Sanmonji, sleeping cat

Perfect alarm clock gift makes waking up a calming  and relaxing experience

Replace Your Loved Ones Alarm Clock, so that you don’t have to be awakened by their Frightening, Beeping Alarm Clock…

Are you tired of your husbands alarm clock?

What makes this gentle awakening experience so exquisite is the sound of the natural acoustic chime, which has been tuned to produce the same tones as the tuning forks used by musical therapists. According to the product’s inventor, Steve McIntosh, “once you experience this way of being gradually awakened with beautiful acoustic tones, no other alarm clock will ever do.”

Boulder, Colorado—an innovative company has taken one of life’s most unpleasant experiences (being startled awake by your alarm clock early Monday morning), and transformed it into something to actually look forward to. “The Zen Alarm Clock,” uses soothing acoustic chimes that awaken users gently and gradually, making waking up a real pleasure.  Rather than an artificial recorded sound played through a speaker, the Zen Clock features an alloy chime bar similar to a wind chime.  When the clock’s alarm is triggered, its chime produces a long-resonating, beautiful acoustic tone reminiscent of a temple gong.  Then, as the ring tone gradually fades away, the clock remains silent until it automatically strikes again three minutes later.  The frequency of the chime strikes gradually increase over ten-minutes, eventually striking every five seconds, so they are guaranteed to wake up even the heaviest sleeper.  This gentle, ten-minute “progressive awakening” leaves users feeling less groggy, and even helps with dream recall.

zen alarm clocks for a peaceful awakening

Now & Zen’s Clock Store

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

getting enough shut-eye?

Children and Sleep: Is Your Child Getting Enough Shut-Eye?

How to tell if your child is not getting enough sleep

For many active school-aged children, sleep can be as hard to come by as it is for busy adults. After-school activities, homework, and playtime with family and friends can all lead to a packed schedule. Add to that the lure of electronics such as TV, computers and videogames, and you have the makings of chronic sleep deficit in kids.

Since school-aged children need between 10 to 11 hours of sleep, parents must be vigilant about enforcing bedtimes, setting up good sleep routines, and watching for signs of fatigue in their children. It’s especially important for school-aged kids to get enough rest. For one thing, one of the factors that can reduce one’s immune system’s ability to fight off infections is not getting enough sleep, and as we know, kids in school are constantly exposed to transmittable illnesses such as colds from classmates. Lack of sleep in children has also been associated with health problems ranging from obesity to mood swings, as well as cognitive problems that can have an impact on a child’s ability to concentrate, pay attention, and learn in school.

Signs of Sleep Deprivation in Children

If you think your child might not be getting enough sleep, look for these signs that she is not getting the amount of sleep she needs. Your child is sleep deprived if she:

• Has trouble waking up in the morning
• Exhibits irritable behavior
• Seems overly emotional and moody
• Is hyperactive
• Has difficulty concentrating in school
• Has trouble staying awake during the day

If you see signs of sleep deficit in your child, try setting up some good nighttime sleep routines and healthy sleep habits to help your child get the amount of rest she needs to be at her best both at home and at school.

Remember that waking up in the morning should be as pleasant as falling asleep at night. The Zen Alarm Clock’s gradual, gentle awakening is transformative.

The Zen Clock’s long-resonating Tibetan bell-like chime makes waking up a beautiful experience – its progressive chimes begin your day with grace.

When the clock’s alarm is triggered, the acoustic chime bar is struck just once … 3-1/2 minutes later it strikes again … chime strikes become more frequent over 10 minutes … eventually striking every 5 seconds until shut off. As they become more frequent, the gentle chimes will always wake you up – your body really doesn’t need to be awakened harshly, with a Zen Clock you’re awakened more gradually and thus more naturally.

Waking up in the morning should be as pleasant as falling asleep at night. The Zen Alarm Clock’s gradual, gentle awakening is transformative.

