Waking up should never feel like a chore, mornings are hard enough! There’s no need for a harsh alarm clock to rout you from your gentle sleep. Instead of fumbling under your sheets to find a vibrating alarm clock or chasing after the run-away clock that chooses to play hide and seek, try using one of our best sunrise alarm clocks.
If you love your morning sleep and hate being jolted awake, a sunrise alarm clock will quickly become your best friend. These unique alarm clocks help you to wake up more naturally regardless of when and where your alarm is set. A beautifully simulated morning sunrise will give you the chance to wake up whenever you want with soothing waking up sounds.
Table of Contents
- What is a Sunrise Alarm Clock?
- Do Sunrise Alarm Clocks Work?
- Our Top Pick!
- Runner Up
- Best Budget-Friendly Sunrise Alarm Clock
- Other Great Options
- Summary
What is a Sunrise Alarm Clock?
A sunrise clock, or ‘dawn simulator’, features an artificial light source that illuminates the surroundings of a standard digital clock. Simulation devices have a color temperature or color spectrum that varies depending on the settings or model. Most of the clocks have a modest intensity ranging from 100 to 300 lux, which is considerably less light when compared to a standard therapeutic lightbox, but enough to gently rouse almost anyone from sleep. They have a full-spectrum white or yellow LED light bulb to simulate morning and evening sunlight.
To wake you up as a normal sunrise would, the sunrise alarm clock steadily increases its light intensity over a period of several minutes (depending on your settings). Depending on the model, sunrise alarm clocks also feature adjustable snooze times, sounds or music, light intensity adjustment, USB ports, and many other add-on features. Some clocks also have a sunset feature, which allows them to dim slowly making it easier for one to fall asleep naturally in the evening.
Do Sunrise Alarm Clocks Work?
Dawn simulation clocks make it easier for one to wake up as opposed to being jolted out of bed by a ringing alarm clock. Artificial light can help enforce circadian patterns of wakefulness and sleep. When the sunrise alarm is activated, the screen of the clock will slowly light several minutes before your wake up time shifting to a bright yellow to mimic the colors of natural sunlight at dawn.
Light has a waking effect on the body and brain. It activates the circadian alerting signal and suppresses melatonin, making it easier for one to wake up. Light, at the wrong time, may have the opposite effect. Watching or reading from screens prior to bedtime may make it harder for one to fall asleep causing insomnia.
When incorporated into a morning routine, the light in a sunrise clock makes it easier for one to wake up. Since light is the strongest time cue in nature, it runs a lot of the body’s processes including the patterns of sleep and wakefulness, hormone release, body temperature, and cortisol levels. At the right time, artificial light may provide better sleep patterns by mimicking those found in nature. Since you wake more gradually and gently with a sunrise alarm clock, you’ll soon find the snooze button to be a thing of the past.
Sunrise alarm clocks are also helpful for the hearing impaired who would benefit from using light as opposed to an audible alarm.
We dug deep to find you the best sunrise alarm clocks in the market today. Here is our list of the best sunrise alarm clocks in 2020:
Our Top Pick
The Philips Wake-Up Light HF3670/60
Designed for the ultimate relaxation in mind, the SmartSleep alarm clock is the latest addition by Philips. This device allows you to create your perfect sleep and wake experience with your smartphone. It is equipped with built-in sensors that can tell your bedroom’s noise, temperature, light and humidity levels. It syncs this information with the SleepMapper app suggesting ways you can enhance your sleep space.
You can customize your SleepMapper app with information like when to wake up and what days of the week you need an alarm with its Advanced Alarm Scheduler. The scheduler has 20 different lights, sounds, and intensity patterns. Additionally, you can personalize your preferred morning and night settings with the app giving you over four different sunrises that range from white to warm pink dawn.
Pros
- Personalize your sunrise and sunset experience
- AmbiTrack monitoring for your bedroom
- App-enabled customization
- Comes with radio and built-in night light
Cons
- Fairly difficult to shut off
- Quite large; takes up a bit of room on a bedside stand
- The app could be easier to use
- Lacks white noise option
Runner Up
TITIROBA Sunrise Simulation Dual Alarms Clock
The Titiroba wake-up light features a vanishing sunset simulation that ranges from 10 to 120 minutes and accompanies you into sleep with either radio or seven natural sounds. Depending on the kind of nature sounds you like to wake up to, the alarm comes with the sounds of piano music, streams, wind bells, birds’ chirrups, wave sounds, soft music and a simple beep. This clock further features 7 light colors that you can use as atmosphere lighting, reading light or bedside lighting. For its radio function, the alarm clock can memorize over 20 stations that you can also set as the alarm instead of the seven natural sounds by holding the FM button for 2 seconds.
Are you a couple that wakes up at different times of the day? This clock has dual alarm functionality excellent for you and yours. The wake-up alarm starts from 1% brightness to 100% set to ring you to wakefulness after a full night’s rest. When the alarm finally rings in your chosen sounds, it will last fifteen minutes after which you can hit snooze for an extra 9 minutes of sleep. The alarm clock looks as great on your bedside stand as it is functional with its sleek wood grain design.
