I've slept through building fire alarms, but this $30 alarm clock uses sound and vibration to get me up on time every morning (2024)

The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

I've slept through building fire alarms, but this $30 alarm clock uses sound and vibration to get me up on time every morning (1)

Amazon / Business Insider
  • I've been looking for a way to deal with my heavy sleeping for years now, and, so far, this somewhat bizarre Sonic Bomb alarm clock ($31) is the best thing I've tried.
  • It comes with multiple settings for customization (pulsating light, extra-loud noises, and a 12-volt bed shaker), of which you can pick combinations or use just one feature on its own.
  • It's useful for heavy sleepers as well as those hard of hearing or deaf. I've grown especially thankful of the bed-shaker which wakes me up consistently without also waking my roommates.
  • If you're mostly interested in the bed-shaker alarm feature, the new Sonic Bomb ($39.99) is an update that will still shake you awake without taking up countertop space.

As an over-tired college student, I had a reputation for sleeping through pretty much anything. “Pretty much anything” here coverseverything from a Spring Break vacation flight and an important boyfriend-meet-sister dinner to the more concerning Astronomy final and dorm building fire drill, even though I slept underneath the alarm itself. If I went to sleep while exhausted — even with loud, staggered alarms set — I had seemingly zero control over when I would wake up.

I don’t feed off of anxiety like a Marvel villain, so this was not an enjoyable experience. I gave up on my iPhone alarm, the desk-side alarm I’d bought on Amazon, and finally settled on the building noise setting available on my Sonos speaker to get me up.

Now that I’ve graduated, I don’t have the same extreme difficulty waking up (likely because I’m far less exhausted), but I’m still an exceptionally heavy sleeper.

So when I got the chance to try the Sonic Bomb alarm clock (which I’d seen before in research), I was excited to give it a shot. Did this mean I would no longer miss flights or wake up in a panic? If so, $30 was a small price to pay.

The Sonic Bomb alarm clock is pretty popular on Amazon, with almost 6,000 reviews (4,000+ being 5-stars) and is built for everyone from heavy sleepers to the hard of hearing or deaf. What makes it special is more than the loud noises (which it also has), but the sheer amount of options it offers. If one sense isn’t working (hearing), try another (sight, touch, etc.). The Sonic bomb has a powerful 113 dB extra-loud alarm with an adjustable volume and tone, built-in pulsating lights, and a powerful 12-volt bed shaker that you can put underneath your mattress or pillow to be shaken awake. It also comes with a year-long manufacturer’s warranty.

I've slept through building fire alarms, but this $30 alarm clock uses sound and vibration to get me up on time every morning (2)

Sonic Alert

It probably won’t surprise you that the Sonic Bomb alarm clock actually worked for me. It took a couple mornings to get used to it (the first time I woke up to my bed shaking I thought I had the shivers that I associate with the flu), but I wish that I’d gotten it years ago.

One of the best perks is that you can customize it to fit your life or your deep sleep; I now use only the vibration, but you canhave just a siren, just vibrations, just lights, or many other combinations.Our apartment walls are thin, so I’ve grown to rely on the bed-shaking feature. It's the reason I now make it to the 6:30 AM exercise class that used to be more of a pipe dream, and lets me do that without waking up my roommates. It also, incidentally, wakes me up in a way better mood than usual since I'm not greeted by annoying beeping. It might seem silly, but I actually enjoy having more of my mornings now, and I used to be someone who wouldn't eat breakfast because they were in too much of a rush.

I use the 12-volt bed shaker underneath my mattress rather than mypillow, so it's more of a rattle than a jolt. However, as I've mentioned, I'm certainly not a light sleeper and I haven't overslept any morning yet using this feature alone. If you're a heavier sleeper than I am, though, you can always combine the vibration with something else, like noise.

The alarm clock isn't the most suave-looking thing in the world in the black and red design, but you can pay an extra couple bucks for a nicer finish, like the red or blue model. I have also wished that the bed shaker was wireless for the alarm clock (it's not), but the wire is pretty long (5-6ft), so it isn't a huge issue for me. Sonic Alert has, however, come out with a new version of the Sonic Bomb alarm clock ($39.99) which pairs over Bluetooth (the Sonic Bomb app is easy to use and will alert you when your device isn't plugged in when you try to set an alarm). The updated version is a less obtrusive and more seamless addition to your room if you're mostly looking for the bed-shaking feature. However, if you need as much help as you can get, you might throw your lot in with the bells and whistles of the original rather than the sleek and minimalist update.

All in all, I've definitely spent my fair share of time doing the grunt work trying to find a good option for heavy sleepers, and so far this is the one I find myself consistently using and trusting.If you have trouble getting up in the morning or having control over your sleep schedule— or you'd prefer to wake up to movement rather than an extremely loud and annoying beeping— then I don't think there's much chance that you'll be disappointed in the Sonic Bomb alarm clock.

Sonic Alert Sonic Bomb Loud Dual Alarm Clock with Bed Shaker, $31.19 on Amazon

Mara Leighton

Senior Digital Culture Reporter

Mara Leighton is a senior digital culture reporter. If you want to get in touch, please send an email to mleighton@businessinsider.com, or send a DM on twitter to @maraleighton.

You can purchase logo and accolade licensing to this story here.

Disclosure: Written and researched by the Insider Reviews team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our partners. We may receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at reviews@businessinsider.com.

I've slept through building fire alarms, but this $30 alarm clock uses sound and vibration to get me up on time every morning (2024)
Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Cheryll Lueilwitz

Last Updated:

Views: 6264

Rating: 4.3 / 5 (54 voted)

Reviews: 93% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Cheryll Lueilwitz

Birthday: 1997-12-23

Address: 4653 O'Kon Hill, Lake Juanstad, AR 65469

Phone: +494124489301

Job: Marketing Representative

Hobby: Reading, Ice skating, Foraging, BASE jumping, Hiking, Skateboarding, Kayaking

Introduction: My name is Cheryll Lueilwitz, I am a sparkling, clean, super, lucky, joyous, outstanding, lucky person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.