An ADHD-Worthy Alarm Clock

Today I had nothing to do after work – no mall job, no visiting family, no errands to run. I thought about what I wanted to do on this rare occasion and decided to spend my night “screen-sucking” - staring at a screen (be it a TV, computer, video game) and wasting hours of time.

Us ADHDers happen to be particularly good at staring at the screen without blinking for hours on end, and sometimes a total veg-out-wasted-day is just what I need after a few busy weeks.

I got home from work, ate dinner, and started surfing the internet. Not having any particular sites in mind I started with ADDitudemag.com as I often do; to browse through articles. I swear, I could read articles on ADDitude for a whole week straight without reading the same thing twice or getting bored.

As I clicked from one article to the next related link I came across two separate articles about alarm clocks for people with ADHD. That reminded me that I’ve been dying to get an alarm clock that actually works for a while now – so I started to research some of the alarms that were recommended.

I started with consumer reviews of the different products, and then I went to the manufacturer websites to see the colors and feature selections that the clocks come in. Finally, I ended up on youtube.com watching video demonstrations of how the clocks work.

Did I mention that YouTube is a very dangerous website for us ADHDers? The related videos led me so far astray that an hour later I was watching clips from old Nickelodeon shows I used to watch. While I’m thinking of it – another dangerous site: Wikipedia, or my personal favorite: Wikihow. I used to spend hours a day learning how to do things like escape a sinking car, make your own darkroom, or change the brake lights on a Volkswagen (all things I’m sure I’ll never need).

Anyways, now that I’m completely rambling and off topic; back to the alarm clocks. I’ve narrowed it down to three that seem really good. The first is the Sonic Boom: it is really loud, shakes your bed, and flashes lights to wake you up. It seems effective; but scary (and I really like to wake up to the radio).

The second is the Clocky: the alarm sound is less like a siren than other alarms, and it rolls around on the floor so you have to get out of bed and chase it to turn it off. I’m not sure if it would actually be effective after the first week, or if I just want it because it’s cute and fun.

Finally, there’s the Progression Wake Up Clock which gradually increases light for 30 minutes along with aromatherapy and nature sounds to wake you up. Ok, ok, I just want that one because it seems so relaxing and non-threatening. I think I’m still in need of a blasting noise, vibrating bed, and gadget rolling on the floor to get me up though. I guess I’ll cross the aromatherapy and nature sounds off my list.

I told my mom that I want a new alarm for Christmas this year. She told me to pick one and tell her what it’s called and where to buy it (I guess she’s sick of waking me up 6 times a day too). Now I just have to choose.

Anyone have any ideas or suggestions?