Pros
- 7 natural sounds to wake up to, can also wake up to your favorite radio station
- Charging port and radio function
- 20 brightness levels
- Dual alarm clock
- Snooze feature
- Large and dimmable LED display
- Sleek wood grain design
Cons
- The bird alarm sounds repeat every 15 seconds which is just as irritating as a regular alarm clock
- Light intensity not gradual as advertised
- Clock loses time
- Manual not easy to use
Best Budget-Friendly Sunrise Alarm Clock
This is our top pick for the budget-friendly sunrise alarm clock. As such, it is not loaded with features like the other models we have reviewed but does the job of a wake-up light quite well. The L-Bell sunrise clock simulates sunset and sunrise with the promise that light will gradually dim with music helping you fall asleep quicker and more naturally. You can set the brightness, duration, volume and sleep music in advance for an easier time transitioning from wakefulness to sleep, and vice versa. With over 20 brightness levels, the wake-up light assures you of a less abrupt awakening and perfect relaxation on your mornings.
You can set your FM radio station with the light which can wake you with one of the seven sounds of nature that range from ocean waves to the sound of a stream. The 8th sound is the option of radio. Get 9 minutes of extra sleep by hitting that snooze button. The L Bell wake up light has rubber, anti-slip feet that allows it to sit securely on your stand without toppling off. Further, the display is connected to the touch keys on top of the lamp for easy navigation.
Pros
- Sleep Aid Feature Alarm Clock
- Dual Alarm Clock Feature
- 8 Colors Light Alarm clock
- 20 levels of color
- USB Port
- Extra features: Non-slip feet, dimming light, Easy-to-use touch keys on top of the lamp
Cons
- Does not transition smoothly from white to orange
- Poorly written manual with spelling/grammar errors
- Fairly difficult to set up
- FM Radio may not work
Other Great Options
FitFort Dawn Simulation Clock
If you need to get up at different times with your child or partner, the FitFort sunrise clock is the best buy on a budget. You can set two alarms for them, or even set two alarms for different reminders during the day, each with a separate alarm time, sound volume and light intensity. You have a choice of up to 7 sounds but you can also set the alarm to wake you up with radio. Stretch the antenna to reach the 60 channels covered by the radio. The radio frequency of the clock ranges from 87.5 to 108 MHz.
With 20 levels of brightness and a choice of 7 color options, you may use the Fitfort sunrise alarm clock as a reading light, bedside lamp or atmosphere light. The clock also comes with a USB port so you can charge your phone with the clock while you sleep.
Pros
- 20-level brightness and 7 colors light
- USB port
- FM Radio
- Dual alarm function
Cons
- Poorly written manual
- Difficult to set up – too many buttons that are poorly marked and very small
- May appear too bright
- Display may be hard to read
The AMTOK Wake Up Light
This is one of the few models we have seen with four alarms and different alarm sounds for each. The sounds work in conjunction with the simulating lights and go off as soon as the lights are bright. What makes this clock stand out is the voice control integration, which is easy to use and quite handy. Instead of trying to figure which buttons work for which function, simply tell Alexa or Google Assist to turn the light to 50% and it will do so promptly.
The snooze function is quite handy for those who like to steal a few minutes of sleep after the alarm goes off and also doubles up as the nightlight. A common complaint with most of the sunrise lights is that the transition from sleep to wakefulness can be a bit abrupt. This is not the case with the Amtok Sunrise lamp that features 7 colors that slowly transition from a mellow light to dawn-like brightness that fills a room waking you up with gentle sounds after the transition.
Pros
- Smart Alarm Clock & Voice Control (compatible with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa)
- Sunrise Simulation
- Snooze Function
- 7 colors
- FM Radio & 7 Natural Sounds
- USB port
- 4 alarms for different times
Cons
- Complicated to use
- Buttons are small and may be hard to read with low light
- Manual difficult to read; small fonts but instructions are quite clear
HeimVision Sunrise Alarm Clock
Wake up to the gentle simulation of sunrise with the HeimVision A80S alarm clock. Featuring 4 different alarm settings, you can comfortably set quadruple alarms for different schedules or for everyone in your household. There are 20 settings for brightness and 7 colors for LED brightness allowing you to choose the most appropriate light intensity for gradual sunrise/sunset simulation. For more personalization, you can set any of the seven alarm sounds ranging from chord to piano, or choose the radio setting to wake up to your preset FM station.
Not only is this an alarm clock, but you can also use it as a bedside lamp and you can turn on this feature on the hidden button at the back of the clock. Snoozers get an extra 15 minutes to sleep. It is also compatible with Google Assist and Amazon Alexa allowing you more convenience to choose your preferred settings on your smartphone.
Pros
- Colored Sunrise Simulation
- 7 Alarm Sounds & FM Radio
- 20 adjustable brightness of the sunrise light and 7 colors of LED Time display brightness.
- Quadruple alarms separately for different schedules
- Considerate Snooze Function (15 minutes)
- Bedside Lamp/Night Light function
- Compatible with Google Assist and Amazon Alexa
- Wireless speaker
Cons
- Must connect to WiFi to switch off the bright display
- No alarm option for light without sound
- Not easy to set up especially with the company’s app
Summary and Final Thoughts
The ordinary alarm clock will probably wake you up feeling scared, annoyed and tired. There are many ways that one can wake up feeling refreshed. A good sunrise alarm clock will help you wake up more naturally easing the transition from sleep to wakefulness. If you constantly have trouble getting up or falling asleep, consider getting a wake-up light.
The best light therapy clocks steadily increase light and offer different sounds to wake you up more naturally. We reviewed the top models to help you wake up feeling energized and hope you get the perfect fit for your home.
Links to Research Sources:
- https://www.verywellhealth.com/sunrise-alarm-clocks-4486240
- https://www.wellandgood.com/good-advice/do-sunrise-alarms-work/
- https://www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/sleep-drive-and-your-body-clock
- https://siliconpsych.com/
Losethesnooze.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. This article contains affiliate links to the reviewed products.