Gadgets: Axbo Sleep Phase Alarm Clock
Morning grouchiness is a real problem. A recent survey by The Sleep Council has shown that almost one in five of the population never get a good night's sleep. Stress and worry are to blame for 25 per cent of those surveyed who said they got out of bed in a bad mood. The Axbo Sleep Phase Alarm Clock is a wakeup like no other. Think of it as a gentle feather, compared to the hammer of your usual early morning weaponry.
The Axbo comprises two parts; a conventional if slightly futuristic-looking alarm clock and a wristband. The clever part is that the wristband sends body movement signals to the clock, waking you up in tune with your bio-rhythm. Let's say Monday morning is normally a tear-inducing 6:30am start – the Axbo analyses your sleep patterns and wakes you up at, say, 6:24am. Instead of being mercilessly dragged from the depths of deep sleep, you're gently introduced to the joys of Monday at the time when you'll cope with it best. Since you're bobbing near the surface of sleep when you're woken, only a little acoustic signal is needed to get you going. This means the Axbo can be paired with two wristbands, waking you and your partner up at different times. It's got a series of other sleeptastic functions including a daytime PowerNap function, sleep pattern analysis software and a "soothe me to sleep" option.
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Hide AdAt the best part of 180, the Axbo is an expensive way to banish the Snooze button forever (it doesn't have one, incidentally). However, strangely, it seems to work. Coming to is a bit like being woken up by sunshine streaming through the curtains – it just feels right.
This article was first published in the Scotsman, March 6, 2010