Time change If you can't get out of bed, try these apps

The changeover to summer time can quickly upset your rhythm. So here are five apps that will reliably get even notorious morning grouches out of bed.

The changeover to summer time robs millions of people of an hour's sleep every year and often also their patience when waking up in the morning. Yet there have long been solutions that go beyond the mere ringing of a standard alarm clock. Intelligent apps combine tracking, challenges and even financial incentives to reliably wake users up.

Anyone who reflexively taps snooze at the first ring will meet a digital opponent in Alarmy who knows no mercy. Instead of quiet indulgence, the app encourages you to overcome yourself in the morning. Math problems, memory puzzles or squats have to be solved or completed before calm returns.

The app allows you to set several missions per alarm clock time and leaves nothing to be desired when it comes to the choice of sound - from gentle nature sounds to maximum noise, everything is possible. Alarmy also analyzes sleep phases and offers snoring monitoring. If you want to use all the features, you have to purchase the paid version.

The Sleep Cycle app starts where conventional wake-up calls fail: during sleep itself. Snoring, movements and sleep noises are analyzed using a microphone. This data is used to determine the optimum time to wake up within a self-defined time window.

The aim is a gentle, physiologically sensible wake-up - without any abrupt shrillness. Sleep aids, personalized statistics and the integration of Apple Music (iOS only) make Sleep Cycle an all-round tool for sleep optimizers.

Radical honesty meets financial pressure. Nuj dispenses with gimmicks and relies on simple logic - if you don't get up, you pay. And to a charitable organization. The amount is determined by the user, the proof of standing up is provided by scanning a predetermined barcode in the household.

This barcode challenge replaces any sleep analysis or sound gimmick. Nuj focuses entirely on the wake-up moment and its relentless logic strikes a chord with chronic late-comers.

Amdroid offers a rare complete package with intelligent sleep phase tracking, complex wake-up profiles for everyday life and travel as well as mathematical and cognitive challenges. The calendar integration is particularly practical - the alarm clock is automatically deactivated on public holidays.

The app also scores points for its configurability, which hardly any competitor offers in this depth. Different day profiles, adaptation to location or day of the week and a variety of alarm sounds make Amdroid an all-purpose weapon for Android users.

When even math problems and exercise don't help, there's only one thing left: noise. Loud Alarm Clock specializes in acoustic shocks ranging from howling car alarms to scratching fingernails on the blackboard.

Users can define how often and for how long they can be snoozed. If you like, you can also be woken up by fictitious personalities such as Barack Obama with motivational sayings. The app is consistent, flashy - and effective. If you use it, you are guaranteed not to go back to sleep.