Sunrise Alarm Clock...Say What?
Read about my experience with the
"Philips Wake-Up Light Alarm Clock!"
For Valentine's Day, I gave my husband a sunrise alarm clock. He had been struggling to wake up and constantly felt groggy. I had heard several people talk about the benefits on a sunrise alarm clock. Personally, I find the sudden blast from my small iPhone to fill me with panic as I jerk my head of my ever so lovely down pillow.
So, at 11 o'clock one night while laying in bed I got on my Walmart app and ordered the Crossen home a sunrise alarm clock. I know that looking at your phone before bed and sleeping next to your phone is not beneficial to your sleeping habits but folks, I can only do some much. I will circle back to the phone situation in 6 months.
So about 32 hours later the box arrived on my doorstep and I was immediately ready to rest my head on my pillow...or maybe I just really wanted to take a nap I can't remember.
Philips Wake-Up Light Alarm Clock
We purchased the "Philips Wake-Up Light" with these key features:
- Colored Sunrise Simulation
- Sunset Simulation for relaxing bedtime
- 5 Natural Wake-up Sounds & FM Radio
Some other things to note
- The alarm clock automatically dims itself whenever the room gets darker
- When you want to press snooze you just tap the front
- You can adjust how bright you want the alarm clock to get
- You can set two alarms for different times (my husbands starts around 4:00 and mine around 5:30)
Our experience with the sunrise alarm clock has been great. Now in full transparency the first night I was way too excited and I don't think I actually went to sleep. Instead, I watched the alarm clock fill our bedroom with a soft pink glow at 4:00 am until it was full-out "Wakey - Wakey Mode" at 4:30 and then the birds starting kicking in! Oh yes, folks, you can choose your own relaxing noise to wake up to. My husband chose birds chirping. The verdict for the birds is still undecided for me, a little annoying at 5:30 but he seems to enjoy them.
So what is the science behind this sunrise alarm clock?
Research has shown that the sun creates a natural rhythm for our bodies. Some folks go so far as to pitch a tent in the middle of nowhere to use the sun to reset their body. Now, as lovely as that may sound at the time when we purchased the alarm clock it was probably 14 degrees out so you can see why we passed on that offer.
The correct term for this theory is "dawn simulation" the process of gradually waking your body up with light.
"A dawn simulator can be used as an alarm clock. Light enters through the eyelids triggering the body to begin its wake-up cycle, including the release of cortisol, so that by the time the light is at full brightness, sleepers wake up on their own, without the need for an alarm."
Doesn't that sound lovely? I thought so too. Overall our experience with the sunrise alarm clock has been wonderful! We have never overslept or missed an alarm. It is fairly large compared to a generic alarm clock but you can also use it as a bedside table lamp. Regardless of all the research claiming better sleep, decreased symptoms of depression and more. I can say that I mostly just enjoy the slow process of waking up. No longer am I suddenly ripped from my dreams. Usually, the birds are what get me out of bed, but again the verdict is still out on those guys!
Happy Sleeping Folks!
Amy <3