By Katherine Lee, About.com Guide

Enhance your sleep rituals by getting the most soothing alarm clock

Now & Zen’s Headquarter Clock Shop

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

The Zen Alarm Clock Store in Boulder, CO

wake up and do something

How to Fight the Urge to Sleep Too Much

Not getting enough sleep can sometimes be a bad thing. But did you know that getting too much sleep is just as bad?

One Solution: Wake up and do something. Once you’ve done your routine, get moving. Walk to work, or if you drive, park a bit out and take the stairs up. On the weekend, you can go for a walk or vacuum. Whatever you do, get your blood moving. It’ll let you clear mental cobwebs left by sleep and settle into wakefulness.

Boulder, Colorado—an innovative company has taken one of life’s most unpleasant experiences (being startled awake by your alarm clock early Monday morning), and transformed it into something to actually look forward to. “The Zen Alarm Clock,” uses soothing acoustic chimes that awaken users gently and gradually, making waking up a real pleasure.  Rather than an artificial recorded sound played through a speaker, the Zen Clock features an alloy chime bar similar to a wind chime.  When the clock’s alarm is triggered, its chime produces a long-resonating, beautiful acoustic tone reminiscent of a temple gong.  Then, as the ring tone gradually fades away, the clock remains silent until it automatically strikes again three minutes later.  The frequency of the chime strikes gradually increase over ten-minutes, eventually striking every five seconds, so they are guaranteed to wake up even the heaviest sleeper.  This gentle, ten-minute “progressive awakening” leaves users feeling less groggy, and even helps with dream recall.

What makes this gentle awakening experience so exquisite is the sound of the natural acoustic chime, which has been tuned to produce the same tones as the tuning forks used by musical therapists. According to the product’s inventor, Steve McIntosh, “once you experience this way of being gradually awakened with beautiful acoustic tones, no other alarm clock will ever do.”

Zen Clocks will Peacefully Help You Awake

Shop our Zen Clock Store

Now & Zen, Inc.

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

Waking Gently

Waking Up in the Morning as a Form of Spiritual Practice

Waking up in the morning is a metaphor for life — a kind of daily microcosmic reenactment of our overall purpose for being in the world.  That is, just about every religious tradition emphasizes spiritual growth.  And the connection between “awakening” and spiritual growth can be found in practically all forms of spiritual teaching.

Family of Zen Alarm Clocks for a Peaceful Awakening

Now & Zen Clock Store

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

sleeping problems

How to Fight Too Much Sleep

Not getting enough sleep can sometimes be a bad thing. But did you know that getting too much sleep is just as bad?

Set an alarm . It doesn’t have to be too early, just enough to get anywhere from 7-9 hours of sleep. Do this for at least a month and your body will get used to waking up at this time so you won’t have to use the alarm. Try not to hit to snooze button, however, it trains your body to stay tired in morning. If you have a coffee machine that will start at certain time automatically, set it so you can wake up to the scent of fresh brewed coffee.

Or just use an alarm clock that is not disruptive!

adapted from Wikihow.com

Chime Alarm Clock for a Gradual Awakening

Now & Zen’s Chime Alarm Clock Store

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

sleeping lady on coach

Wean yourself off the alarm clock. After as little as a week of using a regular bed time and wake-up time, you should be able to wake up at about the correct time without your alarm. The more consistent your schedule is, the better, but even if you occasionally go to bed later or earlier than your usual time since you want to watch tv, your body should still feel ready to get up at your set time.

Try Using a Chime Alarm Clock for a Gentle Wake Up

Or another suggestion might be to get the  gentle, soothing chime alarm clock from Now & Zen, Inc. called The Zen Alarm Clock.  The Bamboo  Zen Clock’s long-resonating Tibetan bell-like chime makes waking up a beautiful experience – its progressive chimes begin your day with grace. When the clock’s alarm is triggered, the acoustic chime bar is struck just once … 3-1/2 minutes later it strikes again … chime strikes become more frequent over 10 minutes … eventually striking every 5 seconds until shut off. As they become more frequent, the gentle chimes will always wake you up – your body really doesn’t need to be awakened harshly, with a Zen Clock you’re awakened more gradually and thus more naturally.

