Getting enough sleep is critical for every age group. Doing so plays a large role in energy levels, along with overall health. This is particularly important for seniors, who often suffer from interrupted or poor-quality sleep.
While there are many ways that caregivers can help seniors to sleep, one of the most important is promoting consistent sleep and wake up times. In this post, we’re taking a look at one type of product that may help – a bed shaker alarm clock.
Alarm Clocks and Sleep
Some people are able to get the right amount of sleep and wake up naturally, without having to rely on an alarm clock. This sometimes means waking up with the sun or developing a natural rhythm.
While doing away with alarm clocks is an appealing idea, it isn’t practical for many people. In truth, we tend to sleep in. Even with an alarm clock, it’s easy to sleep much longer than we intend to – a process that risks making us late for work.
Using Alarm Clocks for Seniors
An alarm clock might seem less relevant for seniors, as many will be retired and are unlikely to have many early morning appointments. However, getting up at a reasonable time isn’t just important for social obligations. The process is also critical for health.
Oversleeping disrupts a person’s day, giving them less time to do the things that they want to. The process also makes it tough to create routines. This is particularly relevant for seniors, as routines can help reduce the risk of depression and help to give days a stronger sense of direction and purpose.
There are health implications as well.
Various conditions can contribute to oversleeping, including depression and heart disease. Some medications can also have this effect. As such, oversleeping may be an indication of a more significant health problem.
On the flipside, oversleeping can lead to health problems. Examples include an increased risk of diabetes and obesity, along with more frequent headaches and backaches.
These factors all make alarm clocks critical. They’re useful in a caregiving situation too – giving the caregiver peace of mind that the senior will be awake when they need to be.
Why a Bed Shaker Alarm Clock?
There are plenty of alarm clocks on the market already, including many that you can find in local stores. While these work fine most of the time, they’re not enough for all situations.
One problem is hearing. Many people struggle with hearing as they age, often requiring hearing aids so that they can hear the world around them. Even when hearing aids aren’t required, seniors regularly struggle to hear alarm clocks.
Not hearing the clock isn’t the only issue either. Sometimes it is a little too easy to turn the alarm off, roll over and go back to sleep. After all, most of us can recall at least one case where we slept through an alarm – often when we shouldn’t have.
A bed shaker alarm helps in this area.
As the name suggests, the clock shakes the bed – helping to wake heavy sleepers and those who are hard of hearing. Many also have an extra-loud alarm.
Finding a Good Product
Many reviews of the best alarm clocks for seniors will feature multiple bed shaker alarm clocks. This isn’t surprising, as there are plenty of designs out there, each with their own advantages and disadvantages.
The number of options can make things confusing. Which one is best for you? The answer ultimately depends on your own needs. So, in this section, we’re considering a selection of items that are particularly relevant.
Sonic Alert Sonic Bomb
The biggest advantage of this alarm clock is the price. The low cost means that it is cheap enough for you to try the idea out to see whether it works for your situation.
The clock includes various features, such as pulsating alert lights, an extra-loud alarm, vibration and the ability to adjust both volume and tone. It’s also a popular item, with a large number of positive reviews on Amazon.
Not surprisingly, the main limitation is quality. You’re not going to get an amazing product for this price and the materials aren’t especially durable. Some people also mention that the clock sometimes fails to keep the right time, so you’ll need to keep an eye on it.
Sonic Boom Combination Alarm
This is a more expensive choice and comes from the company WrightStuff.
The most immediate difference is the quality. This product has a much higher focus on reliability. The tone, volume and duration of the alarm can all be adjusted to meet your needs. The alarm clock uses mains power and has a battery backup.
An interesting aspect is the ability to connect with other Sonic Alert devices. This may be useful for making your systems more compatible with one another.
Sonic Alert Bluetooth Super Shaker
Here’s a slightly different device. This one is more focused on the tech generation, as the alarm clock is set up with a cellphone. There isn’t even any clock component, just the vibrating bed alert. The style means that multiple alarms can be set.
However, the style has its advantages. For one thing, the alarm just vibrates. This is perfect when you don’t want other people to be woken up. After all, who wants a loud alarm that wakes up the whole household?
This idea also allows caregivers to set the alarm and manage it, while the senior doesn’t need to worry about anything at all.
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