A sunrise alarm clock is an interesting product that simulates a natural sunrise as a means to wake you up from sleep. Most of these gradual light alarm clocks begin to slowly shine light in your bedroom approximately 30 minutes before you wake up.
The light begins to get brighter and brighter until it reaches the full spectrum at the time you are scheduled to wake up. There is significant evidence that these types of gentle alarm clocks are a healthier way to wake up than to the sound of a loud alarm clock.
The sunrise alarm clock is also known to help individuals who have Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), deal better with their medical condition. There have actually been researched tests performed at the NIH (National Institute of Health) that have validated these results. SAD, is a psychiatric condition that is caused by brain dysfunction. When people who are susceptible to this condition have limited access to natural sunlight, they begin to have symptoms of the illness.
This medical condition is most prevalent in susceptible individuals during the winter months when there are the fewest hours of daylight available. A sunrise alarm clock seems to negate some of the symptoms of this disorder such as lack of energy, weight gain during winter months, and a general feeling of dysphoria. This sunrise simulating alarm clock is not a cure-all for SAD but it often helps to mitigate the need for other treatments.
Some of the features of sunrise alarm clocks include the following
- The activation of the sunrise light can fade from zero light to full-spectrum at intervals you select starting with 0, 15, 30, 60, 90, or 120 minutes,
- An ability to create a “sunset” feature where the light decreases from maximum intensity to darkness in the same incremental rates of 0 to 120 minutes,
- Digital displays that make it easy to read the clock regardless of the light intensity.
There are also safety features with a sunrise alarm clock so you need not worry that you will not wake if you happen to sleep heavy on a particular night.
Some of these features are
- A flasher or beeper that goes off at the end of an alarm cycle,
- A snooze button that will give you an extra 10 minutes of sleep before a quick sunrise begins or an optional flash or beep goes off,
- A specific alarm feature that can be activated when you want to bypass the sunrise alarm altogether.
Some additional perks that you can get with many models of a sunrise alarm clock include an AM/FM radio, use of the alarm as a bedside dimmable lamp, the ability to have the alarming act as a safety feature if it comes with a 9 Volt battery system. It will then have the ability to randomly activate the lamp at certain intervals thus deterring intruders who are tricked into believing that someone must be home.
If you are having problems waking up in the morning or falling to sleep at night I highly recommend that you try a sunrise alarm clock. They have proven to be beneficial to people who have difficulties with both of these issues.
It is quite an experience to wake up feeling refreshed after a good night’s sleep or falling to sleep naturally as the sunsets. It is how our ancestors lived for most of the millennia until the electric light was invented not that long ago.