. However, they are charging nearly $170 per alarm clock, not including the membership if you plan on building “healthy sleep habits.” Not only is it ridiculous to price an alarm clock the same as a week’s worth of groceries for a family of four, the alarm clock is also patented, meaning that we won’t see cheaper versions hitting the market anytime soon.
All in all, the alarm clock is practically begging to be redesigned. It’s ridiculous that half the world uses an alarm clock on a daily basis and yet no one has thought, “oh let me sit down and design a 30 second sound that won’t give anyone who has to wake up to it, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.” The reality is that today’s alarm clocks are the only thing that make the prospect of a Monday morning seem like a better idea. It’s as though every morning they wake you up just to remind you that your dreams are not as important as your 9-5 or, in our case, 8:50-3:40. Don’t we think it’s time to have something to look forward to in the mornings? Perhaps a lovely melody sung by doves? At this rate, I would settle for anything that doesn’t resemble the purge alarm.
