I always find it harder in the winter to wake early, and it didn’t help that my shakeawake didn’t really shake, instead it gave a weak wobble then died every morning. I replaced the batteries but there was no improvement. I left feedback on the alarm clock with the company that I purchased it from (Connevans), and a few days later the MD contacted me personally, asking for clarification of the problem as they had not seen this particular problem before. He suggested replacing the batteries with new alkaline ones instead of rechargeable ones which have a slightly lower terminal voltage. I did so, and hey presto! it worked. So I am now getting an earthquake simulation again every morning, how nice.
Well done on fabulous customer service, Connevans!

I’ve been thinking of getting a Philips wake-up light which might make waking up in the winter easier, it helps with Seasonal Affective Disorder. This clock simulates a rising sun with birds singing, to fool your body into thinking it’s time to get up – naturally. I was talking to a colleague and she says she has the same problem with waking up in the winter mornings and feeling tired all the time. I told her about this clock. She realised that her bedroom faces north and her second bedroom faces south. That night, she moved into the second bedroom and she came into the office the next day with a spring in her step and she was absolutely glowing. Good idea!

There may be a new alarm clock out soon, designed by Meng Fandi. The alarming ring is worn like a ring, and it wakes you up with a vibration – ideal for couples and there are also two rings in the set.

Another alarm clock that I found interesting was the sonic bomb at £29.95 – probably ideal for hard of hearing people (but I’d feel so sorry for the neighbours!). This one is really really loud at 113 decibels – a jackhammer has only 100 decibels. The sonic bomb also has a vibrating pad which you can tuck under the pillow for your favourite earthquake simulation.

What if your deaf teenage son refuses to get up in the morning? You could try the sonic grenade. Simply pull the pin, lob it into the room, and wait. The sleeper will have to hunt for the pin to silence the grenade – if you’re generous enough to throw that in as well. Cheap at £7.95

The drag racer alarm clock revs up and the lights light up in sequence. A cheap thrill at $30!

The danger bomb clock wakes you up with an explosion sound. To switch it off, you have to pull out one code from three, which is randomly set each morning. This one is a limited edition! $36.75

Here’s a lovely watch that has been designed by Nikita Golovlev with the hearing impaired in mind. The AlarMe is unique…. it has two multidirectional microphones that measure surrounding sound levels. When these change, the watch vibrates to alert the wearer, LED lights flash and a message appears on the watch face saying what the problem is, e.g. if a fire alert, they need to exit the building. Perhaps this could be an electronic version of a Hearing Dog?
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