Chime Alarm Clock Store, Boulder, Colorado

Now & Zen Chime Alarm Clock Shop

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

Sleep Buzz

Study: Seniors Report Sleeping Better Than Younger Adults

The older you get, the better you sleep? Perhaps, suggests a new study that found older adults report sleeping better than their younger counterparts. The research is based on self-reports from 155,877 adults; findings were published today in the journal Sleep. Compared to other age groups, people in their 70s and 80s had the fewest complaints about sleep disturbances and daytime fatigue. In fact, save for a bump in middle age, sleep appears to improve steadily over the course of a lifetime. There are numerous explanations for the discrepancy, study author Michael Grandner, a research associate at the Center for Sleep and Circadian Neurobiology at the University of Pennsylvania, told ABC News. “Perhaps with other pain or health issues going on, older people don’t really see their sleep as a problem, compared to everything else,” Grandner said. “They might also have attitudes and beliefs about sleep that don’t place much importance on getting a good night’s sleep. After all, we live in a ‘sleep when I’m dead’ society that seems to think that sleep is for sissies.”

Boulder, Colorado—an innovative company has taken one of life’s most unpleasant experiences (being startled awake by your alarm clock early Monday morning), and transformed it into something to actually look forward to. “The Zen Alarm Clock,” uses soothing acoustic chimes that awaken users gently and gradually, making waking up a real pleasure.  Rather than an artificial recorded sound played through a speaker, the Zen Clock features an alloy chime bar similar to a wind chime.  When the clock’s alarm is triggered, its chime produces a long-resonating, beautiful acoustic tone reminiscent of a temple gong.  Then, as the ring tone gradually fades away, the clock remains silent until it automatically strikes again three minutes later.  The frequency of the chime strikes gradually increase over ten-minutes, eventually striking every five seconds, so they are guaranteed to wake up even the heaviest sleeper.  This gentle, ten-minute “progressive awakening” leaves users feeling less groggy, and even helps with dream recall.

By ANGELA HAUPT for US News

Like organic tomatoes in your salad, the organic sounds of the Zen Alarm Clock's sweet acoustic chimes are truly a gourmet experience.

Now & Zen – The Chime Alarm Clock Shop

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

Sleep Issues

Sleep Statistics

In 2008 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention set out to learn just what determines how much sleep Americans get. The lowdown from the survey’s 403,981 respondents follows.

Women are more likely than men to get an insufficient amount of sleep. The results were 12.4 percent of women surveyed versus 9.9 percent of men.

Work helps you sleep. People who are employed get more rest than those who aren’t. But retirees get more sleep than either of those groups. (Only 9.5 percent of retired respondents reported not getting enough z’s.)

More education = more sleep. People with a college degree snooze more than those without a high school diploma or a GED.

Married and single people sleep roughly the same amount. But being divorced, widowed, or separated increases your likelihood of insufficient sleep.

Where you live affects your sleep. West Virginia has the highest rate of sleeplessness—more than 19 percent of respondents. For more sufficient sleep, head to North Dakota, where only 7.4 percent reported inadequate sleep.

The good news? The older you grow, the more likely you are to get enough sleep. People over the age of 65 reported the lowest percentage of insufficient sleep.

adapted from RealSimple.com

Zen Alarm Clocks Contribute to Good Sleep Habits

Now & Zen Alarm Clock Store

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

Wake up refreshed, love your alarm clock, transform your mornings with The Zen Alarm Clock's progressive awakening with gentle chimes.

Not getting enough sleep may lead to weight gain over time, researchers say

Getting too little sleep can make you hungrier than normal and may lead to weight gain, a small study suggests.

The team at Uppsala University in Sweden used functional MRI to observe the brains of 12 normal weight males while they looked at images of food. This was done on two occasions — after a night of normal sleep and after a night without sleep.

