Why you should ditch your smartphone for an analog bedside alarm clock.
There's no arguing that the mobile phone has transformed our lives; 78% of Britons now own a smartphone, and it’s estimated that the average adult checks their phone every twelve minutes, spending two hours a day staring at their phone screen. For the younger generation, aged 15- 24, that rises to almost four hours a day of phone use.
Amid news that mobile phone addiction is becoming a growing health concern, apps like Instagram have launched tools for users to self-monitor how much time they’re spending on the platform each day, and projects like #scrollfree September are encouraging us to give conscious thought to our screen time, and its affects on our mental well-being.
A growing movement is championing the simple joys of analog over digital, and it seems like there's never been a better time to ditch the smartphone and start our mornings with a digital detox - and the traditional wake-me-up - of a good old-fashioned alarm clock. Not already convinced? Check out our 7 reasons why you should go analog below!
1. You might actually get more sleep
You wake up in the night, check the time on your smartphone, and notice you have notifications. Forty minutes later you’re still scrolling Instagram looking at the pictures your cousin in Australia tagged you in, and searching for a meme that sums up your current level of tiredness to WhatsApp to your best mate in the morning.
Not an issue with an analog alarm clock like our 'Dome' podium alarm! (Also voted best alarm clock by Ideal Home - not that we're bragging).
2. Your circadian rhythms with thank you
What’s the last thing you do each night before you close your eyes - perhaps check that your smartphone alarm is set for the morning? That short blast of blue light emitted by electronic devices like our phones has been shown to interrupt our natural circadian rhythms, shortening total sleep time and reducing the quality of your rest. Experts now recommend avoiding blue light for two to three hours before bedtime.
Get your sleep pattern back on track, and wake up feeling well-rested with a classic alarm clock like our 'Brick Lane' by your bedside. Even better, this alarm clock has a 'silent-sweep' movement, without the tick-step, making it virtually noiseless at night.
3. You will earn yourself some serious fashionista points
The style guru’s at GQ just got on board with the analog movement and compiled a list of the best alarm clocks to kick-start your day when your iPhone, and its inevitable snooze function, just isn’t cutting it.
Oh, hello Newgate alarm clock at the top of the GQ 'Best Alarm Clock' list… our larger-than-life retro alarm clock, the 'Wideboy'.
4. Your bedside table will look Instagram-worthy at all times
We’re not suggesting you ditch the smartphone all together, but what packs the biggest style-punch on your bedside; a charging phone, or the contemporary matt finish of our bright yellow alarm clock the 'Echo'?
Uh-huh, we thought so.
5. We're wired this way
Digital technology has transformed our lives, but being able to access more-data-than-you-can-shake-a-stick-at at the touch of a button can leave us feeling disconnected.
Humans have evolved as tactile beings with highly developed sense of touch, and as such we enjoy interacting with things that we can touch, feel... and pick up and throw across the room first thing in the morning if we so desire (an activity not covered in our alarm clock warranty however, sorry).
Digital devices are convenient and quick, but printed books, physical photographs and vinyl records still bring a source of pleasure that is difficult to capture in words. The dulcet tones of our hammer-and-bell action 'Manchester' twin-bell alarm clock fall into the same category.
6. When it comes to rising and shining some of us need all the help we can get
In the delirium of the early morning wake up it is oh-so-easy to turn that alarm tone off and just rest your head on the pillow for one... more... second... and then wake up forty minutes later only to find you have three seconds to get to work, you’re still wearing unicorn pyjamas and haven’t brushed your hair. (Just us?).
Back up your smartphone's early-morning digital beep with an analog alarm clock like our 'Charlie Bell' design, and you are 67% more likely not to be late for work. (Statistic entirely made up by ourselves and in no way proven).
7. If it works for Kourtney Kardashian, it works for us
See video. Then get your hands on your own unofficially-Kardashian-approved 'Cubic' alarm clock here.
