15 Alarm Clocks for Heavy Sleepers

No one loves an alarm clock. But if you've missed more than a few morning meetings, you may be ready for one you love to hate.

A money-shredding alarm clock might fit the bill: It shreds bills if you don't get up. Or how about one that dials random numbers, like your boss's, from your cell phone until you wake up? In truth, these are only design concepts. (Whew!)

Instead, consider one of these 15 real alarm clocks that use nightmarish methods to rouse—or at least seriously annoy—heavy sleepers. (Plus: Prefer to wake up more gently? Here are our top picks for the best wake-up light alarm clocks that will gradually rouse you out of sleep.)

To buy: $32; amazon.com

The Sonic Alert Dual Alarm Clock is a perfect option for college students who share a dorm room. On days you don't want to wake up your roommate, set the alarm to the powerful bed-shaking mode, which uses a 12-volt motor to rouse you. Of course, you also have the option of using the adjustable-volume alarm, which goes as high as 113 decibels.

To buy: $130; amazon.com

Place Sense by Hello on your bedside table, and it will help you fall asleep, stay asleep, and wake up without the grogginess or fatigue you may be used to. The small, white orb plays ambient noises to help ease you into dreamland, and a small monitor clipped to your pillow tracks your movements throughout the night, and sends feedback to an app on your smartphone. By monitoring your sleep cycles, the alarm knows the best time to wake you up in the morning so you're feeling refreshed.

To buy: $32; amazon.com

If the four alarms you scheduled to go off 10 minutes apart wake your neighbors but not you, you might want to try this noisy clock; it has a 113-decibel alarm—about as loud as a jackhammer. And if the volume alone won't do it, the red flashing lights and accompanying bed-shaker unit (which goes beneath your mattress) should deliver the full sensory message that grave danger awaits unless you get out of bed.

To buy: $40; amazon.com

The three volume levels on this alarm clock can be best described as loud, louder, and loudest, with the Screaming Meanie topping out at a whopping 120 decibels (the volume of an ambulance siren). The travel-friendly clock runs on one 9-volt battery and fits easily in your carry-on, ensuring you'll never miss your wake-up call.

To buy: $44; amazon.com

This alarm clock was designed for people with hearing loss, so it not only sounds at an ear-piercing 85 decibels, it also comes with two additional attachment options: one that hooks up to your bed to shake you awake, and another that connects to your bedside lamp to flash the lights.

To buy: $30; amazon.com

If you've moved away from using a clock completely and instead set an alarm on your phone, consider the SmartShaker by iLuv. The device slides under your pillow and shakes you awake when your phone alarm goes off (it connects wirelessly using bluetooth). You can also have the device sound an audible alarm. The battery lasts a full month before needing to be charged.

To buy: $105; amazon.com

If you’re looking for a calmer start to your day, you might want to try the Wake-Up Light. It gradually gets you up and out of bed with a colored sunrise simulation and a selection of nature-inspired sounds, so that you can start the day feeling refreshed and energized—as if you had woken up naturally. For anyone who finds it particularly hard to get out of bed when it’s cold and dark out, this alarm clock makes those winter mornings that little bit easier. It also comes with a nighttime dimming feature so that you can make sure you’re getting your best night’s rest.

To buy: $40; amazon.com

Addicted to your snooze button? Here's your cure. This cute, wheeled timekeeper rolls and leaps, from up to 3 feet, off your nightstand after one snooze. What's worse, it does so while beeping random patterns and hides until you hunt it down. It's safe to say you won't be catching any z's catching this clock.

To buy: $32; amazon.com

"Beep-beep-beep" not enough to wake you up? Maybe hearing somebody yelling at you will do the trick. This alarm clock nags you out of bed with seven different sayings with varying accents that change each time you hit the snooze button. The alarm further annoys you away from dreamland by vibrating.

To buy: $50; amazon.com

If the only thing that will get you out the door in the morning is some serious nagging, Clockman is for you. This chatty clock refuses to shut up, even after you get out of bed. He'll greet you at your desired time, sing while you get dressed, and even yell if you anger him. While Clockman speaks only Japanese for now, his wake-up-and-get-going message isn't lost in translation.

To buy: $14; amazon.com

If you have a serious problem sleeping through your alarm, this retro little clock is for you. Because it doesn’t have a snooze button, you’ll be forced to either shut the alarm off completely and risk oversleeping, or you’ll learn to rise with the alarm. Also good: it’s doesn’t have an annoying ticking sound like other vintage clocks, so you won’t be kept awake at night.

To buy: $70; amazon.com

In order to shut off this loud alarm, you have to actually get out of bed and stand on the rug for three seconds. But if you find yourself cheating your alarm by crawling back into bed after those few seconds, you can extend the alarm for up to 30 seconds, ensuring you’ll be much more awake once the blood starts flowing to the other parts of your body.

To buy: $25; amazon.com

Instead of sleepily fumbling with the alarm in the mornings trying to find the “off” switch, simply flip this alarm over to the other side. That’s it. Amazon reviewers rave about how minimalist and lightweight it is, perfect for throwing in your carry-on for vacations or business trips. Bonus: It comes in a variety of bright poppy hues, as well as more subdued colors like this modern dark wood.