Alarm Clock Apps and Devices for Sleepyheads

There must be folks who jump out of bed in the morning bright and early. There must be folks who don't want to roll over and get just a bit more sleep. And there must be folks who are never, ever late to get started because they hit the "snooze" button on their alarm clock, only to wake up with just enough time to make it to work or school. There must be ... somewhere..

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For the rest of us -- and our kids, who will face school mornings all too soon -- we've come across a some ingenious ways to avoid oversleeping. We hope you find one or more of these helpful. 

The Walk Me Up app is an alarm that won't shut off until you are actually up and walking around. Your phone needs to be on with notifications enabled. Free for iOS devices.

The Barcode Alarm Clock requires you to not just get out of bed, but to take a photo of a bar code you have previously selected (your breakfast cereal, your toothpaste, etc.) to turn off the alarm. You can also set it to require multiple bar codes for items that you encounter as you move through your morning activities. Described by one reviewer as, "Very loud and annoying"(which is the point of this alarm), The Barcode Alarm Clock is free for iOS devices. 

In a similar vein, Alarmy (Sleep If U Can) requires you to set it up by registering a photo of a place in your room or house (the bathroom is one possibility). Then, once it is set, you need to take a photo of that place to turn off the alarm. Its creators note with pride that it has been described as "The World’s Most Annoying Alarm." It's free for Android devices and $1.99 for iOS.

Would you prefer something that's not dependent on your phone? You might want to try Clocky, which rolls off your bedside table and hides, making beeping noises until you find it and turn it off. It's more expensive, at $27.99, but if it works for you or your heavy sleeper it might well be worth the investment.