The sound of the morning alarm is something that many of us dread, indicating that your sleep has unfortunately come to an end and it is time to get out from under the covers. But a new study suggests that replacing the basic beep with your favorite song might make it easier to combat that morning grogginess.
Researchers at RMIT University in Australia say that the use of melodic alarms, those that you can hum or sing to, could be an easy measure to increase mental alertness during the day.
Madonna songs as alarm clock are better for your attention
At study, the researchers looked at the effects of alarms melodic and non-melodic on mental alertness. The melodicas included the song Borderline of Madonna, Wedding Cake Island of Midnight Oil or Happy by Pharrell Williams. Meanwhile, the non-melodic ones included basic squeals and the classic iPhone beep tone.
The team created an app to allow participants to wake up to different alarm sounds on their smartphone and then immediately perform a game-like task to assess their alertness.
The results showed that the participants whose alarms were melodic they were faster and more accurate in the game, compared to those who woke up with the classic alarm sounds. To further evaluate this link, the researchers also reviewed previous studies on the effects of alarms in emergency situations.
Stuart McFarlane, who led the investigation, explained that “cuWhen children wake up under emergency conditions, a low-tone alarm or even the sound of a human voice seem to be much more effective than conventional high-frequency alarms to combat the effects of sleep inertia. With the correct type of alarm, the children demonstrated better response time and better memory of events, which is likely to be important for following instructions or action plans in an emergency such as a fire.«.
Melodic alarms could be used in vehicles
Although the reason for this remains unclear, the researchers suggest that there may be frequency bandwidths in songs that activate certain areas of the brain. «For example, it has been shown that music activates certain areas of the brain that control attention, although the exact mechanisms of this effect are still being investigatedMcFarlane explained.
In addition to making it easier for you to wake up in the morning, the researchers suggest that the findings could apply to several other scenarios.
"If you haves what to liftte early and take the children tothe school, cans choose a wake-up alarm te leave as alert as possible, while you cans prefer to something different if you wake up for go to Saturday morning yoga class.
The vehicles they could be equipped with custom alarms to help drivers stay focused and avoid falling asleep at the wheel. Even the human space exploration could one day use these types of sound treatments to maximize the well-being and performance of astronauts«.