apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Look for the travel alarm clock from Japan, sold at the MoMA design store (mujji maybe?). It's digital, but doesn't glow. It also tells you how bloody hot it is right now.

J

I use a battery operated digital clock from Ikea that only lights up when you press the top. I have a travel clock that's the same: it only lights up on command.

How about the Zen Alarm Clock?

http://www.now-zen.com/cgi-bin/orders/shop.pl?ACTION=ENTER+SHOP&thispage=zenclocks&AFFILIATE=&ORDER_ID=%21ORDERID%21

You can also use your cell phone. :-)

use your cell phone. just charge it in your bedroom. if it does give off any glow, stick it inside a sock. get a regular analog sweep clock for the wall if you want something decorative.

i use a lexon alarm clock, it is a 2'x2' white cube, with lcd displays so no light unless you push the top it will illuminate for a ,moment. it displays the temperature,date,time,and day of the week on four sides. it takes up very little space and i don't have to remember to set the alarm mode each night. i think i bought it at moss, but many places sell lexon products.

sorry, that's a 2 inch by 2 inch cube.

Any advice on alarm clocks to wake people who sleep too deeply? I need an alarm that is loud and long--because I've been known to sleep through my two alarms--one a travel alarm that beeps, but turns off in a few minutes, and then one radio alarm that I manage to integrate into my dreams, I guess.

I've had the same problem, and I solved it by flopping my lit-up alarm clock on its face on a lower shelf of my nightstand where the light is blocked but where I can still reach it to turn off the alarm in the morning.

http://www.clockstyle.com/alarm-clocks/shop.cfm?N=1359+2433

I have an atomic clock that only glows blue when you hit the snooze. They're not that stylish...but it's small. Mine is a black LCD display that emits no light.

You can look at clocks above....

I think a lot of travel alarm clocks offer what you want. I like travel ones better than the regular kind, because they are so inobtrusive. I bought an inexpensive one from Crate and Barrel that doesn't light up unless you press on the button...and even then it's pretty mellow...and no ticking. The beep in the morning isn't too distressing, either.

I use the same clock as Patrick and I love it. Mine's aluminum with black rubber edges though. It's quite compact and good looking. I also appreciate that the alarm is not some jaw clenching screech.

I just use my Timex Ironman watch. I usually leave it on my wrist, but put it on the nightstand sometimes. It glows if I want it to, but otherwise just makes noise when I want to wake up (or used to want to wake up).

Do you have your computer in the room? If it is an its a Mac, Awaken (www.embraceware.com) is an excellent alarm clock program. It includes the option to wake your computer from sleep, so you can essentially turn your computer off and have it gently wake you up with a selection from your iTunes library. Since the computer is off until its time to wake up, there should be no sound or light to bother your slumber.

I put a black sock over my alarm clock and radio. I also put an old tee shirt over my eyes.

Christine (the one in DC): A friend of mine who also has trouble waking up got an alarm clock made for the hard of hearing which is loud enough to wake the long-dead. When I stayed at her house I thought it was a fire alarm of some sort. You might look into that.

I have a clock that only glows if you push a button on top, otherwise it is not at all lit up. I don't know the name, but I bought it at Sharper Image. It is a smallish clock - vaguely rectangular, a little bigger than my hand. It is probably marketed as a clock/white noise machine - it has something like 20 different options for white noise (waterfalls, wind etc). It also has a radio. I don't actually use the white noise options anymore (I moved from a noisy place to a quiet place, thus solving my own sleep issues) but it's a fine alarm clock. I also like it because it's kind of small so I just stick it in my suitcase whenever I go away.

It's called your cell phone. Mine has 3 alarms so I set one for about 35 minutes before I want to get up. I just have to hit one of the volume buttons on the side to turn if off. Then I have the other two set one for the time I want to get up and the other +5 minutes "just in case".
Lay it screen down while it's charging by your bed so you don't see the LED. If you have a worry that people will call you in the middle of the night you can often turn your ringer off and the alarm will still work.
Some experimentation may be required to test. My girlfriend's won't turn off when you hit the side button just do a "snooze" which is really annoying.
It's the ultimate in space saving minimalism since you probably have it there already and when you leave in the morning you put it in your pocket and 'viola. you've cleaned up one visual encumberment.

I can't stand the light from my alarm clock so I drape an opened paperback book over it to block the light. I have a standard radio/alarm clock, it doesn't tick but I do need to cover the light.

