It may seem as if the sound of an alarm clock “beep, beep, beeping” you awake could lead to more alertness, but a study found that music may be the way to go.
Researchers at Melbourne, Australia’s Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) University found that the harsh tones associated with standard alarm clocks are tied to boosted levels of morning grogginess.
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"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," said lead author RMIT doctoral researcher Stuart McFarlane in a news release. "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."
To conduct the study, researchers gathered 50 participants who took a specially designed online survey to report the alarm they used and rate their feelings of grogginess upon waking up. The grogginess level was rated against standardized criteria for sleep inertia, which the National Sleep Foundation defines as "the feeling of grogginess and disorientation that can come with awakening from a deep sleep."
Medical News Today reported that researchers found that although there were no significant links between actual sleep inertia and the sound of participants' morning alarm, they discovered a notable link between the type of alarm tone and a participant's assessment of sleep inertia.
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Adrian Dyer, associate professor at RMIT’s School of Media and Communication and Digital Ethnography Research Centre and co-author of the study, remarked on its importance saying “even NASA astronauts report that sleep inertia affects their performance on the International Space Station.”
“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,” he said. “If we can continue to improve our understanding of the connection between sounds and waking state, there could be potential for applications in many fields, particularly with recent advancements in sleep technology and artificial intelligence.”
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McFarlane acknowledged more research is needed on the subject but noted the findings indicate there may be important consequences when choosing to wake up to your favorite tune or a standard alarm clock noise.
“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.”
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