Best Alarm Clock for Heavy Sleepers

Heavy sleepers can easily sleep through noise and other disturbances. Being a heavy sleeper can pose a problem when people constantly find themselves sleeping through alarms. Oversleeping can interfere with work, school, and social obligations, so heavy sleepers typically need a more forceful alarm to get them out of bed.

Alarm clocks for heavy sleepers are not your average bedside timekeepers – they often have unique features such as amplified volume, bright lights, or vibrating components designed to ensure you start your day on time.

We’ve compiled a list of effective alarm clocks based on extensive research. We also discuss what makes someone a heavy sleeper and offer tips for how to choose the right alarm clock.

What Makes Someone a Heavy Sleeper?

Experts are still learning why some people are harder to rouse from sleep than others, but some research suggests that it could be due to differences in brain activity. One study suggests that heavy sleepers may have more sleep spindles, which are a type of brain wave that occurs during specific stages of sleep. Increased sleep spindles may make a person less likely to have their sleep disturbed by sounds. 

Oversleeping can also happen as a result of not getting enough sleep at night, medications, and undiagnosed sleep disorders. A variety of medical conditions can also contribute to having difficulty waking up in the morning, so it’s best for people with concerns about their sleep habits to consult with a doctor.

How to Choose an Alarm Clock for Heavy Sleepers

Heavy sleepers run the risk of oversleeping if their alarm clock is too quiet or too easily silenced. More assertive features like extra loud volume, vibrating parts, and wake-up lights may be helpful.

Loud or Increasing Volumes

Many heavy sleepers don’t wake up to their current alarm because it’s simply not loud enough. While finding a louder alarm can help, the highest volume isn’t always best and an excessively loud alarm can cause stress or even damage hearing. It may take some trial and error, but heavy sleepers should find the lowest volume needed to break their slumber. If waking up to a blaring alarm is too jarring, look for models that gradually become louder.

Wake Up Lights

Light exerts a strong effect on circadian rhythms, which in turn affects when people wake up. Exposure to bright light first thing in the morning can sync circadian rhythms with the natural environment, helping people feel more awake. 

Some alarm clocks use light to promote healthy sleep cycles. A sunrise alarm clock, for example, gradually brightens to mimic the sunrise. Many also have an audible alarm, as light alone may be too subtle to wake heavy sleepers.

Vibrating or Moving Alarms

If turning up the volume or adding lights isn’t enough, heavy sleepers might need a physical jolt to wake up. Bed-shaking alarms typically have a vibrating attachment that’s placed below a pillow or under the mattress.

Moving alarms are designed for sleepers who really struggle to leave bed. These alarms move and emit loud noises until a sleeper gets out of bed and manually turns it off. They encourage wakefulness by forcing sleepers out of bed to locate their alarm.

No-Snooze Functions

Hitting snooze may get you some extra sleep, but research has shown that the snooze button increases sleep inertia, or feelings of grogginess upon waking. A snooze feature also delays the inevitable, and heavy sleepers may get used to sleeping through subsequent alarms. To counteract this, some alarms limit users to just one snooze cycle, while others remove the option altogether. 

A puzzle alarm clock uses a similar principle as a moving alarm.  A puzzle alarm doesn’t stop until the user correctly completes a puzzle. The mental and physical stimulation is intended to increase alertness, which can discourage sleepers from returning to bed.