Studies about waking up by alarms

  • Thread starter Mohamad&Issa
  • Start date
  • Tags
    Studies
In summary: It's mainly responsible for regulating your... circadian rhythm. When you're tired, melatonin levels decrease, which is why it's often said that a lack of sleep results in a "lack of melatonin".Studies have shown that people with mild forms of hypoglycemia have a harder time waking up in the morning because they have a lower threshold for alertness. The cure, as prescribed by a talk show guest on the show, is to eat a piece of chicken before bed. After trying this out, and following the recommendations of other sources, I found that I no longer need an alarm clock. I've also found that I don't need to sleep for a full eight hours, but I do need at
  • #1
Mohamad&Issa
22
0
Studies about waking up by "alarms"

Hello..
I'm searching-I search the whole web but-for links about statistics and studies about the "struggle" that faces people when waking up, and numbers for people who wake up--> snooze the alarm --> then sleep again.
If anyone has such links or studies please help.
 
Biology news on Phys.org
  • #2
Mohamad&Issa said:
Hello..
I'm searching-I search the whole web but-for links about statistics and studies about the "struggle" that faces people when waking up, and numbers for people who wake up--> snooze the alarm --> then sleep again.
If anyone has such links or studies please help.

I can't find much either.

But I used to struggle to wake up in the morning. No matter how loud my alarm clock was, I would simply not wake up. Then I watched a daytime talk show where a doctor said that people with this symptom have a mild form of hypoglycemia. He said the cure was to eat a piece of chicken before going to bed. It worked for me. I've also recommended this to an acquaintance a few years back who claimed to suffer from this. He said the chicken worked for him also.

I've also found that I no longer need an "alarm" clock, but a "wake up" system. About 30 minutes before I want to get up, I have a lamp on a timer come on. Then I have a clock radio set to a fairly low volume, such that I only hear a talk radio show, and no buzzer. My guess is that hearing voices makes my semi-conscious mind curious as to what's going on. I'm usually out of bed within 5 minutes.

I haven't used my snooze bar in at least 10 years.

And you were right about searching the web. I'm not finding much to back up my claims. :mad:
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #3
OmCheeto said:
I can't find much either.

But I used to struggle to wake up in the morning. No matter how loud my alarm clock was, I would simply not wake up. Then I watched a daytime talk show where a doctor said that people with this symptom have a mild form of hypoglycemia. He said the cure was to eat a piece of chicken before going to bed. It worked for me. I've also recommended this to an acquaintance a few years back who claimed to suffer from this. He said the chicken worked for him also.

I've also found that I no longer need an "alarm" clock, but a "wake up" system. About 30 minutes before I want to get up, I have a lamp on a timer come on. Then I have a clock radio set to a fairly low volume, such that I only hear a talk radio show, and no buzzer. My guess is that hearing voices makes my semi-conscious mind curious as to what's going on. I'm usually out of bed within 5 minutes.

I haven't used my snooze bar in at least 10 years.

And you were right about searching the web. I'm not finding much to back up my claims. :mad:
Sorry, but the sources you linked made claims that I could not substantiate with the links they provided.

If you can find the actual studies in approved journals, please repost with those links.

Thank you Om. :smile:
 
  • #4
Your question is really vague. I'll give you some general background and maybe you can focus your question based on the tidbits.

You are referring to sleep inertia, which can vary from 1 minute to 4 hours, depending mostly on sleep deprivation [1]. The simplified (qualitative) model of sleep is a homeostatic model[2]:

2pmodel.jpg


You have a 24 hour circadian rhythm (C), and sleep demand (S). When you're awake, sleep demand is increasing, when you're asleep, sleep demand is decreasing. And, ideally, once the S and C meet, you should wake up quite easily; sleep inertia shouldn't last more than 30 minutes if you've gotten enough sleep and you're a healthy neurotypical individual [1]. The mechanisms behind this have been explored. Basically parts of your brain are being "turned on". A lesser known set of neurotransmitters called orexin and hypocretin are involved [3]. The need for an alarm clock is often associated with sleep debt [4][5]. And of course, sleep debt will exasperate sleep inertia.[1]

[1] http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1087079200900984
[2] http://jbr.sagepub.com/content/14/6/559.short
[3] http://pharmrev.aspetjournals.org/content/61/2/162.full
[4] http://informahealthcare.com/doi/abs/10.1081/CBI-100101031
[5] http://www.dublinschools.net/Downloads/apa.pdf
 
  • #5
Evo said:
Sorry, but the sources you linked made claims that I could not substantiate with the links they provided.

If you can find the actual studies in approved journals, please repost with those links.

Thank you Om. :smile:

Okay. I don't think I'll be able to find any reputable sources about eating chicken, so I'll stick to the light:

It would appear that melatonin is responsible for putting us to sleep, and a lack of melatonin allows us to wake up.

Melatonin | University of Maryland Medical Center

Melatonin is a hormone secreted by the pineal gland in the brain. It helps regulate other hormones and maintains the body's circadian rhythm. The circadian rhythm is an internal 24-hour “clock” that plays a critical role in when we fall asleep and when we wake up. When it is dark, your body produces more melatonin; when it is light, the production of melatonin drops.

