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Do You Hate Your Wife’s Alarm Clock? Reduce Early Morning Anxiety with an Alternative Chime Clock

Reduce Early Morning Anxiety with a Soothing Zen Alarm Clock

Reduce Early Morning Anxiety with a Soothing Zen Alarm Clock

How many times have you said to yourself – “I really need to get my wife a new Alarm Clock…I hate the one she has that beeps insensitively.  The one that she pushes the snooze button on 5 times before she get up to turn it off?

Go ahead and Reduce Your Early Morning Anxiety and Get her the Chime Alarm Clock (Now & Zen, $124.95)

Use the Zen Alarm Clock with the Gradual Chime Sequence that is Acoustic.

The  Original 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.  Unlike artificial recorded sounds coming out of a tiny speaker in a plastic box, natural acoustic sounds transform your bedroom or office environment.

Gentle, Chime Zen Clocks for a Gradual Awakening

Gentle, Chime Zen Clocks for a Gradual Awakening

Now & Zen’s Chime Alarm Clock Store

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

Posted in Natural Awakening, Now & Zen Alarm Clocks, wake up alarm clock


Eliminate Being Jarred Awake by A Screaming Alarm Clock – Choose an Alternative Chime Alarm Clock

Awaken gradually

Awaken gradually

Dreaming of a Good Night’s Rest

How you awaken each morning can also influence how well you sleep. Some experts believe your body is naturally designed to awaken gradually with the rising sun and should not to be jarred awake by a screaming alarm clock. Dawn simulators recreate a natural sunrise by slowly increasing the intensity of light in the room. A study in BMC Psychiatry found that dawn simulators improved the quality of sleep during winter months for a group of about 80 randomly chosen people.

The right light can also help you fall asleep more easily. Studies have shown that exposure to 2,000- to 10,000-lux light (the equivalent of gazing at the horizon on a sunny day and up to 20 times brighter than normal room lighting) can improve overall sleep quality, says psychiatrist Daniel Kripke, MD, of the University of California, San Diego. This is most beneficial for about 20 to 30 minutes in the morning and a few hours prior to bed. More specifically, light therapy has been used to reset body clocks for those with sleep-timing problems and to correct erratic sleep habits caused by depression. A recent study in the journal Sleep found that evening exposure from a light box effectively treated people who often woke up too early and were unable to fall back to sleep. Exactly how light therapy improves sleep for people with depression remains unknown, Kripke says, but one popular theory is that bright light increases sleep-aiding serotonin levels.

Now & Zen’s Digital 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.  Unlike artificial recorded sounds coming out of a tiny speaker in a plastic box, natural acoustic sounds transform your bedroom or office environment.

adapted from Natural Solutions Magazine, December 2005 by Matthew Sloan

Natural Awakening, Digital Zen Alarm Clock

Natural Awakening, Digital Zen Alarm Clock

Now & Zen’s Chime Alarm Clock Shop

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

Posted in Chime Alarm Clocks, Japanese Inspired Zen Clocks, Natural Awakening, Now & Zen Alarm Clocks, Progressive Awakening, sleep, Sleep Habits, wake up alarm clock, Well-being


Dreaming May Help Ease Pain of Bad Memories – Choose a Soothing Alternative Alarm Clock

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

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

Deep sleep can provide much needed rest after a difficult day, but a new study suggests it can also help decrease the emotional intensity of painful experiences.

Researchers at the University of California at Berkeley found that the more time spent in REM sleep, or the dream phase of sleep, may diminish the activity of stress-related chemicals in the brain.

“The dream stage of sleep, based on its unique neurochemical composition, provides us with a form of overnight therapy, a soothing balm that removes the sharp edges from the prior day’s emotional experiences,” said Matthew Walker, a  co-author of the study and an associate professor of psychology and neuroscience at UC Berkeley in a statement.

Their findings, the authors said, could help explain why people who have  with post-traumatic disorder  experience recurring nightmares.  One of the hallmarks of the disorder is less time spent in REM sleep.  As a result, the researchers believe they don’t experience the same emotional blunting brought on by adequate REM sleep.  REM sleep normally makes up about 20 percent of normal sleep hours.

In the study, 35 healthy adults were split into two groups.  Each group looked at 150 emotional images two different times, 12 hours apart, and an MRI measured brain activity.

