A method for controlling alarms in a physiological monitoring apparatus, a physiological monitoring apparatus, and a computer program product for a physiological monitoring apparatus are disclosed. In order to decrease the number of nuisance alarms, the level of a physiological signal obtained from a subject is observed and signal morphology is determined for the physiological signal in response to detecting a change of the level of the physiological signal to a predetermined value range representing low signal values, thereby to obtain reference morphology for the physiological signal. Signal morphology is monitored if the physiological signal remains in the predetermined value range and alarms are suppressed as long as the signal morphology fulfills predefined criteria with respect to the reference morphology and the level of the physiological signal remains in the predetermined value range.