The Great Exhibition Of 1851

Charles Darwin, best known for his theory of evolution, was also a keen observer of his times.  In 1851, he took his children to Hyde Park to the Crystal Palace, also known as The Great Exhibition.  All kinds of new and unusual devices were on display, one of which (had it survived) would be known as the most dangerous antique alarm clock in the world today.

In this antique alarm clock, the sleeper’s was made on springs and levers.  When it came time for the sleeper to come out of the Land of Nod, the bed would shoot up, propelling the sleeper into a tub of cold water.  Unbelievably, this kind of antique alarm clock never caught on.  In fact, it’s usually not listed in historical papers on the Great Exhibition.  This antique alarm clock is, however, lovingly detailed in Charles Darwin’s personal diaries.

The Nuremberg Wall Clock

A much more conventional and dry antique wall clock is thought to have been made in the 1400’s in Nuremberg, Germany.  It was made of iron and had bronze bells and worked as a smaller version of the huge town clocks all around European cities since the 1100’s.  It was a mere nineteen inches tall.  Its existence is doubtful, especially after the World Wars Germany went through.  We know of this antique wall clock through old writings.

Salisbury Cathedral

The oldest known antique alarm clock still ticking away today can be seen in Salisbury Cathedral in England near Stonehenge, once thought to be a kind of antique alarm clock but now thought to be a place of ancestor worship.  Known as “the Medieval Clock”, this antique alarm clock was thought to be made around 1386.

Alarm clocks were rather large in the fourteenth century – usually only a clock tower or a cathedral could hold one. he big advantage was that the whole town could use one.  Also, you didn’t have to worry about antique alarm clock thieves.  Or, worry about sober thieves, anyway.  If anyone tried to steal this antique alarm clock, they wouldn’t be able to get very far without someone pretending not to notice.

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The Importance Of Regular Sleep

Recent studies have shown that if you don’t get regular sleep (at least seven hours a night for women and six for men), you can knock years off of your life.  Not only will lack of sleep make you feel tired, but you also can’t ward off sicknesses or bad decisions that could lead to illness and injury.  Insomniacs often suffer from disorientation, an inability to concentrate and have a very difficult time getting their daily tasks done.

This is all because their body clock is off.  Just why this body clock is off differs from person to person.  For one person, the reason could be not being able to handle stress and for another it could be due to clinical depression.  But not being able to sleep regularly is not normal.  When your body clock stops working, then you know that your body is trying to tell you that it is sick.

Your body clock can also be greatly affected by your diet and your television viewing habits.  You need to keep an eye on your caffeine consumption and not stimulating television right before you go to sleep.

Third Shift Workers

More and more, people are finding that they have no choice but must work through the night and sleep during the day.  Some people’s internal clock adjusts to this way of life better than others.  These are people who are usually healthy, keep to a regular sleep schedule, darken their sleeping rooms to simulate night and do not rely on chemicals to get them drowsy.

Scientists are finding out that third shift workers can lead miserable lives if their body clocks aren’t attended to.  This means that if a company has an overnight shift, they need to have the lights on just as brightly as for the day shift.  This helps fool the body clock into thinking that it’s daytime.  Some companies are learning to abandon the night shift when they realize that can cost them in high turnover and increasing electricity bills.  The internal body clock is often mightier than the paycheck.

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