Half of the participants stayed awake between each viewing, and the other half got a full night’s  in between each viewing.

Those who slept had a less emotional reaction the second time they looked at the images, and the MRI showed less activity in the amygdala, the emotion-processing part of the brain.

Tests that measure brain activity while the participants slept indicated decreased activity of stress-related chemicals, which had a calming effect.

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

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

“We know that during REM sleep there is a sharp decrease in levels of norepinephrine, a brain chemical associated with stress,” Walker said. “By reprocessing previous emotional experiences in this neuro-chemically safe environment of low norepinephrine during REM sleep, we wake up the next day, and those experiences have been softened in their emotional strength.  We feel better about them, we feel we can cope.”

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.

Now & Zen – The Soothing Alarm Clock Store

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

orders@now-zen.com

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

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

Posted in Bamboo Chime Clocks, Dreams, sleep, Sleep Habits, wake up alarm clock, Well-being


A Nap A Day – Set Your Relaxing Alarm Clock with Chime Each Midday

It's okay to nap during the day - Choose a gentle wake up - a Chime Zen Alarm Clock

It's okay to nap during the day - Choose a gentle wake up - a Chime Zen Alarm Clock

Have you ever felt an overpowering urge to find privacy and a bed for a midday “quickie?” Don’t feel guilty about that. It’s just your body telling you what it needs — sleep!

It’s unfortunate that most daily schedules can’t accommodate that need. Quickie naps are good for you. During the nap period of seeming inactivity, you do not simply “turn off;” complex reparative processes occur in your body. While the exact physiologic mechanisms responsible for the benefits of napping are not yet well understood, its positive outcomes have been confirmed in studies: they include improvements in mood, alertness, memory, performance and decision-making ability.

Let’s start with the best time for a nap: afternoon. An afternoon nap does not disrupt normal circadian (meaning: about a day) rhythms, whereas a morning or evening nap can — making it harder for you to return to your usual sleep routine that night. Your body probably already tells you this: circadian changes in your hormones and temperature are likely to make afternoon a naturally sleepy time for you. These cyclical patterns help explain why simply tacking more minutes or hours of sleep onto your nocturnal sleep time won’t necessarily prevent afternoon sleepiness. No matter how much you sleep at night, the afternoon urge will probably hit you.

How long should you nap? About 20 minutes. Anything much longer can backfire. You know that prolonged groggy feeling you sometimes feel after a nap? It’s called sleep inertia; you may have experienced it if you napped too long. Sleep inertia can take anywhere from 15 minutes to 4 hours to wear off. During this period, studies have shown impairments in mood, alertness, memory, performance and decision-making abilities. The likelihood of developing sleep inertia depends on several factors, one of which is the sleep stage from which you awaken. In a June, 2006 study in Sleep (the peer-reviewed publication of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies), investigators demonstrated the positive cognitive effects following 10- and 20-minute naps, but also the negative effects of sleep inertia following a 30-minute nap. The 30-minute timing coincides with the normal onset of deep sleep (also called slow-wave sleep). Limiting your nap time will help prevent entry into deep-sleep stages — avoiding sleep inertia while minimizing disruptions to your normal nocturnal sleep.

Choose the most natural wake up -- a gentle Zen Alarm Clock with Soothing Chimes

Choose the most natural wake up -- a gentle Zen Alarm Clock with Soothing Chimes

Keep in mind quickie-napping can’t compensate for significant sleep debt. While the increasing demands of our lifestyles may not reflect it, a wealth of research has verified that most adults require an average of 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night. Be mindful of persistent sleepiness throughout the day, despite adequate nocturnal sleep: it may be a symptom of a sleep disorder (such as narcolepsy, periodic limb movements, or obstructive sleep apnea) or an underlying medical problem (such as thyroid disease, serious infection or illness, anxiety or depression). Always listen to your body and speak with your doctor about your concerns.

And … try to sneak in a midday nap. But, remember, keep it quick!

Dr. Nayer Khazeni specializes in internal medicine and pulmonary/critical care, teaches, and conducts research at Stanford University Medical Center.

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

Our Zen Timepiece’s acoustic 6-inch brass bowl-gong clock is the world’s ultimate alarm clock, practice timer, and “mindfulness bell.”

