Some people are blessed with a body clock that always gets them up at 6am feeling fresh as a daisy. For the rest of us, a bit of encouragement is very much required, especially during the winter months. Things are certainly a lot easier in summer, with blue light landing on our closed eyelids and signalling to our brains that it’s time to get up – but not so much now, when the days are getting shorter and shorter.
A sunrise alarm clock is a stand-in that gently increases the light level in your bedroom to coax you to wakefulness, and it can be a game-changer if you struggle to roll out of bed each morning. The Lumie Sunrise Alarm is a fantastic option in this field, and right now it’s down to £34.99 from £49.99 at Amazon.
Cambridge-based Lumie makes light boxes that help to combat seasonal affective disorder (SAD), and their expertise is clear in this sleek, tightly-designed product. The light begins to brighten 30 minutes before your set alarm, slowly ramping up the lux to wake you up gently, and you can add one of five sound effects to help give you that final push. A snooze button is also included, and six different colour options add a bit of customisability to your experience.
Not only that, but it can help to ease you to sleep when the day’s over. A 30-minute timer will gradually dim the light as you lay in bed, helping you to relax and eventually drift off. There’s even provide a three-year warranty on new purchases.
The Lumie Sunrise Alarm has an average of 4.3 out of 5 stars from over 2,900 Amazon ratings, with hundreds of customers vouching for its boost to their morning routines. “This is a great product for me, being reasonably-priced and good-quality. Works well and is easy to use,” said one five-star review. They added: “A huge benefit for me is it uses standard USB for power, which gives the option of powering from a USB power bank. Ideal if travelling. It also has AAA batteries as backup so it doesn’t lose settings if you move it.”
“This has made a huge difference to getting out of bed in the morning,” said another five-star review. “It’s a nice way to wake up with the increase of light. I have more motivation and energy using this.”
Another happy customer said: “Light is definitely gentler to wake up to than noise, and it’s making getting up a little easier now the mornings are so dark again. I’m glad I paid a little more for a Lumie model over one of the cheaper ones.”
Complaints typically fall on the red time display’s brightness: “The thing I don’t appreciate is the red numerals on the clock,” said one review. “They are so bright and red in the night, if you happen to wake up they really hurt your eyes!” Another added: “The LED time light is so bright, even on the dimmer setting, that I can’t sleep with it on, so have to turn the clock to face the other way.”
If you’re looking for a more premium option with additional features and customisability, the Philips SmartSleep at £135.99 is a great pick. For added music streaming, this Beurer option at £76.99 is another top product.
