an idea for a new type of alarm program

[SB_Pete]

if something like this already exists please tell me, but if not, programmers please take note. I am a really deep sleeper and rather frequently turn off my alarm without ever really waking up even when it is all the way accross the room. Soooooo I would like to be able to buy an interactive alarm clock.

What I mean is one that makes me think. maybe I can hit a snooze button on it, but to turn it off I need to solve a series of math problems or trivia questions or something like that. It would cause me to think and thus, not go back to sleep. For me, my body gets used to any alarm sound or turn off sequence within a week and I find myself not being woken up by my alarm clocks.

my little brother has the same problem and resorts to using a car alarm hooked up to a christmas light timer (really, I am actually not joking about this), needless to say, when he gets up early and forgets to turn it off, the neighbors arent too thrilled about it. I dont resort to anything as extreme as him, but I do think there would be a market for something like this. an alarm that makes you think to turn it off, thus waking you up.

-pete

[OcellNuri]

Great idea. I have been having the exact same problem lately.

That car alarm is awesome! LOL

[hherbzilla]

Originally posted by SB_Pete
...I do think there would be a market for something like this.Yes, a very small one. :)

How about setting multiple alarms with different sounds (setting each a few minutes apart from the other)? That's what I do when I worry about oversleeping.

[Talula]

Let's see, to get myself out of bed I have a regular alarm clock on the other side of the room, then a few minutes later my Clie goes off, I have to get up again for that, and then a few minutes after that the TV turns itself on.

Now I have a puppy though and even though he is two floors away in our basement and I can really barely hear him, he is my baby and I jump at his slightest bark or whine. So he has been my alarm clock lately. I think that will wear off pretty soon though.

[*YellowRose*]

Originally posted by Talula
Let's see, to get myself out of bed I have a regular alarm clock on the other side of the room, then a few minutes later my Clie goes off, I have to get up again for that, and then a few minutes after that the TV turns itself on.

Now I have a puppy though and even though he is two floors away in our basement and I can really barely hear him, he is my baby and I jump at his slightest bark or whine. So he has been my alarm clock lately. I think that will wear off pretty soon though. Heh heh heh . . . I have something similar ~ alarm, then clie, then KIDS . . . lol. 

Also, LOVE YOUR DOG!  I had a Boston Terrier when I was a kid.  He's cute.  What's his name?

[timw_de]

What I mean is one that makes me think. maybe I can hit a snooze button on it, but to turn it off I need to solve a series of math problems or trivia questions or something like that

bloody norah !

i have enough trouble negotiating the on / off switch first thing in the morning never mind solving quadratic equations

[cass_m]

Originally posted by Talula


Now I have a puppy though ...So he has been my alarm clock lately. I think that will wear off pretty soon though.

Don't count on it:D My first puppy, 11 years ago, was the beginning of never sleeping in again. Ours want ME to do all the door opening. My husband just will not do.

My room mate used to have 3 alarm clocks scattered around the room then I would knock on her door until she got up to answer it. Man, I wake up if the wind changes direction:(

[SB_Pete]

yeah, I rely on two different alarm clocks and my NR has two alarms spaced 15 minutes apart, so a total of three alarms, but it is really a pain and still takes me a while to get up sometimes. I think if I had to make myself think, I would be awake after the first alarm.
Also, does anyone know of an alarm clock that starts off quietand gets louder and louder, I had an alarm like that once and it worked pretty well

[aym]

Let me know when someone picks up on this idea. I'll be one of the first ones there. Heck - I'd be a beta tester!

I have the same problem. How I can dismiss 3 Clie alarms every 5 minutes and the main alarm clock every 9 and STILL sleep for over an hour of that is way beyond me.

And I DO change the alarm sounds regularly. And to fun things like "dueling bangos" (if you've never heard that out of a tinny speaker....)

Aym

[rolando]

Just last night, I saw a new alarm program that randomly plays your alarms. That seems like it would do the trick.

Unfortunately, I can't find it again. Maybe someone else knows what it's called.

What about hooking up on of those wall timers that turns your lights on and off while on vacation. You could plug in an electric blanket. That would really wake me up, but I'd sure be cranky afterward. Or, perhaps a REALLY bright light, something that vibrates, or a fan... or all of the before-mentioned-items at the same time. My TV has an Alarm feature and will turn on a specified times.

Rolando

[madkins007]

I was going to suggest the 'across the room' thing as well.

If you want to have fun with it, you COULD easily open up your alarm clock and wire in a keyed switch to the snooze button, then put the key somewhere odd. THEN you'd have to get up, get the key, insert it and turn it to get it to work.

OR- work out a deal with a buddy to call you and quiz you before he/she will leave you alone. Do something similar for them to return the favor.


There is also the detail of WHY is it so hard for you to get up? Are you fighting your natural body rythyms? Staying up too late? This may be a good place to look at underlying causes instead of just depending on technology.

Maybe a quick visit to one of the 'healthy sleeping' sites is on order?

[kp*]

I think this is a great idea, too. For me the problem is not that the alarm doesn't wake me up, but that I wake up just enough to hit the "off" button and then fall back to sleep. However, when I get woken up by a phone call or something that requires me to think more, I'm suddenly wide awake. I'd be interested to try such a program.

[Milgram]

During college, I would hit snooze for about an hour. Then, I realized that if I set my alarm for when I really needed to wake up, and did not hit snooze, I would be more refreshed than if I hit snooze for an hour.

These days, it is rare when my alarm actually goes off. Usually I wake up before it.

[SB_Pete]

well, madkins007 is right, I don't have a very healthy or regular sleeping pattern. Regardless, that fact isn't changing any time soon. As KP said, it is the thinking that causes me to actually wake up, so any alarm that made me think would do the trick. Just finding a key wouldn't really work for me since I usually remember that type of thing really easily.
Is it possible to maybe create an alarm clock that works with one of the existing flashcard/quiz programs?