Alarm Clocks

Dear World

World Sleep Day today – 15 March

A wise move would be to read our Sleep Blog on this website presenting the Stats, Facts, Science and more…

A bedtime reading that could be life changing for those who are ready to nail the sleep thing once and for all.

The Questions presented by Simple Living Global gives us an opportunity to get Real and Honest about what is going on in our lives.

The timeless wisdom offers the reader an opportunity to consider the choices we are making that contribute to the quality of our Sleep.

A real reminder about the global sleeping aids industry, which is estimated next year at $80,800,000,000. (1)

Is this a confirmation that we have Lost the Plot when it comes to something so natural that we all need – Sleep.

What is it about us that we demand Solutions and we want them Fast.

We want Solutions for our insomnia and we demand them so the suppliers keep coming up with new stuff.

We want anything that can fix our sleep problems and make them go away, so we can carry on living the way we want everyday.

We do not want to learn or understand WHY we have major sleep issues.

We most certainly don’t want to be giving up our indulgent lifestyle choices just for the sake of great quality sleep.

We do not want to even go there with the “taking responsibility” thing when it comes to our poor sleep.

We do not hate enough the sleepless nights that lead to mood changes during the day, which in turn affects others.

We do not want to address our lack of sleep that has been going on for years and drives us nuts every night.

We do not want to look at WHY we find it so hard to fall asleep at night time.

We have no intention of stopping any of our lifestyle choices even though some contribute to crap sleep daily.

We love the comfortable life we have created and we are not going to change, just to get the sleep thing right and back on track.

We want to buy anything out there that will make us sleep even if it is harmfull and imposing to our natural cycle.

Hello

Are we ready to be Honest and answer which one of the following confirms us –

We want Alarm Clocks because without them we would simply not be able to wake up naturally.

We want Alarm Clocks because without it we would for sure have no job.

We need an Alarm Clock as that is what we have used since day dot.

We have several Alarm Clocks because one would simply not cut it for our deep slumber state in the mornings.

We leave a loud Alarm Clock to go off in another room as we know next to our bed will make no difference.

We need the jump start and disturbance that our Alarm Clock gives us because we are way too exhausted to get up naturally.

We have always used Alarm Clocks and see it as a normal part of daily life and we never Question it.

We have simply accepted that we hate the sound of our Alarm Clock and every single day we wish it was our day off and we could just go back to bed.

History of Alarm Clocks

4^th Century BC
Plato used the water clock to wake himself up for lectures.

725
YI Xing alarm clock is one of the world’s earliest recorded devices.
It measured time and distance of the planets and stars.

Europeans then repeated the idea by creating complex displays within chiming clocks in town squares.

Next step was to make such clocks smaller so they could be used individually.

Most people had to rely on the sun, servants or prayer chiming bells.

1770
Not everyone felt the need for a mechanical solution.

Since the Industrial Revolution began, people had been finding ways to make sure they got to work on time.

A popular method in Britain and Ireland was hiring a knocker-upper.

A unique profession used by old people to policemen and industrial towns hiring large numbers of them.

1787
Personal alarm device by mechanical alarm clock inventor Levi Hutchins only designed to go off at 4am.

1847
First adjustable alarm clock which allowed the user to set a time to wake.
A hole in each number of the clock dial where a pin is placed in the hole responding to the time you needed to be up. It was very simple. (2)

1850s
During the Industrial Revolution, loud factory whistle woke people up who lived around the factories they worked at and would wake to the noise every morning. (3)

1876
Seth E. Thomas patented his own version and his company became a mass-producer of the alarm clock.

1920s
Alarm clocks spread and knocker-uppers began to fade away.

Mid-1900s
Alarm clock companies continued to innovate with portable travel alarm clocks and radio alarm clocks.

Second World War – nearly all alarm clock factories mandatorily converted into zones for war-related production.

As war workers needed to wake up on time – governments did allow some alarm clocks to be manufactured.

Due to the decreased supply the U.S. War Production Board requested –
No one to buy a war alarm unless it satisfies real need, not merely want, wish or whim. (2)

Snooze Button

1956 (4)
Time of huge technical advances and massive growth in the household appliance market – the first bedside alarm clock with a snooze button was released.

The world’s most humane alarm clock was introduced as a new kind of alarm that wakes you, lets you snooze, wakes you again. (5)

WHY was Snooze set to 9 minutes

When the idea of a snooze button first came up, reports indicated that anything over 10 minutes was deemed to be too long as it was thought that people would just drop back to sleep. (4)

A drowse button offering 5 or 10 minute respite from your alarm became a standard that continued for many years.
However, it was the “snooze” description and 9 minute duration that eventually became the industry standard that is recognised today.

In a completely programmable digital era, the fact that snooze is set to a default and in many cases an unchangeable default – 9 minutes is what is described as a nostalgic artificial standard.

In other words, it is either how things have traditionally been done or an ‘if it ain’t broken then don’t try to fix it’ type scenario. (5)

What if this nostalgic artificial 9 minute standard is the very thing that our body does not want because is opposite to what we need.

What if we use the 9 o’clock Hoover blog and pay attention to what it is presenting in terms of our natural sleep cycle.

What if applying the 9pm sleep time could be the game changer we have all been looking for, so we can have consistent vitality levels.

What if there is something more to understand about the numerology behind the number 9 which we not yet gotten to.

What if using the world standard snooze default at 9 minutes is moving us away from the very thing we all need – Evolution.

