To wake each day in darkness is a plight you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy, yet that’s what many of us do routinely throughout winter. Getting up in the dark decouples our life from our circadian rhythm (our body clock), with bodily processes such as cognition and metabolism put to work before they’re fully prepped. Thank heavens, then, for sunrise alarm clocks.
These “dawn simulation” devices glow with gradually intensifying brightness as your wake-up time approaches, kickstarting your circadian rhythm before you get out of bed. For many users, this results in a happier, healthier start to the day. Sunrise alarm clocks can differ vastly – for instance, only some are bright enough to be medically certified as light-therapy devices for Sad (seasonal affective disorder) and other disorders.
We’ve indicated the two alarms that have this certification in their specs below. I tested 10 wake-up lights from Lumie, Beurer, Philips, Dreamegg, Blueair and Lexon to find out which would make the most difference to my mornings, and these are the eight I recommend. As a lifelong reluctant riser, I’ve found the experience of testing these devices a gamechanger – in fact, I’m now using one daily.
Perhaps mornings aren’t so bad, after all … Mornings, eh? I’ve often felt lousy first thing, after waking up to a minutes-long medley of smartphone alarms. When, at last, I drag myself out of bed, I frequently spend the day reviewing all kinds of gadgets, from Sad lamps to electric heaters.
It’s a freelance job I’ve been privileged to do since 2017 – and as we tumbled dimly into 2025, the Filter gave me one of my most quietly life-improving assignments yet: reviewing sunrise alarm clocks. I tested three additional models in winter 2025/26, and one of these has emerged as my favourite of all. The extent to which these gadgets have improved my mornings has surprised me – although it was greater in some cases than others.
Frankly, I’d like other groggy wakers to feel the same benefit, and my reviews are written and ranked with this in mind. Some brands did not want the sunrise alarm clocks I sourced for testing back, so those will be donated for fundraising to Cat Action Trust 1977, a small national charity dedicated to the welfare of feral cats. The only proper way to test a sunrise alarm clock is by using it to wake up each morning – so that’s what I did.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