It fills your environment with beautifully complex tones whenever it strikes. In the morning, its exquisite sounds summon your consciousness into awakening with a series of subtle gongs that provide an elegant beginning to your day. Once you experience the Zen Timepiece’s progressive awakening, you’ll never want to wake up any other way. It also serves as the perfect meditation timer. Available in 5 wood styles, including bamboo.

adapted from sfgate.com by Nayer Khazeni, M.D.

The Zen Timepiece - An acoustic 6-inch brass bowl-gong clock

The Zen Timepiece - An acoustic 6-inch brass bowl-gong clock

Now & Zen – The Bowl Gong Clock Store

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

orders@now-zen.com

Posted in sleep, Sleep Habits, wake up alarm clock, Zen Alarm Clock, Zen Timepiece by Now & Zen, Zen Timers


Set a Gentle Wake Up Alarm Clock with Chime to Feel Refreshed in the Morning

Choose a Gentle Wake Up in the Morning -- The Z E N Alarm Clock

Choose a Gentle Wake Up in the Morning -- The Z E N Alarm Clock

A Sleep in America Poll released by the National Sleep Foundation in 2008 reported that 65 percent of Americans have trouble falling asleep, wake during the night or wake feeling unrefreshed at least a few times each week. (On average, individuals need at least eight hours of sleep, but a recent finding that genetic makeup may play a role in how much sleep each person needs was published by UCSF researchers last week.)

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.

adapted from SFgate.com by Carolyne Zinko

Gentle, Soothing, and Elegant Sounding Alarm Clocks -- No Beeping Electronics

Gentle, Soothing, and Elegant Sounding Alarm Clocks -- No Beeping Electronics


Now & Zen – The Zen Alarm Clock Shop

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

orders@now-zen.com

Posted in Bamboo Chime Clocks, Natural Awakening, sleep, Sleep Habits, wake up alarm clock, Well-being


Alarm Clock Should Ring Your Bells – Choose the Alarm Clock with a Chime

Choose the Best Alarm Clock to Ring Your Bells - A Courtesan and Attendant on a Moonlit Veranda harunobu

Choose the Best Alarm Clock to Ring Your Bells - A Courtesan and Attendant on a Moonlit Veranda harunobu

The way we want to be awakened varies as much as the timepieces we use to get us up and going.

Invented in 1787, the alarm clock has become a necessity.

“Alarm clocks are a very individual thing,” says Neil B. Kavey, director of sleep disorders for New York-Presbyterian Hospital at Columbian Presbyterian Medical Center in Manhattan. “Some people have very strong preferences when it comes to alarm clocks. People who are sleep-deprived need an alarm that will wake them up instead of the sound of a chirping bird.”

But some people don’t like to be awaken by jarring bells or having to jump out of bed when the alarm sounds. Some people like to sleep an extra hour and therefore set the alarm to go off an hour early, while others like to hit the snooze button.

“Snooze alarms are helpful, but you get an interrupted sleep,” says Kavey, who noted that he is speaking clinically rather than scientifically when it comes to alarm clocks. “It’s best to get an alarm on a clock that you can live with and set it for the latest time possible, so you can sleep straight through till it’s time to get up. If you are getting enough sleep, you may only need a quiet or soothing alarm to wake you. But young people are such intense sleepers that they often require a loud alarm clock.”

Stores are filled with clocks from those that wake you with your favorite music to those that “ring” with the sound of ocean waves, rain, a babbling brook or a breeze blowing through pines.

There are even clocks that simulate the rising sun by gradually increasing the light from a high-intensity bulb during a period of 30 minutes.

“If you are worried about a power outage or getting up on time to catch a plane or for an important meeting, you might want to set two clocks, where one runs on a battery,” says Kavey. “But if you are getting enough sleep on a regular basis, you wouldn’t need an alarm clock. You’d wake up automatically based on your biological rhythms.”

 "The Zen Alarm Clock," uses soothing acoustic chimes that awaken users gently and gradually, making waking up a real pleasure.

"The Zen Alarm Clock," uses soothing acoustic chimes that awaken users gently and gradually, making waking up a real pleasure.

