It’s tough to wake up during the winter. The mornings are frequently cold and dark, and all you’re longing for is a little sunshine and heat. One very effective solution is a sunrise simulator alarm clock—here are our favorites.
So what makes a sunrise alarm clock so effective? They work by providing a similar light to what you would experience if sunshine was bursting through your curtains. Physiologically speaking, the light tricks your body into thinking the sun is rising and it’s morning. Psychologically speaking, the dump of “it’s morning!” chemicals makes it so much easier to peel yourself out of bed and start the day feeling energized. It’s far better than waking up to a darkened room that just makes you feel like rolling over and going back to sleep. Different alarm clocks offer different features to help get you started with your day, so we’ve looked at each of them, and why their prices vary so massively.
Here’s a look at some of the best sunrise/light simulation alarm clocks out there.
Best All-Rounder: Philips Wake-Up Light ($90)
The Philips Wake-Up Light offers a little bit of everything yet at a higher standard than any of its competitors. The Philips health and wellness division is a substantial part of their focus, and their lights (this and the one that follows) are the only lights in our roundup that have been subjected to clinical trials.
The natural light alarm clock wakes you up with a mixture of light and sounds. Its lighting mimics the natural lighting of early sunrises in the summer while its speaker offers up two natural sounds to get you started in the morning. The wake-up light gradually increases in brightness over a period of 30 minutes so that your body is stimulated into waking up naturally.
Despite that, the alarm clock still has a tap-to-snooze button which can be handy if you stoically refuse to get up when you’re meant to. The lamp also works as a bedside reading lamp with a choice of 10 brightness settings, which is sure to be useful, plus there’s a built-in FM radio for those of you that enjoy waking up to local radio.
Sure, it’s a little expensive but it does everything so well that you’ll wonder how you did without it.
