The results of the study showed that the songs of the American group The Beach Boys, which wake you up in the morning, help you get out of sleep faster and safer and give you a boost of vigor throughout the day.
The first mechanical alarm clock - an invention so vital to mankind - appeared in 1787 and could ring only at four in the morning. Since then, this device has gone through many modifications, and in the last decade it has been replaced by a corresponding function in our smartphones.
Now we can choose any melody that will be pleasant to wake up early on Monday morning - from nightingale trills to Rammstein songs. And it is precisely this choice that is devoted to a new study by scientists from the Royal University of Technology of Melbourne, published in the journal Plos One.
An online survey of 50 people found that melodic alarm sounds can help boost alertness and productivity, while harsh alarms were associated with increased levels of morning weakness and sleep inertia. This is a condition that occurs immediately after awakening (when a person opened his eyes, but did not seem to wake up and did not realize himself) and is associated with a temporary - from a couple of minutes to several hours - a decrease in working capacity.
In an online questionnaire, each participant noted which type of melody they preferred when waking up and then compared their levels of distraction and anxiety in the morning with standardized sleep inertia criteria. Surveys have shown that classic harsh alarms, ringing out in complete silence and suddenly wedging into sleep, can scare and disrupt the brain, while more melodic songs like "Good Vibrations" by The Beach Boys or "Close to Me" The Cure - help to get out of inertia and "flow" into the state of wakefulness more smoothly, faster and more efficiently. At the same time, the volume of the alarm clock and the duration of the signal did not affect the experienced sleep inertia.
“Morning sickness is a serious problem in our 24-hour world. If you don't wake up properly, your performance can degrade for periods of up to four hours. While more research is needed to better understand the most accurate and effective combination of melody and rhythm, there is no doubt that the sound you choose can have consequences,”explains Stuart McFarlane, PhD.
The study authors emphasize that the findings of their work can be especially important for those who need to be alert and alert immediately after sleep, such as emergency responders, firefighters or pilots, and help choose the right melodies for a quality awakening.
Scientists have previously linked too long sleep to an increased risk of stroke, and researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, based on brain scans, have identified a link between the quality of night rest and the level of anxiety that occurs in the morning.
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Author: Maria Azarova