Author: snoozester

Interesting, Fun and Just Plain Weird Alarm Clocks

While we happen to be partial to waking up with Snoozester, we recognize that there still people who take comfort in having a more traditional alarm clock at their bedside. With this in mind, we present a list of not-so-traditional, traditional alarm clocks:

  • Puzzle Alarm Clock – An alarm clock that shoots puzzle pieces in to the air as the alarm goes off; in order to silence the alarm, you have to reassemble the puzzle on top of the alarm clock.
  • Clocky – Developed by MIT Grad Student Gauri Nanda, this alarm clock takes the old principle of “move the alarm clock to another part of the room so you have to get up to turn it off” to a whole new level. As the alarm goes off, Clocky rolls away to a new [random] location, so not only do you have to get up to turn off the alarm – you also have to find it!
  • Blowfly – Taking the “you need to catch me first before you can silence me” concept one step dimension further, Blowfly doesn’t roll away when the alarm goes off. Nope, Blowfly, as the name implies, flies away from its base when the alarm goes off. Silencing the alarm, as you may have guessed, requires catching the Blowfly and returning it to its base.
  • Nintendo Controller Alarm Clock – This alarm clock is designed to resemble an original Nintendo controller. The alarm has a Super Mario Brothers tone, but if you score high enough in the alarm clock’s built-in game, you can unlock a ‘secret’ alarm tone.
  • JBL On Time – While the last thing we want is YAiD (Yet Another iPod Dock), this product from JBL is also an alarm clock. Hopefully you’ve already guessed that the alarm wakes you up with music from your iPod. No big surprises here…
  • Pull-Handle Alarm – This one is still only a concept, but it is a pretty cool concept. To set the alarm, you pull the handle until you reach the desired alarm time, the handle then slowly retracts back to the base of the clock. Once the handle reaches the clock, the alarm goes off…

Also, if you ever wondered just how a traditional alarm clock works, Howstuffworks has a pretty informative article.

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Important:
The Sleep Blog does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Instead, this website provides general information for educational purposes only. Always seek the advice of a qualified health care provider if you have questions or concerns regarding any medical condition or treatment.

Arrgh You Awake Yet?

We’re excited to announce the latest addition to the Snoozester character line-up, Captain Snooze, Snoozester’s resident pirate. Meet Captain Snooze and all of the Snoozester characters:

http://snoozester.com/snooze/Snoozester-Characters.aspx
They are eager to wake you up in the mornings!

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Important:
The Sleep Blog does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Instead, this website provides general information for educational purposes only. Always seek the advice of a qualified health care provider if you have questions or concerns regarding any medical condition or treatment.

Alternate Sleeping Strategies

Getting tired of the usual 16 hours awake / 8 hours asleep or 18 hours awake / 6 hours asleep routine? You’re not the only one. While this type of sleep, monophasic sleep (getting your sleep all at once, in a single “block”), may be the norm, it is not the only option.

Biphasic / divided / segmented sleep is the practice of dividing your sleep in to two separate blocks, usually a larger block at night and a smaller block during the day. For example, it is commonplace in some cultures for one to supplement their nighttime sleep with a mid-day nap (about, wikipedia) or siesta. Taking a nap in the middle of the day can be refreshing and prepare you for the second half of your day. Interested in giving divided sleep a try? Consider scheduling a Snoozester wake up call to help make sure you don’t “overnap.”

We recently blogged about another alternate sleeping strategy, polyphasic sleep, the practice of sleeping multiple short intervals throughout the day (with the goal of increasing the number of hours one is awake). Polyphasic sleep usually requires one to maintain a fairly set schedule of sleeping and waking up.

Have you tried any of these (or any other) alternate sleeping strategies? If so, post a comment and tell us about your experience.

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Important:
The Sleep Blog does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Instead, this website provides general information for educational purposes only. Always seek the advice of a qualified health care provider if you have questions or concerns regarding any medical condition or treatment.