Do Kids Really Sleep Through Smoke Detector Alarms?
from the haven't-heard-that-before dept
In my experience, smoke detector alarms tend to be loud and incredibly annoying. I can't imagine anyone ever sleeping through one going off (and I've had more than enough wake me up from deep slumber -- too often in need of a battery replacement). However, according to some researchers, kids don't seem all that likely to wake up from smoke alarms. So, they ran an experiment that found that kids were much more likely to wake up if the alarm was a parent's voice urging them to get up, rather than the typical screeching/beeping/blaring noise of your typical smoke detector alarm. They even claim that, in the tests, they used a smoke detector that was much louder than those available on the market today -- which are pretty damn loud. Yet, 10 out of 24 kids in the test (42%) apparently slept right through it. Only one child slept through the "parent alarm" version. While there may be some benefit to having a parent's voice guide young children after an alarm goes off, it still seems hard to believe that so many children wouldn't wake up with an alarm blaring in their ears in the middle of the night. Update: Ok. As folks in the comments indicate, it's apparently quite common to sleep through smoke alarms. My own experiences have been quite different, but apparently plenty of kids will sleep through incredibly noisy alarms.Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
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smoke detectors and kids
As a parent, I can also tell you that my three young children slept right through the detector when I tried the test on them. However, if I open a box of Froot Loops while hiding in my bedroom closet, they spring out of bed like they're the ones on fire. :-)
Anyway, yes, I've seen this to be true with several children. This isn't new research either, I remember reading about a similar study a few years ago. Of course, I think it was run in conjunction with an alarm manufacturer of some sort because I remember seeing a "special smoke detector, just for kids!" I'm sorry I don't have time to find the link at the moment but I will later if you want me to dig around for it.
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I can vouch for the results in the experiment
When I ran it to find his bedding smoldering, he woke up when I called his name.
His night light cuaght his bedding on fire and he was sleeping through hell.
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It might be cruel but
You cannot idiot-proof the entire world. Having said that, I have always kept a life-guard whistle hanging on the wall in my bedroom by the door in case there were ever a need to make some extra noise - for instance in a fire. I will make an effort to save the lives of the people I love but I am saving My Butt for sure ... And if they want just 10 more minutes (snooze bar) ... well I'll wait for them outside.
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Re: It might be cruel but
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Re: It might be cruel but
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Re: It might be cruel but
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Re: It might be cruel but
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Kids Sleep Through Everything
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Keeping the population down...
I should know, I helped impliment the procedures.
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so turns out that as far as i am concerned fire alarms are pretty useless, aside being annoying.
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That Sucks
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Next day, in the elevator people are talking about the fire alarm going off at 4 AM. And I am going "huh? fire alarm went off?"
Ever since then, they have a person on every floor who checks every room to make sure its empty when a fire alarm goes off.
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Living in the city, sound sleeping is usually a benefit. On infrequent occasion, though, it could be a major liability.
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It's true
Made me wonder if I would wake up if the fire alarm (which is in my brother room) would wake me or him up.
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ZzzzZZzzz....
I wish my girlfriend had that problem. Then she wouldn't be kept awake by my snoring! :-D
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Re: ZzzzZZzzz....
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- JJ
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Conditional Probability
How many things are happening all around us, and we never noticed?
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Smoke alarms
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Don't wake up?
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Re: Don't wake up?
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Short memory...
It was not so long ago that I read a review on the alarm that parents can use with their prerecorded messages to wake kids up. I cannot remember where it was (something along the lines of PopSci or Consumer reports, a large publication) but their take on it was that during testing kids were just as likely to ignore parents' recorded voices as the loud alarm. I would not be surprised if the company making the alarm was behind this study :)
Any on a lighter note, any parent with a teenage kid that their kids ignore their voices more than anything else.
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Yup.
Yea. I have one of those. And an alarm on my computer. And a small travel alarm clock. That's what it takes to wake me up.
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Add me to the list...
