Do you rely on an alarm to wake you up in the morning? If so, what does it sound like? Some alarms beep or buzz, while others might sing you a song to help pull you out of your slumber. According to a recent study, your alarm tone matters. If you’re waking up groggy, it could be to blame.
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Researchers at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Australia distributed online surveys asking participants to describe the sound of the alarm they used to wake up in the morning, along with their feelings toward the sound and perceived sleep inertia (grogginess) after waking. The researchers found that those who woke up to a more melodic alarm in the morning — such as an alarm that plays music — reported increased alertness, while those who woke up to a more harsh-sounding alarm tone reported increased grogginess.
Lead study author Stuart McFarlane explained, “If you don’t wake properly, your work performance can be degraded for periods up to four hours, and that has been linked to major accidents. You would assume that a startling ‘beep beep beep’ alarm would improve alertness, but our data revealed that melodic alarms may be the key element. This was unexpected.”
Researchers say the findings may be especially beneficial for first responders and others who may wake up at unusual times and require peak alertness.
“Although more research is needed to better understand the precise combination of melody and rhythm that might work best, considering that most people use alarms to wake up, the sound you choose may have important ramifications,” McFarlane said. “This is particularly important for people who might work in dangerous situations shortly after waking, like firefighters or pilots, but also for anyone who has to be rapidly alert, such as someone driving to hospital in an emergency.”
Adrian Dyer, co-author of the study, added, “We think that a harsh ‘beep beep beep’ might work to disrupt or confuse our brain activity when waking, while a more melodic sound like the Beach Boys ‘Good Vibrations’ or The Cure’s ‘Close to Me’ may help us transition to a waking state in a more effective way.”