The story of alarm clocks begins in the late 13th century in ancient times with the Buddhist Monks. These clocks were not the usual sounding clocks or anything similar to a phone alarm. These clocks went by the name of clepsydras or water clocks. Over time and through the works of Levi Hutchins from Concord, New Jersey, the first mechanical alarm clock was born. Levi Hutchins made the first mechanical alarm clock simply to follow his firm rule of waking up at four in the morning before the sunrise, but this alarm clock only went off at four in the morning and was not interchangable. Half a century later in 1847, a Frenchman who went by the name of Anotine Redier produced the first adjustable alarm clock that could be set at whatever time a person desired.
For me however, the history of alarm clocks started in my life in 2021 when I got my first phone. The joy of opening that box on Christmas morning to find my very first phone was delightful. All the new possibilities for me were endless. I could finally talk to my friends over breaks, call and text my family, and most importantly play the games that I wanted. One thing was for certain, I would never know boredom again. However, it did not occur to me that my phone would also be my alarm clock for when school would return in the new year. That reality hit me when I was told I would now be responsible for getting myself up on time. I was not upset about it like you were probably expecting me to be though. In fact, you could almost call it an excitement. The excitement of growing up which I am sure we have all had. Whenever six rolled around the next morning however, that excitement quickly vanished and I no longer wanted to grow up. That atrocious sound that came from my phone was usually a wonderful melody, but not now and especially not at six in the morning. I have never particularly liked an object that yells at me right off the bat in the morning. But maybe the real reason I hate alarm clocks is because they remind me that I do not control time – I only borrow it.
My own battle with alarm clocks might feel personal, but I am l fairly certain this is not just my story. For something so little that sits on a nightstand silently until it goes off, that little device carries the weight of centuries. I did not realize an object so small could make me feel so much resilience, pressure, and annoyance all at the same time. However, these feelings are not just exclusive to me., Iin fact, they are a universal feeling and one that people have been wrestling with for centuries. So why do we hate alarm clocks when really they are there to help us? People are used to waking naturally due to the circadian rhythm. Circadian rhythm is the governor for our sleep and wake cycles which are the result of us waking up in the morning and us falling asleep at night. However, the alarm clock is not natural. Humans who wake up on their own naturally tend to have a calmer morning. Whereas people who rely on an alarm clock to awaken have surges in their blood pressure up to 74% higher than the people who awoke naturally.
The body has a natural flight or fight response to protect the body. One trigger of the fight or flight response is a surge of blood pressure. This is why in the morning when the alarm goes off we feel a sense of fear or try to turn it off as fast as we can. The disruption of your circadian rhythm is not just unpleasant, but also can be harmful to your health. This disruption is called circadian misalignment and can lead to more than just an unpleasant feeling. Circadian misalignment has been linked to sleep disorders, metabolic issues and even long-term health diseases including cardiovascular problems. Alarm clocks are a nuisance to us or so we think. The reality of it all is that we as humans hate what we cannot control.
It is wild though when you think about it, how we put so much faith and trust into an object that is globally taken for granted. The terrible, beautiful fact about alarm clocks though is that they are the very object keeping our lives from unravelling into mayhem. That little device that shrieks at me in the morning is the precise sustainability I find vital. We understand alarm clocks as a nuisance for our own comfortability, but truthfully, they are essential to the balance of our sanity. Each night we give the responsibility of the next day to our alarm clocks because we trust a piece of plastic more than we trust our own willpower.
In John Green’s famous book The Anthropocene Reviewed, he states “ We are at once far too powerful and not nearly powerful enough.” Maybe that is the mystery in it all though. Humans give the monstrous responsibility to tiny little objects to wake them up on time, but simultaneously humans have conquered the journey to the moon. Alarm clocks do not lie or forget, they just simply call us out of our slumber at the time we ask them to, but yet they are widely hated. Every morning people cuss, slam, and hate their alarm clock. If alarm clocks were human, we would be bullies and they would be the golden child. We perceive them as villains when truthfully they are the hero that keeps us in check and responsible, useful members of society. Whether that be a peaceful or harsh wake up call, in the end, that tiny miserable melody we dread so much saves us from being late to school, work, events, and, in a broader picture, the start of a new day. Alarm clocks do not care if yesterday was the worst day of your life. They still go off the next morning regardless of your feelings. That stubborn promise is good for us, even if we do not want to admit it. We as humans often hate what is good for us, even if it is the sole thing keeping order from descending into chaos.
I give alarm clocks four stars.