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Do people set their alarms every night or use preset alarms for the week?
Hello! Thank you for using Wonder to ask whether people set their alarms every night or use recurring alarms. The short answer is that such information is not available and there are no sources that would allow to triangulate it. However, I discovered that 92% of people use their alarm clocks, with 85% of workers needing it to get up to work. Below you will find a deep dive of my methodology and findings.
METHODOLOGY
I used various search strings related to the use of alarm clocks, recurring and one-time alarms, and general bedtime and morning habits. I also searched sites that focus on those issues. I started by looking for surveys, polls, and studies. Then, I tried to find expert opinions. Finally, I aimed to triangulate the answer with data from user forums and review sites. However, none of these methods produced sufficient results.
The research regarding the use of alarm clocks is fairly small. Available studies, surveys, and expert articles focus on the same key issues, i.e., attitudes toward getting up, the frequency of hitting the snooze button, or the influence that alarm clocks have on our circadian clock, performance at work and overall well-being. There is also some research into what kind of sound is best to wake us up. In other words, experts are much more interested in what happens after the alarm goes off, rather than how people tend to set it.
Additionally, reports and articles discuss whether we should use alarm clocks or smartphone apps to wake us up. Since both usually offer one-time and recurring alarms, there is not much interest in how those two particular features compare against each other. The online discussion around recurring alarms revolves around the configuration of specific devices.
HELPFUL FINDINGS
THE USE OF ALARM CLOCKS
Research shows that the vast majority of people uses alarm clocks. Out of those surveyed by Nokia, 92% said they wake up with alarm clocks. The habit is most prevalent among people aged 20-29, with 98% setting alarms to get up on time. Please note that this group is less likely to set preset alarms for the week, as college students often have more flexible schedules.
For other age groups:
As you see, people in college and the working age are most likely to wake up with the alarm.
Additionally, research by Sleep Junkie shows that people have different habits when it comes to the number of alarms they set. 62% only set one, 21% set two, and 12% set more than two. 88% of millennials and 71% of Generation X use their smartphone to do it.
Also, according to researchers from Harvard, 85% of working people need alarm clocks to wake up to work. Experts say it's due to the "social jet lag," which manifests itself with our circadian clock getting dysregulated by our social responsibilities and the use of various devices, i.e., smartphones and alarm clocks.
WAKING UP AT THE SAME HOUR EVERY DAY
Nowadays more and more people suffer from insomnia and other sleep-related issues. According to a survey by BSC, 30% try to regulate their sleep cycle by waking up at the same hour on weekdays and weekends. It's also a recognized habit of those who strive to be well-organized and productive. Those groups are more likely to use recurring alarms.
MORNING ROUTINES
A qualitative survey by My Morning Routine suggests that most people don't use recurring alarms or at least don't pay attention to it. Out of 220 published answers from people of different professions and lifestyles, only one person directly talks about using a preset alarm, and one other indicates it.
CONCLUSION
To wrap it up, 92% of people use alarm clocks on a regular basis, with 85% of working population needing them to get up to work. Unfortunately, the information on how many people use one-time alarms compared to recurring alarms isn't available or possible to triangulate.
If you are interested in pursuing the research into the use of alarm clocks, I suggest following up on one of the issues I outlined in the "Methodology" section. Thank you for using Wonder! Let us know if we can help with anything else.