Snooze Button Statistics

2017

20,000 people survey

50% use snooze at least once when alarm goes off (5)

Is Snooze Good for Us

“when we are artificially wrenched from sleep by an alarm clock, a burst of activity from the fight-or-flight branch of the nervous system causes a sharp increase in Blood Pressure and a shock acceleration in the Heart rate.
Repeating this process by pressing snooze frequently puts your cardiovascular system through such a shock again, causing multiplicative abuse to your heart and nervous system.”
Professor Matthew Walker – Neuroscientist
University of California – Center for Human Sleep Science (5)

Snoozing can also adversely affect the hormonal level by increasing the body’s level of cortisol – the hormone released when we are stressed.

“When dozing off for those extra minutes, we are preparing our bodies for another sleep cycle, which is then quickly interrupted – causing us to feel fatigued for the rest of the day.”
Neil Robinson – Sleep Expert
Marketing Director – Sealy Beds, manufacturing company (5)

1000 people survey in U.S. those who had partners hitting the snooze button, the lower they rated their relationship satisfaction. (5)

Alternative Solutions

An increasing popular option is Light Therapy solution.

These sunrise alarm clocks or wake-up lights gradually illuminate in a way that simulates the sun rising, promising a more gradual and natural wake-up process.

Other models give a sunset option for a bedtime chill-out session, the ability to wake up to different sounds or change the amount of time the light gradually brightens.

Smartwatches are another alternative to a traditional alarm solution.
They gather data about your night’s rest and wake you up silently in the morning with a vibrating alarm. (5)

A new type of alarm clock on the market now eases you into waking up slowly stimulating sense, smell, sight and hearing with a 3 step process.

1. First minute entices our sense of smell with 9 types of scents like chocolate, orange juice and cappuccino. Select scent cartridge based on mood and insert into alarm clock to activate which lasts 30 days.

2. During second minute, attracts our sense of sight with a soothing light.

3. Final step plays one of five different melodies. (6) 

Question – should we be asking how has this got ranked as one of the top 15 inventions that could change the world ?

Body Clock Linked to Mood Disorders

Disruption to the body’s internal clock may put people at increased risk of mood disorders, scientists say.

A clock ticks in nearly every cell of the body and they change how the tissues work in a daily rhythm.

Lancet Psychiatry Study

91,000 people with body clock disruption found

Higher Rates of Major Depression
Bipolar Disorder
More Loneliness
Lower Happiness
Worse Reaction Times
More Mood Instability

Researchers said this was a warning to societies becoming less in tune with these natural rhythms.

It was likely that some of the people in the study who had difficulties might be using Social Media at night.
This study tells us the body clock is really important for mood disorders and should be given greater priority in research and in the way we organise societies.
Professor Daniel Smith – Researcher | University of Glasgow (7)

Dear World

If we just take on board and consider what has thus far been presented – is there something we could learn.

Can we join the dots and keep it Simple.

A research study with 91,000 people is spelling it out to us that our natural body clock is being disrupted by our modern way of living.

Can we see a strong link with our sleep being out and having Depression or mood instability.

Can we use common sense and get to the point, that if our natural sleep wake cycle is bombarded with Solutions that interfere with our natural rhythms, we are in serious trouble.

WHY are we ignoring the message from the researchers who are telling us this is a warning for society and that means every single one of us.

Finally – we have a Professor, a neuroscientist telling us that using an alarm clock is an artificial way to wake us up and there are consequences.

Are we going to continue to shock our cardiovascular system.

Are we going to ignore the fact that an Alarm Clock causes a sharp increase in our Blood Pressure.

Do we want change or are we ok with causing multiple abuse to our heart and nervous system when we make the choice to rely on Alarm Clocks.

Are we going to listen to the facts presented or do we ignore them.

Are we going to seek more of what we want that is familiar to us.

Are we going to ask for new Solutions because that’s what suits us.

Are we going to continue feeding the sleeping aids world until it becomes a trillion dollar global industry.

Are we ready to Let Go of what harms us and consider that there could be another way to live.

This blog and this website are dedicated to presenting Another Way.

References

(1) (2015, July 31). Global Sleep Aids Market Will Reach US $80.8 Bn by 2020: Persistence Market Research. GlobeNewswire. Retrieved March 10, 2019 from
https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2015/07/31/756724/10144080/en/Global-Sleep-Aids-Market-Will-Reach-US-80-8-Bn-by-2020-Persistence-Market-Research.html

(2) (2016, April 21). A 2,000 Year History of Alarm Clocks. Atlas Obscura. Retrieved March 12, 2019 from
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/a-2000year-history-of-alarm-clocks

(3) (n.d). History of Alarm Clocks. Lemonly. Retrieved March 12, 2019 from
https://lemonly.com/work/the-history-of-alarm-clocks

(4) Larbi, M. (2016, July 21). This Might Be Why Your Alarm Goes Off Every 9 Minutes When You Hit Snooze. Metro. Retrieved March 12, 2019 from
https://metro.co.uk/2016/07/21/this-might-be-why-your-alarm-goes-off-every-9-minutes-when-you-hit-snooze-6020131/

(5) Turner, A-M. (2019, January 2). Snoozers Are Losers: Everything You Need to Know About the Button We Love to Hate. MashableUK. Retrieved March 12, 2019 from
https://mashable.com/article/everything-you-need-to-know-about-snooze-button-alarm-clocks/?europe=true#o8YGyoIxNaqj

(6) Obias, R. (2018, June 15). Sensorwake is a Scent-Based Alarm Clock on Kickstarter – and it Seems Awesome. MashableUK. Retrieved March 12, 2019 from
https://mashable.com/2018/06/15/kickstarter-sensorwake-smell-alarm-clock/?europe=true&utm_campaign=a-recirc-pathing-featured-urlrec-1&utm_source=internal&utm_medium=onsite#j7n.gjXVkkq1

(7) Gallagher, J. (2018, May 16). Body Clock Linked to Mood Disorders. BBC News. Retrieved March 12, 2019 from
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-44113414