I've woken up to the bright hues of nearly a dozen different sunrise alarm clocks over the past two years, and it's a game changer. Here's what makes it work, and which ones I recommend the most. Your body is built to wake naturally with the sunrise and feel sleepy as the sun sets.
The light at both the beginning and end of the day is a warm, golden tone, unlike the midday bright, slightly blue sunlight that keeps you wide awake. A sunrise alarm clock mimics this transition from morning to bright daytime light, helping to signal your body to wake up (or fall asleep, if the clock also has a sunset option). A sunrise alarm has a built-in light you can set to brighten at a certain time.
It doesn't happen instantly; it will slowly transition over a period of anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour, and better sunrise alarms let you choose your exact brightening window. I usually choose a half-hour window for the light to start brightening, and let its brightening crescendo slowly wake me. There are also sound effects.
Sunrise alarms have a mix of relaxing and classic sounds that will usually go off when the light starts to brighten, to also help rouse you. I'd actually prefer if the light went first and music activated later, but that isn't always an option for these lights. Some sunrise alarms also offer a sunset routine, meaning you can turn them on at night and they'll slowly dim into darkness to help you feel sleepy.
It's another good visual cue for your brain and body to realize it's time for bed, and I prefer sunrise alarms like Hatch and Lumie that let you choose when to activate a routine (pushing a button starts the routine to happen over the course of 30 minutes, for example) versus needing to be in bed by a set time to use the routine. Ultimately, these lights can do a lot. They can double as a sound machine, help you wake up and fall asleep, and even act as a regular bedside lamp if they're bright enough.
Not all sunrise alarms have all of these features, though, so you have to choose how much you want to spend and what features are most important to you. You might see a range of features listed for a sunrise alarm, and more expensive ones will include more of these than cheaper models. If you're not sure what features you want, try this series of questions to figure out what features you need.
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