I need an alarm clock that silently wakes me up!

January 25, 2010 10:02 PM

My awesome vibrating alarm clock broke and I'm planning to replace it. Before that, can you suggest any awesome alarm clock for deep sleepers that doesn't necessarily make noise?

I've had this alarm clock for a few years and I really, really like it. It comes with a vibrating puck that shakes you awake. It has an incredibly loud alarm sound as well. However, whether because of abuse, bad build quality, or just age, the puck's wiring snapped and the alarm's sound goes on and off.

I am probably fine replacing the alarm clock but I figured I'd turn to Ask Metafilter to see if there was an alarm clock that I would love but just never heard of.

I am a super deep sleeper, I live with roommates, and I wake up the earliest in the house. With all that, the vibrating alarm was good because it woke me -- and only me -- up (my cell phone and other weak alarm sounds don't work if I'm very tired). So I'd like something that is similarly silent but effective.

I've considered getting a light alarm but i feel like I'll sleep right through it.

Save a different kind of alarm clock, is there a better vibrating one that I don't know about?

posted by carpyful to Home & Garden (10 answers total)

Best answer: I have a ShakeAwake , but probably from throwing it off the bed in the mornings it has stopped shaking and now just beeps, and not loudly enough really. But whilst it did work, it worked fairly well. Can do both shake and chime or just shake. And shakes a lost more incessantly than a cellphone would, and powerful despite the size.
posted by chrisbucks at 10:23 PM on January 25, 2010

Best answer: Google: alarm clocks for deaf
posted by artdrectr at 11:52 PM on January 25, 2010 [1 favorite]

I have a sunrise alarm clock to help wake me up from my very deep sleep. It won't always get me up on its own, but it does gently wake me enough that quiet music will do the rest and leaves me much less groggy in the mornings.
posted by bent back tulips at 1:13 AM on January 26, 2010

I use my cellphone on vibrate
posted by jrishel at 5:46 AM on January 26, 2010

I hit post too soon, perhaps a stronger cellphone would work?
posted by jrishel at 5:46 AM on January 26, 2010

Nthing the wake-up light: a friend of mine who is a very deep sleeper and whose 'natural' rhythm is to stay up working until after three in the morning then sleep until noon uses one to get him up when he has to synchronize with the rest of the world. Swears by it.
posted by lapsangsouchong at 6:33 AM on January 26, 2010

If you want to go on the cheap, buy a lamp timer from the drug store or hardware store and hook it up to a lamp. It works particularly well with a therapy lamp if you have SAD.

If you decide you need noise after all, Clocky is good and loud, and it runs away so that you can't subconsciously snooze it.
posted by mccarty.tim at 6:57 AM on January 26, 2010

Best answer: *rustles around in the bed*

Here we go, I have the Sonic Shaker, also by Sonic Alert. It's basically just the puck - the power, clock, and everything all in one unit. It has a clip to attach it to your pillow, though I usually just have it somewhere near me in bed without actually clipping it in place. There's no wiring to break with this one.

I have enough hearing that I use both the vibration and beep for extra-wakeyness, but the vibration itself would be plenty strong enough if you don't want to wake others. (When the batteries are dying, the vibration will weaken; it has a test button so I usually test it every night to make sure it's still strong.)

The beep itself isn't very loud though...my wife is a pretty light sleeper and it doesn't bother her (much) even in the same bed, so your roommates might not mind. For the record, flashing alarm clocks don't wake me at all, it's got to be the vibration.
posted by etoile at 7:37 PM on January 27, 2010

Response by poster: Thanks for all the responses! It looks like I'm sticking to a shaking alarm as the lights probably won't do anything for me.

Hey etoile, how's your Sonic Shaker holding up? I worry that I'll break mine since the whole unit will be on my bed.
posted by carpyful at 4:16 PM on January 29, 2010

Response by poster: Final update: I got the Sonic Shaker. It's small, the motor and beeping isn't anywhere near as annoying as its bigger brother but it does its job without wires.

I've had it for about a month and it's doing pretty okay and still on it's first set of batteries. Thanks again for everyone's help!
posted by carpyful at 8:17 PM on March 5, 2010 [1 favorite]