Are Alarm Clocks Bad For Your Health

It is the start of most people’s day. You are deep in slumber and suddenly a deafening sound wakes you, signally the time to get out of bed and get moving. But can this be detrimental to your health? Recent studies have shown the negative effects of waking up to an alarm. You may wonder what could happen from simply using an alarm each morning? Many people have been using them for decades to wake up for work or simply early in the morning for whatever reason. Here we have the results and it may shock you.

The research comes to us from the National Institute of Industrial Health in Japan. They decided to conduct a study into the health effects of prolonged use of the common alarm clock. You may use an app on your phone or a physical alarm clock, but the effects are all the same. It was discovered that waking to the sound of an alarm clock can be bad for your heart.

Waking up abruptly can cause high blood pressure and increased heart rate. It can add to your stress levels. This is due to get your adrenaline rushing. If you are feeling stressed and anxious during your day then this could be one thing you can change to help with your mood. There are many ways in which you can decrease stress levels, but training yourself to wake up to natural light can help immensely.

This process does not happen overnight, but over a few days or weeks, you can benefit your health without changing your routine drastically. Below are some steps you can use to get the ball rolling.

Use direct morning sunlight to naturally wake you up

Move your bed so that the sun strikes it in the morning. Have it facing the window, with the blinds or curtain slightly open so that the sun shines directly upon you in the morning. Do not overwhelm yourself, but just enough so that you re urged to wake up before your alarm. If you are required to wake before the sun then put your lights on a timer so that they act as a silent alarm for you.

Get the required amount of hours of sleep and keep it consistent

Most importantly, go to bed and wake up at the same time every day. Ideally, humans function best from 8-9 hours of sleep per night. Some people are comfortable with, and feel great after just 6, and on the other end of the scale, some feel best after 10 or more. Know your own body and what works best for you. The main thing is to keep the amount of hours you get each night consistent. This will help your body to adjust to your new schedule, and you might even find yourself waking up right before your alarm is supposed to go off, in line with your natural body clock. What better way to start your day?