New 'gentle alarm' to wake people up in the morning

People who find it hard to wake up and get out of bed in the morning may find a new mobile phone application useful.

The HappyWakeUp application monitors the user's sleep pattern when the phone is placed under their pillow and wakes them up when they are naturally ready.

By using the mobile's microphone the application detects how deeply a person is snoozing and will sound an alarm during lighter periods of the sleep cycle just before it is set to go off.

This will wake the user up much more gently and peacefully than a normal alarm clock.
"The alarm signal during deep sleep is stressful," said Finnish slumber expert Tapani Salmi. "But with the smart alarm clock this is avoided. After a trial period of some days or a week, you start to notice the benefits."
He also added that "pleasant mornings help avoid stress in your body and brain".

Getting a good night's rest is essential and the Sleep Council advises that is not just the length of time spent in bed but the quality of sleep that is important.

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