An oddly shaped alarm clock.
Courtesy MoMA Design Store

The Secret to a Better Night's Sleep? Alarm Clocks

By Tiffany Jow
August 12, 2020
2 minute read

The Swiss Army knife of gadgets, smartphones make for very good alarm clocks. They’re comforting to sleep with, keeping digital life within arm’s reach, and slide discreetly beneath your pillow, faithfully blaring a sound of your choice every morning, mere inches from your head. This convenience comes at a cost: Plenty of research shows that a smartphone screen’s cool blue light makes it harder to sleep, impairs vision, suppresses melatonin, and throws the body’s circadian rhythm completely out of whack. (The National Sleep Foundation recommends ending the use of electronic devices at least thirty minutes before bed.)

To combat the urge to scroll, consider the old-fashioned, battery-powered alarm clock. Calmingly predictable and satisfyingly simple, it’s a delightful object available in such popular variations as digital, analog, or with flip-flopping numbers, turning time into a tactile experience. Sometimes, they even incorporate attractive design. Take Lexon’s rubber-wrapped Flip+, in which the simple gesture of turning it over deactivates the alarm. Biegert and Funk’s Qlocktwo Touch table alarm clock tells time via an illuminated crossword-like panel of letters, and snoozes with the touch of a finger. For traditionalists, Braun’s BC12 travel alarm clock, designed by Dieter Rams and Dietrich Lubs, features a crescendo alarm and classic, pared-down face, as does Arne Jacobsen’s Banker’s alarm clock, with its clown nose–like center. More adventurous sleep-seekers might prefer the BQ-38 Calendar Flip alarm clock by Twemco, the world’s oldest automatic flip clock manufacturer, or the porcelain Chirp alarm clock and lamp that, in the morning, mimics the sunrise with its gradual glow and emits sounds of nature (running water, singing birds) users manage with an app.

Since all alarm clocks essentially do the same thing, the best one lays in the eye of the beholder. So find yours, banish your phone from the bedroom (we recommend charging it in the kitchen, where it’ll be waiting for you come morning), and start enjoying a better night’s sleep.