Together these findings raise questions regarding the impact melody and rhythm may hold with respect to sleep inertia intensity. Additionally, our secondary analysis revealed that a sound rated as melodic is considered to be more rhythmic than a melodically neutral interpretation. However, the analysis did reveal that a sound which is ranked as melodic by participants shows a significant relationship to reports of reductions in perceived sleep inertia, and in contrast, sound rated as neutral (neither unmelodic nor melodic) returns a significant relationship to the reports of increases in perceived sleep inertia. Our results did not return any significant association between sleep inertia and the reported waking sound type, nor the subject’s feeling towards their sound. This data enabled the analysis and comparison between these responses to identify statistically significant relationships. Through an anonymous, self-report online questionnaire, fifty participants ( N = 50) reported attributes of their preferred waking sound, their feeling towards the waking sound, and perceived sleep inertia after waking. The goal of this research is to understand how a particular sound or music chosen to assist waking may counteract sleep inertia, and more specifically, what elements of these sounds may contribute to its reduction. The type of sound people set as their alarm for waking has been shown to reduce the effects of sleep inertia, however, the elemental musical factors that underpin these waking sounds and their relationships remain unclear. And that's just something I have to live with.Sleep inertia is a potentially dangerous reduction in human alertness and occurs 0–4 hours after waking. For a year in high school, I woke up exclusively to 'The Tide is High,' and while I can skip that song when it comes on shuffle on my personal device, I can't run from every Applebee's that plays Blondie ad nauseam. Sometimes something more jarring is what is necessary.'Īs far as changing up your alarm tune, it's true that the strategy may safeguard you for ruining a certain sound forever to your ears. 'They could be deep sleepers, insomnia patients who only fall asleep later, people who just don’t really want to get up, and so on.

(And for some, the auditory caress of a flute is just like, not going to lure eyes to open.) 'There are many people I work with who end up sleeping through those alarms for various reasons,' Dr. Keep in mind what you know to be true about your body and sleeping habits, though, because the most important factor at play is whether or not your alarm successfully wakes you up. In fact, one recent small study conducted by RMIT University in Australia suggests that a a melodious alarm sound can combat the effects of sleep inertia, which is that groggy feeling that you may experience the first 15 to 20 minutes after waking up (but it can follow you for up to four hours if you're particularly unrested). 'There’s some research suggesting that a more gentle alarm is better and less jarring-and many of my patients do agree with this,' says sleep specialist Shelby Harris, PsyD. While there aren't a trillion studies on whether a soothing sound is more effective than blaring 'Bad to the Bone' bright and early, the consensus is that a less aggressive noise can help with mood, but it really boils down to preference and just how deep of a sleeper you are. So, I'm curious about two things: Can opting out of annoying alarm clock sounds in favor of something more serene lend itself to a sunnier mood from the get-go? And does regularly switching these sounds, the way you're forced to change digital passwords every now and then, safeguard you from creating a negative association with a certain tune, and in turn, waking up in general?

It also speaks to me because whenever some maniac chooses my alarm sound as their ringtone (talking to you, three people who aren't living the vibrate-only life), their incoming calls lead me to literally jolt up in my seat like Pavlov's dog, reincarnated.

This makes sense to me because I often wake up in a panic thanks to the loud noise blaring from my nightstand. Even better, her tip is super-simple: switching her alarm sound from a shrill noise to something calming and ethereal, like a harp. So when a co-worker recently shared her go-to wake-up hack that puts her in a-wait for it- good mood first thing, my ears perked. In my case, a strong reason for this is because annoying alarm clock sounds are the first thing I interact with-and it really sets a, um, tone. Aside from that one time it meant realizing I didn't actually marry Paul Giamatti in a Walmart, waking up can feel like the worst part of the day.

Alarm clock sound effect