Consider purchasing a light alarm as a self-care investment. A gentle alarm will gently wake you up rather than frighten you out of sleep as your regular alarm clock does so that by the time you have to get out of bed, you feel prepared to face the day. Here’s what we tell the Top light alarms you purchase in 2023.
Here is how they function.
During the winter, some people have trouble waking up in the dark and require extra assistance. There is proof that light can help the body wake up by sending signals to the brain that cause your body temperature to rise and your cortisol levels to rise. This implies that you won’t feel as drowsy and dazed when you wake up as when you’re startled from sleep.
Light alarms are a cross between an alarm clock and a lamp. They are often referred to as wake-up lights or dawn simulators. With a gradual increase in light that mimics dawn and a change in color from reds and orange to brighter yellows and white throughout the wake-up period, they are intended to wake you up gradually.
The best light alarm is Philips Sleep & Wake Up Light
Pros
- Fantastic light alarm
- Touchscreen
- Great qualities
Cons
- Price
- Unable to arrange for particular days
If money is not a consideration, this product, formerly known as the Somneo, is undoubtedly the best light alarm available. Nevertheless, we believe the design and feature set make it worthwhile.
Instead of physical buttons, the light has straightforward touchscreen controls that you may use to adjust the sunrise and sunset settings. These controls let you choose from a variety of light intensities, timings, and relaxing noises, such as bird songs or temple gongs.
Two distinct alarm presets can be saved. You must remember to turn off your weekday alarm when Saturday arrives because you cannot plan them for certain days.
There is a light-guided breathing mode in addition to a sunset mode to aid in falling asleep. In addition, there are contemporary features all over the bed, like a USB-A slot for charging your phone, an FM radio, an AUX input, and a dedicated low-intensity light for when you wake up in the middle of the night.
At the end of the day, this alarm is pricey, and not everyone can afford its cost. This is the best light alarm you can obtain, though, if you can.
Medically Recognized for Light Therapy: Lumie Bodyclock Shine 300
Pros
- Light and sound option
- Medically approved
Cons
- Expensive
- Fiddly
- Resets when unplugged
The price of this alarm is higher than average, but for good cause. The Bodyclock Shine 300 by Lumie is a fully functional light alarm. With a variety of sound and light settings at your disposal, it gives you fine-grained control over your waking up and going to bed rituals.
It uses a variety of LEDs to produce a genuine sunshine effect that isn’t too glaring and can gradually increase and drop over 15–90 minutes at up to 20 various light levels. It uses a combination of white, orange, and red LEDs.
Although its primary use is as a wake-up alarm, it also has a medical light treatment certification. A light alarm is a useful addition to a dedicated SAD light box, which you will likely still want if you have been diagnosed with SAD.
We decided to use the brightest setting for 30 minutes, and we discovered that we automatically woke up. If you aren’t confident that the light will be enough to wake you up, you can set the alarm for the end of that time period.
The alarm can be configured to beep or to use one of the pre-programmed sounds, such as a steam train (strange), ping pong (also peculiar), waves (more traditional), or the FM radio included inside the alarm clock.
Unfortunately, if you disconnect it from the power source, all the settings are reset to factory settings, and the unit’s buttons make setup difficult. It’s a great product once it’s up and running, though.
Dual-functional Lumie Zest SAD & Wake-Up Light
Pros
- Class IIa medical device
- SAD light
Cons
- Fewer characteristics
- Must always be plugged in
The Lumie Zest performs two functions. It is classified as a Class IIa medical device and functions as both a light alarm and a SAD lamp.
The wake-up light contains a snooze button and two sunrise selections (15 or 30 minutes). You are gently awakened by the blue-enhanced white LEDs, which mimic natural sunshine. If you like, you can set a beeping alarm, but there are no other audio options available, unlike with dedicated wake-up lights. (Remember that the beeping alarm isn’t exactly relaxing.)
You can select brightness (up to 10,000 lux) and timer parameters for light treatment. It is simple to angle it toward your face for the best effect thanks to the adjustable stand.
It does require constant ac power, but because of its small size, you may simply move it around your house to enjoy its SAD lamp features.
This is an excellent hybrid choice for someone who wants to experiment with various types of light therapy if you’re ready to give up some of the light alarm features a specialized device will have. It also functions as a SAD lamp.
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Best affordable option: Is groove Light Curve
Pros
- FM radio
- Low-cost
- Mood light feature
Cons
- No flora or fauna
- Less intelligent than rivals
Looking for a budget-friendly light alarm? The Wake-up of The Light Curve Light from Groov-e fills that void and adds a few clever extras. You can adjust the brightness of your light over ten settings over a period of either 10, 20, or 30 minutes using the sunset and sunrise options. The transition between brightness levels is not as seamless as those of more priced competitors.
You may also add audio effects while using the sunrise setting by selecting either an FM radio station or one of the pre-programmed sounds for the light. They are mostly musical. Unfortunately, unlike other bulbs, this one does not have any ambient or natural sounds.
This inexpensive light alarm also functions as a mood light and has a choice of seven rotating colors or the ability to customize it to your chosen color. Despite lacking significant features, Groov-e has this unique selling advantage because none of its competitors provide it.
Although the light itself isn’t as bright as similar items, it still manages to create a respectable glow. Overall, this is a fantastic option if you’re seeking a cheap light alarm and don’t mind making some sacrifices.
