
Honorable mention: Apple alarms does come with some default “natural sounds,” like a dog barking and a duck quacking. Slow rise. Slow with overlapping chimes, this is peaceful but sounds more like a lullaby than a morning tune.Timba. A surprisingly upbeat option, but the nothing-but-drums sound is organic and satisfying and definitely registers as peaceful compared to the synthetic sounds of other alarms.Ripples. Aptly named, this one sounds watery and dreamy.Silk. Slow and ascending, with classical Chinese sounds.The soothing options in the default alarm sounds are not stellar, but there is a handful worth trying: We tried them all – and then ranked our top 5 soothing sounds and top 5 jarring sounds to help you say “see ya” to the infamous snooze button. Whichever camp you fall in, there’s an Apple alarm sound for you. So maybe try to find a sound that’s more “annoying” and less “terrifying.” Apple Alarm Sounds Ranked You want to be awake, but not that awake. One study showed that firefighters are 6.4 times more likely to have a “cardiovascular event” (read: heart attack) when the station alarm sounds in the night than they are during their daytime, non-emergency duties. Adding an additional jolt awake can get your heart pumping, but it’s not always good for you.


Thirty minutes after you wake up, your cortisol levels rise slowly to prepare you for the anticipated stress of the day. The thing is, your body already has a cortisol awakening response. What happens when you’re sound asleep and suddenly hear a blaring alarm? Your cortisol levels spike, big-time. Though opposite, both schools of thought have some scientific merit. You might even resort to placing your alarm on a Roomba so it’s hard to catch.


But sometimes it’s hard to find an alarm tone that actually works and gets you out of bed in the morning. It’s convenient, reliable, and easy to setup. Using your iPhone as your alarm clock is a popular method for many people.