Just Say No to a Snooze Button

Most modern alarm clocks include a “snooze button” mechanism which allows the user to go back to sleep for a brief period after the initial alarm.
While this may make it easier for some people to “face the day,” here at Now & Zen we feel the whole concept of a snooze button is “all wrong.”
Wake up with gradual, beautiful acoustic chimes. The Zen Alarm Clock transforms your mornings and gets you started right, with a progressive awakening

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

People want snooze buttons because they want to awaken gradually.  And this is only natural because just as our bodies fall asleep gradually, our bodies also want to wake up gradually. However, with a regular, snooze button-equipped alarm clock the user is initially “startled awake” by the alarm, and then continually startled awake with each press of the snooze button.  This is not the way to treat your body because it creates a kind of merry-go-round of multiple “rude awakenings.”
As an alternative we recommend using our Zen Alarm Clock, which wakes users gradually with a built-in 10 minute progression of gradually increasing acoustic chimes. It really is a better way to get up in the morning.
Zen Alarm Clocks make waking up a beautiful experience. And once you experience the Zen Clock’s gradual 10 minute chime progression, you will never want to wake up any other way again.

adapted from sfgate.com by Frances Ingraham Heins, Albany Times Union

One of the ultimate Zen like experiences is waking-up from a great slumber refreshed and energized. Your mind and body are harmoniously one, both alert and focused.

One of the ultimate Zen like experiences is waking-up from a great slumber refreshed and energized. Your mind and body are harmoniously one, both alert and focused.

Now & Zen – The Chime Alarm Clocks Store

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

orders@now-zen.com

When the clock's alarm is triggered, its chime produces a long-resonating, beautiful acoustic tone reminiscent of a temple gong.

When the clock's alarm is triggered, its chime produces a long-resonating, beautiful acoustic tone reminiscent of a temple gong.

Posted in Bamboo Chime Clocks, sleep, Sleep Habits, wake up alarm clock


A Soothing Alarm Clock Can Make a Difference – Americans Get Less Sleep Than They Think

Choose a Soothing Alarm Clock - Kitagawa Utamaro, Komuraski of the Tamaya, House After a Bath, 1795

Choose a Soothing Alarm Clock - Kitagawa Utamaro, Komuraski of the Tamaya, House After a Bath, 1795

Getting enough sleep? Probably not.

A new study in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine finds that people tend to overestimate — not underestimate — the amount of sleep that they get.

The finding could add weight to the idea that Americans already skimp too much on sleep. And since many of us may be sleeping even less than we think, our lack of shut-eye may go largely unnoticed.

“People are losing sleep,” says lead author Graciela Silva, assistant professor, college of nursing and health care innovation, at Arizona State University. “Although seven and a half to eight hours are recommended, people sleep, on average, six hours each night,” she said.

But the surprise lay in the fact that most of the time, people were unaware that they were getting so little sleep.

“What is innovative and unexpected is that the older adults overestimated their sleep, rather than underestimated it,” said Dr. Phyllis Zee, director of the sleep disorders center at Northwestern University in Chicago, Ill.

“As for the issue of sleep in our society, it looks like we are sleeping even less than we thought — which is often insufficient for mental and physical health to begin with,” said James Olcese, associate professor of the department of biomedical sciences at Florida State University College of Medicine in Tallahassee, Fla.

The findings of the study are further driven home by its sheer magnitude. A total of 2,113 participants, aged 40 years or older, participated in the study. Rather than taking a sample from a patient population known to have sleep problems or illnesses, this study examined a population largely representative of the general population.

American don't get enough sleep -- a soothing alarm clock with gentle chimes can make all the difference

American don't get enough sleep -- a soothing alarm clock with gentle chimes can make all the difference

And participants did not even have to leave their own bed. Unlike previous studies that required participants to be present in the sleep lab to undergo tests, in this study, researchers, instead, followed subjects into their own homes.

There, the technicians hooked participants up to a polysonogram, a sleep test that measures brain waves to determine the amount of sleep they are actually getting.

The Morning After

The next morning, participants were asked to report how much sleep they felt they routinely enjoyed, as well as how many hours of sleep they believed they had the previous night.

What researchers found was that participants consistently overestimated the amount of sleep they actually got. They estimated that they typically slept seven hours, but the polysonogram recorded a modest six.

Olcese said the results suggest that researchers may be better off conducting objective tests like polysonograms, rather than patient questionnaires, when it comes to figuring out exactly how much sleep a person is getting.

“Simply put, this study reminds us that what people say that they are doing is not always exactly correct,” he said. “Personal subjectivity usually biases the results of questionnaires somewhat, so don’t believe everything you hear, unless there is objective confirmation.