The results showed that a specific brain region that plays a role in appetite shows more activation in response to food images after a night without sleep than after a night of normal sleep.

This suggests that poor sleep habits can affect a person’s risk of becoming overweight in the long run, according to the study published online Jan. 18 in theJournal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.

Wake up with gradual, beautiful acoustic chimes. The Zen Alarm Clock transforms your mornings and gets you started right, with a progressive awakening

“After a night of total sleep loss, these males showed a high level of activation in an area of the brain that is involved in a desire to eat,” researcher Christian Benedict said in a university news release.

“Bearing in mind that insufficient sleep is a growing problem in modern society, our results may explain why poor sleep habits can affect people’s risk to gain weight in the long run. It may therefore be important to sleep about eight hours every night to maintain a stable and healthy body weight,” Benedict added.

Boulder, Colorado—an innovative company has taken one of life’s most unpleasant experiences (being startled awake by your alarm clock early Monday morning), and transformed it into something to actually look forward to. “The Zen Alarm Clock,” uses soothing acoustic chimes that awaken users gently and gradually, making waking up a real pleasure.  Rather than an artificial recorded sound played through a speaker, the Zen Clock features an alloy chime bar similar to a wind chime.  When the clock’s alarm is triggered, its chime produces a long-resonating, beautiful acoustic tone reminiscent of a temple gong.  Then, as the ring tone gradually fades away, the clock remains silent until it automatically strikes again three minutes later.  The frequency of the chime strikes gradually increase over ten-minutes, eventually striking every five seconds, so they are guaranteed to wake up even the heaviest sleeper.  This gentle, ten-minute “progressive awakening” leaves users feeling less groggy, and even helps with dream recall.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more about preventing weight gain.

The Zen Alarm Clock transforms mornings, awakening you gradually with a series of gentle acoustic chimes Once you use a Zen Clock nothing else will do

Now & Zen – The Chime Alarm Clock Shop

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

Feng Shui your Bedroom for Better Sleep

Feng shui is more than an elaborate decorating scheme. The ancient Chinese art of balancing your environment’s energy flow, known as qi (“chee”), can nurture your health and foster longevity.

“The atmosphere of your home will affect you on a physical level,” explains feng shui consultant Lillian Bridges. “For example, insomnia might be related to having too much light in your bedroom, while inflammatory problems might be aggravated by environments that are too chaotic. To a large degree, feng shui is basically common sense combined with good aesthetics.”

To bring positive, health-enhancing energy into your home, ask yourself: What isn’t working in my life? What kind of health conditions am I dealing with? “If you’re depressed, your house may be too dark; bringing in fire energy with more light and warm colors like pinks and peaches can lift your spirits,” Bridges says.

She also suggests covering your windows at night, and guarding your house with such protective symbols as a crimson phoenix, green dragon, or white tiger. “If you don’t feel safe, this can damage the nervous system and lead to stress-related problems like stomachaches and headaches.”

A home filled with clutter can create a “stale energy” that weakens the immune system, according to Total Feng Shui author Lillian Too. Toss out old papers, unwanted clothes, and other inessential belongings at least once a year. Take good care of your plumbing, which Too calls “the arteries of the home.” And as you’re freeing up energy blockages, beautify your house by adding qi-enhancing color to cluttered and dark spaces. Too recommends painting these areas white to invite in active energy, and brightening with soft, warm light.  Also, decorate by adding ‘Beauty Elements’ to your home.   One might add flowers or a potted Orchid to spaces that need brightening.  The Zen Alarm Clock with Chime (Now & Zen, $124.95) will add uplifting ‘Sound Elements’ to beautify your living space.

adapted from Natural Health Magazine, by Elizabeth Barke

Now & Zen's Chime Alarm Clock Shop in Downtown Boulder

Now & Zen’s Clock Store

1638 Pearl St.

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

Use Zen Alarm Clocks with Soothing Chime to Feng Shui your Bedroom