Thanks to you all for the suggestions. Our cell phone is a stripped down emergencies-only model, and I don't believe it has an alarm option. Will take a look, though. The mac alarm intrigues me, and adds to my as yet unrequited mac-lust, but for now it seems as though a free standing clock is the way we'll go, and you've given me some great possibilities (leaning toward the lexon cubissimo -- thanks, patrick and max). And again, thanks to you all for your thoughts on this.

Christine,
I read about a ridiculous-sounding device that goes under your pillow and vibrates at the designated time instead of sounding an alarm. That would totally freak me out, but it might work for the notoriously hard-to-wake.

Thanks ocgirl (I AM notoriously hard to wake) and Jenny. I had thought about looking into something made for deaf people. My aunt is deaf, and I remember staying at her house when I was little, being woken by a shaking bed. It may have come to this! What I really need is a bed that catapults me out of it!

Harris Communications (click on my name) sells quite a few "Sonic Boom" alarm clocks marketed specifically for the Deaf and hard-of-hearing. My husband has one and I usually set it for myself since I tend to sleep through most alarm clocks.

I have two alarm clocks - neither of which glows. One is an old Timex Indiglo and one is a little cheap white think that I got at the local hardware/drugstore.

I like the Timex better because the snooze is longer! Who makes an alarm clock with a three-minute snooze? What a tease!

Also, they are both battery operated, so I don't have to worry about cords.

I have two alarm clocks - neither of which glows. One is an old Timex Indiglo and one is a little white plastic one that I got at the local hardware/drugstore. It didn't cost more than $20.

I like the Timex better because the snooze is longer! Who makes an alarm clock with a three-minute snooze? What a tease!

Also, they are both battery operated, so I don't have to worry about cords.

My bedroom is set up thusly:
TV is set to turn on at 7 (this "wake" function is imbedded in the tv settings).
Cell phone alarms rings at 7:01.
Cell phone "wake up call" rings at 7:10.
And no extra clock needed!

I'm kind of worried that some people need three alarm clocks to wake up in the morning. That's generally a sign that you are seriously sleep-deprived. God knows it's sometimes hard to get a full 8 hours -- but if you force yourself to go to bed an hour earlier, I can almost guarantee you won't need that third alarm. (Or maybe even the second or the first.)

I have an idea for the hard to wake up types such as myself. I got an alarm from japan that has a little japanese kid screaming something and a trumpet and it looks like some goofy kid toy. It makes me laugh and has never failed to wake me even when it's four am and I have slept through my other fail safes! Check out little toyko section of la, or friends going to japan or even online. These work and are quite amusing.

Ooh, Shelby, I feel your pain...so to speak. I have fibromyalgia, and managing sleep has been a huge barrier to overcome. (I sleep with a mask now.)

I have this clock from Oregon Scientific: http://snipurl.com/ti7w

It does project the time onto the ceiling, but you don't HAVE to set it to do that...it's operated by a switch, so you can leave the projection on or off. Without the projection on, there is no light or sound coming from the clock at all. It has a push button on top you can press when you want to see the time in the dark - the time projects, plus the front screen lights up with a soft blue glow, all for about five seconds.

Also, as a cool aside, it is driven by satellite technology to always have the correct time, date, and even the temperature. It wasn't too hard to track down, either (and I despise shopping). I found mine at Canadian Tire...I'm not sure what the U.S. equivalent of Canadian Tire is, but it's kind of a general department store for automotive, home, and garden goods.

Um, I should have written there is no sound coming from the clock, period, whether the projection is off or on...until the alarm goes off, that is. (Which is kind of a progressive digital beeping sound - starts gently for the first minute, and then gets a bit stronger, minute-by-minute. It's not one of those horrible buzzing or "bomp bomp bomp" sounds, which I hate.)

Thanks for the loud alarm suggestions everyone. Yeah, Carson, I know part of my problem is that I need to get more sleep. I think my ideal amount is 9 hours, actually. I know this, and yet, cannot seem to structure my schedule appropriately. The days I sleep through the alarm are when my body's fed up with me, but it's a vicious cycle because I end up getting to work late, then working late and then getting to bed late! My lifestyle is totally unhealthy!

Oh, and another idea I use when I need to get up pre-dawn hours for early flights, I set a lamp with a timer. It's very effective and helps a lot when it's dark out...so this might be a solution if you have your room completely dark. Some timers can "tick" though...

Might be too late to join in on this one - but they make alarm clocks for people that are hard of hearing that fit comfortably under your pillow and vibrate and a set time to wake you up.
c