“These findings draw attention to the need for objective measures of sleep parameters, rather than using subjective evaluations.”

However, the findings were not shocking to everyone.

“This really does not surprise me,” said Dr. Nancy Collop, medical director of the Johns Hopkins Hospital Sleep Disorders Center, in Baltimore. In her sleep studies, she has found that patients routinely misperceive how much they sleep, often stating “I didn’t sleep at all.”

Not getting enough sleep may be so pervasive within our society that many may not view it as a big problem.

However, missing out on sleep is more detrimental than many may realize.

“As we have progressed, people are losing sleep time,” explained Silva, who is concerned that a sleep deficiency may affect daily functioning. This, she said, underscores the implications of her research for the thousands of physicians who routinely ask patients about their sleep habits.

“Physicians should take into account that people overestimate their sleep time,” Silva said.

Zee agrees, and added that doctors often rely on subjective reports. “So, doctors need to be cognizant that older adults may be overestimating, and if they are actually getting less sleep, [it] may be associated with increased risk for cardiovascular, metabolic conditions that have been associated with short sleep duration.”

The Alternative Soothing Alarm Clock - Choose from Chime Clocks or Gong Alarm Clocks - Boulder, CO

The Alternative Soothing Alarm Clock - Choose from Chime Clocks or Gong Alarm Clocks - Boulder, CO

More ZZZZs, Anyone?

Fortunately, there are steps that those wishing to maximize their sleep, or improve its quality, may take. These include refraining from heavy meals, hot baths, or vigorous exercise close to bedtime.

Caffeine lovers should avoid caffeinated beverages late in the day, and technology connoisseurs should relocate all of their noise-making gadgets — including computers and televisions — out of the bedroom.

If all else fails, and you are not rested after sleeping, Collop suggests actively trying to get more sleep.

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

Our Zen Timepiece’s acoustic 6-inch brass bowl-gong clock is the world’s ultimate soothing alarm clock.

Singing Bowl Alarm Clock - The Soothing Alarm Clock for a Peaceful Morning

Singing Bowl Alarm Clock - The Soothing Alarm Clock for a Peaceful Morning

It fills your environment with beautifully complex tones whenever it strikes. In the morning, its exquisite sounds summon your consciousness into awakening with a series of subtle gongs that provide an elegant beginning to your day. Once you experience the Zen Timepiece’s progressive awakening, you’ll never want to wake up any other way. It also serves as the perfect meditation timer. Available in 5 wood styles, including bamboo (shown).

adapted from abcnews.go.com by By STEPHANIE TODD, M.D.

Now & Zen – The Zen Alarm Clock Shop

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

orders@now-zen.com

The best soothing alarm clock -- alternative clocks with gongs and chimes

The best soothing alarm clock -- alternative clocks with gongs and chimes

Posted in Insomnia, Natural Awakening, sleep, Sleep Habits, wake up alarm clock


Sleep More – Choose a Relaxing Alarm Clock with Chimes

Choose a relaxing alarm clock - The Zen Alarm Clocks with Progressive Chimes

Choose a relaxing alarm clock - The Zen Alarm Clocks with Progressive Chimes

Sleep sounder - choose a relaxing alarm clock with gentle chimes

Sleep sounder - choose a relaxing alarm clock with gentle chimes

“There is a direct relationship between the hours worked and its negative impact on sleep,” says James C. Walsh, vice president of the National Sleep Foundation. “This is particularly noticeable for people working more than 40 hours per week.” The study found most people tried to compensate for the lack of sleep during the week by tacking on a couple extra hours on the weekend.

Sleepy at Work and the Wheel

Ironically, while most sleep-deprived Americans say they give up sleep for work, nearly 40 percent say they are so sleepy several days a month that it interferes with their daily activities.

While sacrificing sleep can be counter-productive in the workplace, Gelula says it can be dangerous in a nation dependent on travel by car. Nearly one half of adults report they have driven while drowsy in the past year and nearly 20 percent say they have actually fallen asleep while driving.

“We have our work cut out for us to educate Americans that sleep is a necessity, not a luxury,” says Gelula.

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

The only relaxing alarm clock - The Acoustic Zen Alarm Clock by Now & Zen, Inc.

The only relaxing alarm clock - The Acoustic Zen Alarm Clock by Now & Zen, Inc.

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.

