Alarm clocks for heavy sleepers: which to choose

The alarm goes off, you switch it off and you wake up an hour later with no memory of touching it. If this happens a lot, you've probably already looked up alarm clocks for heavy sleepers: one that's louder, or one that runs off across the room. There are plenty, and each type tackles a different part of the problem.

Alarm clocks for heavy sleepers fall into two groups: some wake you up, with sound, vibration or light, and others make you get out of bed to turn them off, like Clocky or apps with missions. If you hear the alarm but fall back asleep, the first group won't be enough.

Why a normal alarm clock doesn't work for heavy sleepers

There are two different problems, and it helps to know which one is yours:

• You don't hear it. The alarm goes off and you stay asleep.
• You hear it, but you switch it off. Turning off an alarm is such an automatic movement that you do it half asleep. Some people dismiss three in a row and don't remember any of them.

If the first happens to you even when you get enough sleep, mention it to your doctor. If it's the second, read on.

Types of alarm clock for heavy sleepers

Type	Example	What it does
Very loud with vibration	Sonic Bomb, by Sonic Alert	An alarm of up to 113 dB, flashing lights and a shaker you put in the bed
Sunrise light	Philips SmartSleep Wake-up Light	The light rises over 30 minutes, from red to yellow, and a natural sound plays at the end
Runaway	Clocky	Lets you snooze once. After that it jumps off the bedside table and runs around the room beeping
App with missions	Alarmy	You can set it so it won't stop until you complete a mission: maths problems, shaking the phone, squats, walking, scanning a code or taking a photo

The first two wake you up. The last two get you out of bed, at least for a moment.

How to choose based on what happens to you

• If you don't hear anything: a loud sound with vibration. If you share a bed, warn the other person before you try it.
• If you wake up groggy and grumpy: a sunrise light makes waking more gradual, but it doesn't make you get up.
• If you switch it off without noticing: something that needs you on your feet. Clocky makes you chase it. With Alarmy, the photo mission works best with something far from the bed, like the bathroom sink or the coffee machine.
• If several of these happen to you: combine them. One alarm to wake you up and something else to get you up.

What no alarm clock solves

They all end the same way: once the alarm goes quiet, the bed is still there. With Clocky you catch it, switch it off and pull the covers back up. With Alarmy you take the photo of the sink half asleep and go back to the pillow. At that hour, getting back into bed costs you nothing.

What really keeps you on your feet is something happening if you're not up at a set time: someone waiting for you downstairs, or a small amount you lose if you don't show up.

An alarm for heavy sleepers that still counts after you switch it off

In Ultimatum you choose what time you get up, leave a small guarantee, for example €5, and before the deadline you take a live photo of something you can't do from bed. If you keep your word, you get your money back, and if the photo check has doubts, nothing is charged automatically: someone on the team reviews it. The app isn't out yet, so join the beta and we'll let you know.