Custom Wake-up Audio with Lumie Bodyclock Luxe 700FM
Pros
- 20 or more noises
- Wireless speaker
- Individualized scheduling
Cons
- Your additional payment is for the speaker
The Bodyclock Luxe, which is near the top of the light alarm line, has an FM radio, Bluetooth speakers, over 20 noises, sunset and sunrise settings, and a dim blue light option for the evenings. It also has over 20 sounds.
The alarm is comparatively simple to set, and you can program it to go off at various times throughout the day. You may change the duration of each sunrise and sunset setting and select from a variety of background noises and natural sounds to create the ambiance you want, including one that incorporates café noise if you like a café breakfast.
Thanks to its blend of colored LEDs, the actual light is incredibly warm and closely resembles the sunset range (low-blue white, blue-enriched white, orange, and red). You may.
The Bluetooth speaker, which also serves as the main driver of the Bodyclock Luxe’s price increase, lets you add your own personalized wake-up sounds. Although having a product with an added feature is excellent, there are other, very comparable Lumie light alarms that are considerably more affordable. We’d take a look at something like the Bodyclock Shine if a Bluetooth speaker isn’t a deal-breaker.
Best Value Lumie Alarm: Lumie Bodyclock Spark 100
Pros
- Adjustable light output
Cons
- Scheduling
- Audio limitations
Consider the Spark 100, a less expensive model in the same Bodyclock line, if you like the sound of the Shine 300 but want a more affordable option.
With adjustable light intensity across the 30-minute modes, you can use it as a gentle alarm to wake up or with a sunset mode to retire to sleep.
Contrary to the Shine 300, neither the sunrise nor sunset times can be altered, and there are fewer audio options available—the only option for waking up is a beep, not the calming waves or FM radio offered by competing goods.
The inability to schedule alarms is the omission that irritates me the most. Despite the fact that you can save a default time.
The Most Versatile Light by Dyson Is a Solarcycle Morph
Pros
- Attractive
- Versatility
- Intelligent functionality
Cons
- Costly
- Delicate
- Without audio options
The Solar cycle Morph (formerly known as the Lightcycle Morph) has various purposes, including a light alarm, despite not being a specifically designed light alarm. It functions as a reading light, a task light, and a calming ambient light.
When you’re cooped up inside, it can help you focus and unwind as the day requires. It does this by simulating the natural sunshine cycle. This makes it extremely useful on a winter day with little light.
Through the Dyson Link app, you may program a weekly routine and change the light’s brightness. Although it’s simple to set up and operate, you won’t get the audio options that many dedicated light alarms do.
Wake-up Light with FM Radio from Philips
Pros
- Excellent to look at
- FM radio and ambient sounds
Cons
- Getting it set up the learning curve
One of the most aesthetically pleasant lamps available is the Philips Wake-up Light, which has a large brilliant face that naturally changes through a display of warm colors that range from red to bright yellow.
This lamp includes an FM radio and a selection of soothing nature sounds, just like the majority of its competitors. However, there are only seven choices, therefore there are fewer options than with competitors (and one of the options is a group of cows mooing, which is somewhat bizarre).
Tap the lamp twice to turn on the midnight light function, which emits a soft orange glow that won’t disrupt your sleep cycle and is useful if you need to navigate during the night. The radiance of the display.
The use of this lamp wasn’t the easiest. I struggled to get the radio to stop automatically going on after I set the lamp to the sunset cycle. I eventually mastered the product after a few days with it, but there are more user-friendly lamps available for the same price.
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Purchase tips for light alarms
There are a few essential characteristics to search for in a light alarm.
Light levels
What you should look at first is how much control you’ll have over the light. More costly models allow you to regulate the light intensity (the Philips Somneo has a scale of 25 different intensities) or the length of the dawn effect, but cheaper ones may merely let you choose a wake-up time.
Sound controls
Light customization is crucial, but so are the sound options. The variety of sound selections can be more for certain folks. Light alarms should assist you in awakening on your own through light. However, fretting about oversleeping is stressful and unhelpful, thus practically all light alarms also come with an optional alarm sound.
Simple alarms might only have a beep, but this kind of grating noise is likely what you want to avoid. Various calming sound effects, such as birdsong or waves, FM radio, or an AUX connection so you can connect your phone to give audio are possible extras in more costly models.
Evening modes
Additionally, keep an eye out for optional sunset settings, which gradually fade at night to promote relaxation and sleep. Again, keep an eye out for settings that may be customized, extra sound effects, or even modes that emphasize breathing to help you relax and go to sleep.
Other capabilities
There are further features you would anticipate. Some are only simple alarm settings that aren’t always reliable, such as the ability to set alarms to certain days or use easy snooze options. If not, check for other nice-to-haves like a USB connector for charging a phone or a simple method to turn the lamp on and use it as a reading light or nightlight. In the alternative, make sure you can remember customized alarm settings easily.
SAD lights
Light alarms are similar to SAD lights but distinct from them. SAD lights must emit at least 2,500 lux in order to be medically approved as a treatment for the symptoms of seasonal affective disorder.
Numerous light alarms have undergone professional testing and have been found to aid with SAD symptoms and other seasonal disorders, but they shouldn’t be used in place of a real SAD lamp. Take a peek at our reviews of the top SAD lamps for suggestions.