So if waking up in the morning really is a metaphor for our larger spiritual lives, this perspective might help us treat our morning ritual of getting out of bed as a kind of spiritual practice.  Indeed, when approached in this way, how we wake up in the morning can make a larger difference in our lives overall.
Fortunately, for those who want to wake up right, without being startled awake by an annoying alarm or some radio DJ, there is The Zen Alarm Clock.  This clock was designed to make waking up a kind of spiritual practice.  The Zen Clock wakes users with a built-in 10 minute gradual progression of acoustic chimes.  And this gradual form of “progressive awakening” has been thoughtfully designed to include esoteric features that are fitting for a form of spiritual practice.  For example, not only is the hardwood Zen Alarm Clock beautiful to see and hear, the clock’s chime is tuned to produce the same frequencies as the tuning forks used by musical therapists in their healing work.  Moreover, the Zen Clock’s pre-programmed 10 minute chime progression sequence advances according to the “golden ratio,” which reflects both the natural proportions of our own bodies and the patterns of growth used in the overall evolution of the universe.
Even those who care little about such esoteric details nevertheless report that they love waking up with the gentle chimes of a Zen Alarm Clock.  And as the makers of the Zen Alarm Clock hope, we may eventually come to see many of the simple details of our lives as forms of authentic spiritual practice.
The Alternative Alarm Clock Shop - Boulder, CO

The Alternative Alarm Clock Shop - Boulder, CO

Now & Zen – The Only Relaxing Alarm Clock Store

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

orders@now-zen.com

Posted in Bamboo Chime Clocks, Now & Zen Alarm Clocks, sleep, Sleep Habits, wake up alarm clock


Chime Alarm Clock Testimonial

chime alarm clocks with soothing elegant sounds

chime alarm clocks with soothing elegant sounds

Bravo to the makers of the Zen Alarm Clock!  This clock is both visually beautiful and extremely functional.  It wakes me with a series of chimes instead of my old alarm clock which sounded like a missile hitting my bedroom each morning.  I can’t believe it took me this long in life to discover this ingenious clock!  Working people who have to rise early~you will love this!!!

from an actual Now & Zen customer…

Chime Alarm Clock Showroom, headquarter store in Boulder, CO

Chime Alarm Clock Showroom, headquarter store in Boulder, CO

Now & Zen

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

Posted in Bamboo Chime Clocks, wake up alarm clock


Why Am I So Tired? Choose an Alarm Clock That Fits Your Lifestyle

why am I so tired?

why am I so tired?

Before you chalk up your lethargy to chronic fatigue, first consider these other possible causes.

By Alice Lesch Kelly

You’re exhausted all the time. You can barely pull yourself out of bed in the morning, you’re sleepy in the afternoon, and you’re ready to hit the sack at sundown. Could you have chronic fatigue syndrome? It’s possible, but you may want to investigate these other common ailments as well:

Iron-deficiency anemia. People with IDA feel fatigued, laconic, and cold due to a lack of iron in their blood. Iron supplements can usually take care of the problem.

Depression. Not only does the worry and anxiety that accompany depression wear you out, it may also affect the quality of your sleep, leaving you constantly exhausted. If you suspect depression, consult with a therapist, who may recommend behavioral therapy, antidepressant medication, or other healing modalities.

Mitral valve prolapse. This is a condition in which a heart valve fails to work correctly, causing a heart murmur. People with MVP may feel tired for a number of reasons, including a decrease in REM sleep, low blood volume, and excess adrenaline. For some patients, drinking plenty of water can ease symptoms by boosting blood volume, although others require medication.

Sleep disorders. Conditions like sleep apnea, narcolepsy, and restless leg syndrome can interrupt sleep without sufferers even realizing they have them. Doctors treat these conditions in a variety of ways, including air pumps that aid nighttime breathing, medication, dietary changes, or massage.

Hypothyroidism. An underactive thyroid slows down metabolism, which leaves sufferers feeling tired and sometimes cold, constipated, or depressed. Daily thyroid replacement pills can get metabolism back on track.

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.

gentle chime alarm clocks

gentle chime alarm clocks

Now & Zen’s Chime Alarm Clock Shop

1638 Pearl St.

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

adapted from Yoga Journal.com

Posted in wake up alarm clock, Well-being, Zen Timepiece by Now & Zen, Zen Timers


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