Alarm Clocks for the Hard of Hearing

Hey, it must be strange, being hearing-impaired.

I think I know because it increasingly seems as if the long years of listening to loud rock music are really beginning to leave their toll. Sometimes I have to ask people to repeat themselves, because I just can’t quite hear what they’re saying the first time around…so in this respect I guess I’m beginning to remind myself of my Grandfather.

But of course being truly hearing impaired is something which can’t be compared to that, and this is no laughing matter. I’ve been wondering lately: how do persons who are hard of hearing wake themselves up?

Then I did a bit of research and discovered that there are indeed a lot of different kinds of alarm clocks designed especially for the hard of hearing. Most of them seem to involve the use of three different types of alarms:

alarms which alarm you by calling a certain telephone number
alarms which alarm you by flashing some kind of light (such as a strobe light)
alarms which alarm you through some kind of vibration alarm

At first thought you might think that a telephone call as an alarm clock might not be the right kind of thing for someone who’s hearing impaired, but think again. Every mobile phone these days has a vibration alarm. So, just by putting a mobile phone under your pillow is certainly enough to wake you up, even if you have trouble hearing. (Of course, the thought of all the electric waves from your mobile phone right next to your head just doesn’t sound all that healthy…)

Once we begin to look at alarm clocks for the hard of hearing, we find that most of these seem to be specialized alarm clocks containing output jacks for optional bed vibrators. Solutions using flashing lights or strobes seem to be less common than bed vibrators. And with good reason! Think about what your neighbors might think of your flashing red strobe light, the next time you wake up at 4:30 a.m. to go fishing!

So here is a brief selection of some of the different alarm clocks for the hard of hearing that I’ve found, just to give you an idea of what’s available.

The Super Bed Shaker Alarm: This is actually an optional plugin or extension that you can add to other alarm clocks that have the right kind of output jack. You insert it somewhere in your bed or under your pillow and it shakes you awake like a big bowl of jello on a hot summer day as the train goes by (huh? excuse me, that was a strange comparison there).

The Sonic Bomb Alarm Clock with Vibrating Alarm Clock: This is similar to the above device, with the actual alarm clock built-in. Despite claiming to be extraordinarily loud, the Sonic Bomb Alarm Clock offers alarms via flashing lights and/or via its bed vibrator unit. We just like the chic black and red digital clock face, which reminds us of some other fine clocks we know of

The Braille Alarm Clock with Vibration Alarm: This amazing clock is useful for the hard of hearing and for persons with vision problems, too, because the numbers on the clock face are additionally written on the clock in Braille. The alarm clock comes with a separate vibrating alarm module.

Not listed above, but also discovered in our research, were several alarm systems that alert you via telephone when it’s time for you to wake up. Not only that, but we also found one product that alerts you via the alarm clock whenever you receive an incoming call.

So what have we learned about alarm clocks for the hard of hearing?

Well, for one thing, such clocks are relatively easy to find these days on the internet and there is a surprisingly large variety of different devices to choose from. Most of them operate using vibration alarms, though there are also devices available that use flashing lights to wake you up, and even some systems that will call you on the telephone when it’s time for you to get up out of bed.

Even if you’re not hard of hearing now…you may be at some point in the future, so file this post in the “good to know” category.

And hey, if you share a bed with your partner, he or she might also benefit from the absence of an alarm sound, if you have different wake-up times.

So, if you can still hear me – pleasant dreams, and turn down that music so I can get some sleep!

Tags: alarm clocks, alarm clocks for the deaf, bed shaker alarm, deaf alarm clocks, flashing alarm clocks, hearing impaired alarm clocks, strobe alarms, vibrating alarm clocks, vibration alarm clocks