Alarm clocks have been around for over 2000 years! This means that strictly speaking, there wasn’t too much of a ‘before’ when it comes to how people lived before alarm clocks.

However, the mass-produced, bedside alarm only became truly widespread in the nineteenth century, with the invention of the ‘tin can’ clock, not long after the standardization of time itself. This leads us to the question: what did people do when they needed to wake up at a certain time?

Here are a few popular answers from reliable sources…

Why do some people need alarm clocks, and others don’t?

The circadian rhythm is an internal mechanism that responds to our innate body clock. It regulates hormones such as melatonin, which help us to feel sleepy when it gets dark and fully awake as the sun rises in the morning. Through a combination of genetic disposition, good sleep hygiene, and a consistent routine, some people develop finely tuned circadian rhythms, which neatly fit with their ideal wake up time.

Often, these people have what sleep scientists call an advanced sleep period. That means that they tend to get tired earlier, and also find it easier to wake up earlier. For those towards the opposite end on the chronotype spectrum, waking up with or before the alarm is just naturally more difficult.

If you are a night owl that wants to ditch the alarm clock, don’t give up. While you might not be predisposed to waking earlier, it’s certainly possible to alter your circadian rhythms with the help of some strict habits, and perhaps some blackout blinds. For some inspiration, try reading about people who have excellent control over their subconscious clock, such as those in this Guardian newspaper thread.

Explanation #1 - They didn’t

The simplest answer to how people woke up before alarm clocks is that they didn’t. Going back in history, the majority of people had neither a method nor a real need to wake up exactly on time. They simply went to bed around eight hours before they intended to wake up, or before they expected the sun to rise. Many bedrooms in older properties face eastwards for this reason.

Alarm clocks became widespread during the later 1800s. Before then, ‘on time’ wasn’t really a concept. As described by the Canadian Encyclopedia, North American time was officially standardized at noon on November 18, 1883, when the railway systems adopted a universal system. Before then, it was commonplace for individual communities to determine the exact time for themselves—and these the variations between places reduced the need for a specific time of waking.

Explanation #2 - Birds, roosters, church bells, and other rural markers

While today’s cities might be nonstop 24-hour metropolises, those who live in more rural locations can attest to the strong day/night cycles that flow through the landscape. Whether it’s animals calling to announce a new day (the rooster being the most famous example), or the sound of a village slowly coming to life, the contrast between day and nighttime activity was a sufficient alarm for many.

Similarly, church bells were (and still are) used as a communal alarm across much of Europe, alongside other types of religious calls worldwide.

Explanation #3 - Sun-based systems

Ancient civilizations used well-established astronomical systems to quantify the sky and thereby track segments of time. Dividing the sun and star’s cycle into periods, it’s possible to judge time so accurately, that old monuments such as Stone Henge in Englan can still be used to tell the exact summer and winter solstice.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology highlights Obelisks as another ancient sun clock—four-sided monuments that were favored by the Egyptians and date back to 3500 BC. Obelisks are basically huge sundials, clearly demarcating morning, afternoon, and evening.

However, while they might tell you the right time once you’re up and about, the shadow from a sundial is unlikely to wake you up!

What is a sunrise alarm clock?

Ironically, alarm clocks that artificially replicate a morning sunrise have become popular in recent years. Allowing the sun to naturally bring about the wake-up process can help you feel more alert and on top of your day. Sunrise alarm clocks aim to digitize these benefits so that they can (theoretically) be enjoyed at any time.

Explanation #4 - The knocker-upper

Before the mass-produced alarm clock, many upper-class people ordered a wake-up call from their servants. For the less well-off, A knocker-up or knocker-upper performed the same service for a fee in Britain and Ireland, with the profession being recorded until the late 1800s.

For a few pence per week, a knocker-upper would walk around their neighborhood, using various implements to wake up households at a pre-agreed time. They would make use of clubs and batons to bang on their clients’ doors, or even carry long sticks of bamboo to tap on bedroom windows.

Town criers and town waits—travelling musicians and announcers—also performed similar roles. For the working classes, who often needed to be up for factory jobs but couldn’t afford a knocking service, factory sirens were commonplace, announcing to whole communities that it was time to start work.

Explanation #5 - Ancient water clocks

Water clocks have been found across the ancient world, from the Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians, to historic Asia and indigenous North America. Most water clocks aren’t really clocks at all—they’re elaborate timers that allow water to run from one container to another in an allotted duration, similar to an hourglass.

It wasn’t until the Greeks, Romans, and third-century China that such clocks were mechanized. These improvements introduced audible alarms and constant water flow. The clepsydra, (Water Thief) clock was invented by those in philosopher Plato’s time and came with an air whistle alarm, as well as a recognizable clock face. Roman engineer Vitruvius also described early alarm clocks, which made noise through small gongs or an air instrument.

So, it turns out that before alarm clocks were invented, most people didn’t really need them—somewhat of a chick and egg scenario. If you were one of the few who had to be in a certain place at a certain time in the morning, you’d need to employ the services of a whole lost profession, a communal timekeeper, or a highly elaborate hourglass.