I also slept through a huge tire fire that was a few blocks from my house. My mom said she came in and my room was orange from the flames outside, she woke me up, asked me if I wanted to go see the fire (20 or so firetrucks, hundred foot flames). I said no and went back to bed yet I remember nothing at all. It was the burnt rubber stench the next day that tipped me off.
All that and I don't have any particular sleep problems.
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Re: Add me to the list...
Some studies might show that drug usage during pregnancy causes serious problems to the fetus. I mean if I couldn't hear 20 firetrucks out side my room then I'm learning me some sign language!
The hall way at one time was blackened and I couldn't smell that. Can't be just a hearing problem. That would clue me in that some one was 'hitting the weed' a little bit to much......when I was a fetus and when I got to jr high.
Next Tech Dirt posting
children who drink while playing their XB and don't care if the fire alam comes on.
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I was at a fire station an hour ago....
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Sleep through anything
So I completely believe this.
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Just use a palm pilot THAT WOULD WORK
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/sleep.html
It's called REM sleep, I would imagine that kids dream a lot because they are yound and learning and while they are in REM sleep their body is more inactive so that must mean that their ears and bodies find it hard to react towards even a fire alam.
I would like to see them make a really really loud Palm Pilot Bumble Bee alam as a fire alam because that would work! Especially when you can't reach it and throw it.
RE. 2 lisa
Try feeding them more often :)
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Agreed
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Unstressed Children will even sleep at a rock conc
alarms.
1. they are very tired as they play hard during the day.
2. They are not stressed - they trust their parents - so
loud noises are not a concern.
Adults need less sleep and we (if we are parents)
also tend to train outselves to listen to noises - it might
be the kids.
So I think that kids who are in stressed homes
(or children who are anxoius, for what ever reason)
- probable wake and others do not.
Comments?
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I still sleep through alarms
One of the times in which I slept a fire alarm was even more disturbing. My family was staying in a hotel, and the alarm went off in the early morning hours. My parents woke my sister and I up and we were going through the hallway to exit the building. I apparently was sleep walking or something, however because I turned around and went back to the room. They didn't notice until they were out of the building and found me in the room (sleeping!) after the fire department cleared the building (it was a small fire somewhere). Just be alert out there folks.
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Quick-Finders as a back up!
Here is my story http://www.quick-finders.com/aboutus.html.
As a firefighter crawling in a smoke filled home it is very, very stressful looking for a victim. With Quick-Finders a patented Bedroom Identification System alerts the firefighter the house is equipped with the life saving device before they enter the home. It's a 2 part system that assist in locating the bedrooms with a sweep of a firefighters flashlight. Part 1 the door identification decal placed on the entrance door to your home alerts the firefighter your home has Quick-Finders. Part 2 is a reflective device that will pick up a flashlights beam from all angles give firefighter a path to your bedrooms. Quick-Finders also helps firefighters stay orinated in a smoke filled home and gives them a second exit as every bedroom has a window on the oposite wall. Quick-Finders LLC is a proud sponsor of the National Fallen Firefighter Foundation and will donate $1 of the sale of Quick-Finders back to the foundation.
If any 501c organzation wish to sell them as fundraisers contact me at joe@quick-finders.com
100% Made in the USA. US PATENT 7,196,614
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BTW.. I am a member of Mensa., Just for the IQ theory crowd. I also have sleep apnea, although was not using cpap. My reason for ending up here was searching for a solution to my worry. concern now that I may do this again and the possible result.
I would think that the 15 minutes of alarms should have atleast roused me enough to respond to the fire truck.. And I am curious about why physically this can happen.. what is different about my sleep then my husbands?
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fire alarms
I had to rescue a newborn chick that fell out of the chicken coop. It was 25 years ago and I can still remember that horrible sound. Anyone who can sleep through that is deaf or dead.
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the alarm did not wake me up
There was no fire, so we are also wondering why the alarms began to sound.
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fire alarms disn't wake my kids
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