Of course, sleep is also very important; Things like how we fall asleep, the environment we sleep in, and the duration of sleep increase sleep quality. However, there is also the awakening side of things. Some of us have to wake up with an alarm early in the morning for school, some for work or even both.
Waking up to an alarm isn’t usually a big deal, and those ‘mangey’ noises get on everyone’s nerves a bit. Even Pythagoras mentioned this issue in 500 BC. He believed that specific songs or melodies radiated positive energy and could reverse the fatigue and nervousness that come with waking up.
It is very important to wake up right
It seems that Pythagoras’ thought was not empty. Research by Longdom found that certain alarm sounds can calm your nerves when you wake up and can actually increase your happiness.
Alarms with qualities such as particularly pleasant melodious songs are a great method for energizing and effective wake up to the listener. But to understand why this is so, we first need to understand how our brain responds to complex stimuli as it emerges from sleep.
Waking up dazed is a terrible thing. How we wake up can affect not only our mood and day-to-day, but also our consciousness and mental performance. In some cases, drowsiness upon waking can put you in a bad mood during the day, reducing our performance in critical decision making (such as in health, emergency response, safety, or while driving).
This cognitive state of drowsiness after awakening is called ‘Sleep Inertia’ (sleep inertia). This post-sleep drowsiness is a growing concern when performing high-risk tasks, including driving, when it can have serious consequences.
The relationship between sound and music
The transition from sleep to wakefulness does not function as an on/off switch. Awakening is based on complex biological processes, including increased blood flow to the brain. Studies show that blood flow activity in the brain decreases after waking up compared to the pre-sleep state. Therefore, it may require mechanisms that partially encourage the redistribution of blood flow to the brain while awake, which is certain types of sounds and music.
Another factor affecting wakefulness during awakening is the current sleep stage. You are less likely to feel lightheaded if you wake up from a light sleep compared to deep sleep or REM sleep. In this sleep stage, arousal from external stimuli such as alarm can quickly wake the person from sleep. On the contrary, deep sleep or slow wave sleep consists of Delta wave frequencies associated with unconsciousness. This is a stage of sleep in which it is much more difficult to become fully awake.
The effect of the alarm on sleep also depends on age. Young adults between the ages of 18 and 25 need louder alarms than older people, and people in their teens need an even louder alarm than younger adults.
Is sound frequency important?
When it comes to selecting an alarm, the question ‘What exactly is the best choice?’ you may ask. Research suggests that different alarm sounds can positively affect human performance after waking up.
Again, according to studies, it is seen that a sound with a frequency of around 500 Hz is more positively effective for young children than a sound with a frequency of around 2000+ Hz. There is currently no clear evidence to say whether this applies to adults as well, but it is assumed that the same types of alarms would be helpful.
A person’s “wake up!” Voice notifications, such as yelling, work better than high-frequency digital sounds. However, it is not as effective as a pre-installed 500Hz tone alarm on most mobile phones.
Let’s get to the main topic, what kind of alarm should we choose to wake up better?
People who use alarms with a melody that people can easily hum experience less drowsiness than those with a standard “beep” alarm. In fact, according to the findings, popular music that people like is said to be good for post-wake drowsiness. In this context, let’s explain step by step how to choose your best sleep alarm:
What should an alarm have in order to wake up vigorously?
- Should have a melody that you can hum easily (like your favorite song)
- Should have a frequency around 500 Hz or a melody in the key of C5
- A very fast or very slow sound (100-120 bpm is ideal)
We shared with you the way to wake up more vigorously. What do you think? What will be your alarm choice? Please do not forget to share your thoughts with us in the comments.
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