Set the alarm clock for 5:38 am

Leave this tab open — the alarm only rings while the tab stays open.

The alarm goes off in: ::

You can also try the other alarm clocks

Alarm clock for 5:36 am Alarm clock for 5:37 am Alarm clock for 5:39 am Alarm clock for 5:40 am

Going to bed for a 5:38 am alarm

Asleep by 8:23 pm — 6 full sleep cycles, about 9 hours
Asleep by 9:53 pm — 5 full sleep cycles, about 7 hours
Asleep by 11:23 pm — 4 full sleep cycles, about 6 hours

A sleep cycle runs about 90 minutes, and most people take around 15 minutes to drop off. Waking at the end of a cycle feels easier than waking in the middle of one.

5:38 am across the country

London	5:38 am
Birmingham	5:38 am
Manchester	5:38 am
Glasgow	5:38 am
Belfast	5:38 am

Times are worked out live in your browser, so daylight saving is already accounted for.

How to use the online alarm clock

As you hand the early shift over, use the 5:38 am alarm to mark the final check of the rail replacement timetable before someone else takes charge. There are 22 minutes before 6:00 am, enough to confirm the affected service, platform information and any notes the next person needs, without letting the handover drift into the new hour.

During that timetable check, sound can quietly route to headphones left in a pocket, bag or nearby room. Check the audio destination and play a brief test before relying on the alarm, then set a volume that will be noticeable without disturbing the whole office. This browser alarm only remains dependable while its page and your phone stay awake, so it cannot protect the rail replacement timetable handover after you leave the browser or let the phone sleep.

Before settling down to wait at 5:38 am, arrange the light for the paperwork or screen you will actually use. A small lamp aimed away from reflective glass can make service details easier to distinguish while keeping the surrounding area subdued. If dawn is beginning to brighten the room, close the blind beforehand so changing glare does not slow the final timetable check.

Common questions

Do I need an account or an app?

Neither. Choose a time and a sound, press Start, and it runs in this browser tab. Nothing is downloaded, nothing is registered, and closing the page leaves nothing behind on the device.

Can I change the sound?

Yes, there is a short list of tones to pick from before you press Start. Softer sounds are easy to sleep through, so a firmer bell tends to be the safer choice for anything early in the morning.

Will it still be right when the clocks change?

Yes. It reads your device's local clock, so the move between GMT and BST at the end of March and October is picked up automatically, as long as the computer's date, time and time zone are set correctly.

Can I use this on a phone?

It works in a mobile browser, but phones lock the screen and suspend background tabs far more readily than a laptop does, which can stop the alarm sounding. For anything important, a desktop or a plugged-in laptop is the steadier option.