So darkness makes the pineal gland produce melatonin, and light shuts it off.

Action spectrum for melatonin regulation in humans: evidence for a novel circadian photoreceptor.

The photopigment in the human eye that transduces light for circadian and neuroendocrine regulation, is unknown. The aim of this study was to establish an action spectrum for light-induced melatonin suppression that could help elucidate the ocular photoreceptor system for regulating the human pineal gland. ... which identifies 446-477 nm as the most potent wavelength region providing circadian input for regulating melatonin secretion.

This indicates that it is specifically blue light that shuts down the production of melatonin.

So how long should our blue light be on in the morning, before we pop out of bed?

Melatonin for Treatment of Sleep Disorders

Approximately 90 percent of melatonin is cleared in a single passage through the liver.

I have no idea how long a single pass through the liver takes.

Excretion

The results of pharmacokinetic parameters calculated from serum melatonin showed no significant gender differences in adults. However, developmental differences were significant between prepubertal children and adults for terminal elimination rate constant (1.08 +/- 0.25 vs. 0.89 +/- 0.11 per hr), elimination half-life (0.67 +/- 0.12 vs. 0.79 +/- 0.10 hr), and area under the concentration-time curve (250.9 +/- 91.8 vs. 376.9 +/- 154.3 (pg/mL)hr, respectively).

I understand half life, so it appears that half of the melatonin is removed from an adult in about 45 minutes.

Anyways, it's late, and I'm going to bed. If anyone knows how long a single pass through the liver takes, and what a "terminal elimination rate constant" is, I'll check it out in the morning.

:zzz:
 
  • #6
Pythagorean said:
You are referring to sleep inertia, which can vary from 1 minute to 4 hours, depending mostly on sleep deprivation [1]. The simplified (qualitative) model of sleep is a homeostatic model[2]:

2pmodel.jpg

Interesting, but definitely oversimplified, as it completely ignores existence of the secondary sleep gate.
 
  • #7
Thanks for this information, but I'm searching for a statistical study "numbers" about people who struggle when waking up.Those who usually snooze alarms.
 
  • #8
Borek said:
Interesting, but definitely oversimplified, as it completely ignores existence of the secondary sleep gate.

Well, certainly it depends on the question you're asking. This model is generally introduced as background in talks, and built off of to understand the homeostatic goals of competing neural systems (mutual inhibition, etc.) in sleep.

But my assumption is that if you looked at this model in the case where you wake up before C meet S, then you'll still have a sleep debt and now it will be climbing again, but your C will be climbing as well. However, when your C peaks out and starts dropping, while S is still climbing (a little after noon) then you will feel a pull towards "second sleep".

So, in general, I think the second sleep gate is associated with the circadian rhythm heading downhill after it's mid-day peak... if not the S of a person who didn't get a full night's sleep reaching some critical maximum (or a combination of both).

Your interpretation might depend on which causal theory you think is correct for sleep. There's a bit of a debate currently about whether sleep is restorative or if it's somehow functionally relevant for CNS organization, or both. Homeostatic approaches seem to favor the restorative view.
Mohamad&Issa said:
Thanks for this information, but I'm searching for a statistical study "numbers" about people who struggle when waking up.Those who usually snooze alarms.

You mean you want to know the number of people who struggle to wake up in a given sample? You might find my reference [4] of interest. But I'm still not sure if I understand your question.
 

What is the purpose of studying waking up by alarms?

The purpose of studying waking up by alarms is to understand the effects of alarm clocks on sleep patterns and overall health. This research can also provide insights on how to improve alarm clock technology and develop better methods of waking up.

How do alarm clocks affect our sleep?

Alarm clocks can disrupt our natural sleep cycles and cause a sudden awakening, which can lead to grogginess and fatigue. This can also negatively impact our overall sleep quality and may contribute to sleep disorders.

What are the potential health risks associated with using alarms to wake up?

Research has shown that using alarms to wake up can lead to increased stress levels, decreased cognitive function, and higher risk of cardiovascular diseases. It can also disrupt the body's natural circadian rhythm, which can have long-term effects on our health.

Are there any alternatives to using alarms for waking up?

There are alternative methods for waking up, such as using natural light or a sunrise alarm clock, which mimics a natural sunrise and gradually wakes you up. Additionally, establishing a consistent sleep schedule and creating a relaxing bedtime routine can also help regulate your sleep and make waking up easier.

How can we use the results of these studies to improve our waking up experience?

By understanding the impact of alarms on our sleep and overall health, researchers can develop new alarm clock technologies and methods that promote healthier waking up habits. This can lead to better sleep quality and overall well-being for individuals who rely on alarms to wake up.

Similar threads

  • Biology and Medical
Replies
4
Views
978
  • STEM Academic Advising
Replies
4
Views
840
  • Biology and Medical
9
Replies
287
Views
18K
  • Biology and Medical
Replies
6
Views
1K
  • Biology and Medical
Replies
1
Views
3K
  • Biology and Medical
Replies
7
Views
2K
  • Set Theory, Logic, Probability, Statistics
4
Replies
126
Views
6K
Replies
2
Views
4K
Replies
37
Views
2K
Replies
47
Views
7K
Back
Top