Struggling to wake up? Try changing your alarm tune

Often wake up feeling groggy, confused and tired? You may be suffering from sleep inertia and your choice of alarm could be to blame.

At Startle, we know the impact music can have on our behaviour and emotions, so it was no surprise to us that our choice of alarm could be partially to blame.

We have put over 140 smartphone alarms to the test to see which ones are the best (and worst) to wake up to for your mind and body.

If you’re one of the billions of people who own an iPhone or Samsung handset, take note. The research suggests 60% of the default alarms on an iPhone should be avoided, and 26% on a Samsung.

What are the best alarms for iPhone?

According to scientific evidence, the perfect alarm has a melody you can sing or hum along to, a dominant frequency around 500 Hz or in the key of C5 and is not too fast or too slow (100 – 120 beats per minute is ideal). 

We then tested each default iPhone alarm sound against these three criteria to discover the best ones.

‘Sencha’ is crowned as the best iPhone alarm to wake up to, reducing your risk of waking up on the wrong side of the bed thanks to its easy melody played in key C, BPM of 110 and low frequency (500 Hz).

‘By the Seaside’, 'Steps' and ‘Uplift’ also share many of the same characteristics that help the mind and body wake up gently and minimise the risk of unpleasant sleep inertia.

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What are the best alarms for Samsung phones?

We conducted the same test for Samsung's alarms.

For Samsung users, consider choosing ‘Synth Bell’ or ‘Roller Disco’ – both of which follow the rules of the perfect wake-up sound.

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The best iPhone and Samsung alarms to wake you up.

Alarm Name	Phone	Key	BPM	Frequency
By The Seaside	iPhone	C	108	500
Roller Disco	Samsung	C major	120	500-2000
Sencha	iPhone	C	110	500
Steps	iPhone	C major	114	500-1000
Synth Bell	Samsung	C major	116	800
Uplift	iPhone	C	114	500

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What is sleep inertia, and how can alarms make a difference?

Dr Ritz Birah, psychologist and sleep expert at Panda London, explains what sleep inertia is and how your choice of alarm could make all the difference:

“Sleep inertia refers to the period of reduced alertness, impaired cognitive performance and grogginess that occurs immediately after waking. It can last from a few minutes to over an hour, depending on sleep stage, sleep deprivation and circadian timing.

“When we wake up, the brain doesn’t switch on instantly like a light. Instead, it moves through a gradual and highly coordinated transition from sleep to alertness. An alarm sound effectively interrupts this transition, and the type of sound used can either support a smoother neurological awakening or provoke a stress-based response."

Dr Ritz Birah also explained that abrupt, high-pitched, or purely mechanical alarms are more likely to trigger sympathetic nervous system activation, leading to a startle response that wakes the body quickly but leaves the brain lagging behind.

In contrast, alarms with melodic and rhythmic qualities appear to engage wider cortical networks involved in attention and auditory processing, supporting a more gradual increase in arousal and better cognitive performance in the minutes after waking.

She said there is also significant individual variation in how easily people wake up. Genetics, sleep quality, mental health, lifestyle factors and sleep timing all play a role. People can indeed be biologically predisposed to being an “early bird” or a “night owl”, a characteristic known as chronotype.

What else can we do to wake up on the right side of bed?

Dr Ritz Birah says:

“Beyond alarm choice, there are other ways people can reduce sleep inertia including maintaining consistent sleep and wake times, increasing light exposure soon after waking, allowing a brief buffer before cognitively demanding tasks, and ensuring sufficient sleep duration. Gentle movement, hydration and gradually increasing stimulation rather than abrupt sensory overload can all support a smoother transition into wakefulness.”

Why not change your alarm and see if it makes a difference?