Let’s talk alarm clocks, and no I don’t mean the apps on your phone, but rather the actual physical object. Call me a traditionalist, but soon you too will see my perspective and point on the subject.
Alarms clocks have two purposes, telling the time and waking you up so that you can avoid being late for a certain occasion. A phone on the other hand has so many other functions that can very easily grab your attention, especially before sleep.
Most of us, especially the newer generations, are accustomed to using our mobile devices as a time regulator – it is our watch, calendar, scheduler and morning alarm clock. But you have to ask yourself, how efficient is your mobile at doing such tasks?
We are all guilty of giving in to our curiosity and spending an additional hour browsing through Facebook when we were setting our alarm in the first place. Then a chain of “let me just check this one more thing” occurs and that is robbing you of sleep and tranquillity. Not only does the phone rob you precious sleep time, the blue light emitted from its screen reduces the production of melatonin, a hormone that the body produces to get you into sleep mode. This can lead to an all together ruined night’s sleep, which in turn can lead to depression and heart disease. It is advised to not use any electronic device at least half an hour before sleep.
There is a big variety of alarm clocks to choose from on the market, for example if the ticking and tocking bothers you and prevents you from achieving slumber, then there are silent alarm clocks that make no noise at all. But don’t underestimate their lack of noise, because when they are meant to make noise, they do it in a very effective and loud way.
If you are a man of simple things, why not try digital clocks. They are adored for their minimalistic design that falls right into place within more modern households. For the heavy sleepers like myself, we have the double bell alarm clock which is mostly made out of metal and as the name specifies, it features two metal bells. When the time comes a little hammer starts spastically hitting both bells, producing a loud, old-school ringing noise. You can also get your kids used to this healthier concept of bedtime manners by buying them a kids themed alarm clock that plays their favourite cartoon theme.
