Sunrise wake up clocks - are they any good?

[SurfingApple]

This morning it was properly dark when my alarm went off! I’d forgotten how horrible that was. Last year I wondered about one of those sunrise clocks but never actually shelled out.

Thinking I may invest now. Are they any good? Do they make waking up on dark mornings easier?

Ideally, assuming buying one is a good idea, I’d like to be able to set it in advance for the same time each weekday (don’t need it at weekends) and it not to make an audible ticking noise as I hate ticking clocks! Any recommendations or experiences please...

I had one years ago hated it, it had an artificial sun which would rise at a set time. It was so loud it would wake me in the same way as a bleeping alarm. Instead of waking gently refreshed, I often wanted to launch it and was perpetually grumpy 😂😂😂

My DH has one. I hate it. It starts gradually coming on from about an hour before we need to get up, and if I happen to wake even slightly during that hour and notice it on, that's it, I can't get back to sleep. I'd rather only be woken up at the time I'm meant to wake up.

He likes it though, so it must suit some people.

The light used to wake me up within 5 minutes, persevered for a couple of months then got rid.

I quite like mine, it's a Lumie. The alarm is bloody loud though, so I tend not to use that.

Really works for me; as said previously it does start glowing before you need to wake up but that's the point (I think) to wake up more gently.

I bought DM one a few years ago. She gets very down in the winter and I’d heard they can help.

I just bought a £25ish one from Amazon as I wasn’t sure she’d get on with it but she loves it.

I've had one for years. I'm actually on my second one. Mine is a Lumie, and I can set it to beep /not beep, and can vary the wakeup time from 15 to 90 minutes. It's enormously helpful in winter, but doesn't assist with SAD - it's purely for waking up / reducing the shock of waking up.

I want to sell mine... And it was expensive. Nuff said!

I have a Philips one which I really like. I have to get up stupidly early most mornings and I wouldn’t be without it now, I miss it when I go away! I have it set so the “sunrise” starts half an hour before I need to be up, which works for me, but you can change how long it that takes. It also has a “sunset” function, and plays white noise which is brilliant for helping me get to sleep. It’s easy to set the alarm, and it’s digital so no ticking. I’d definitely recommend it.

I like mine. It was a cheapo one by silentnight. It does work. The sound is meant to be waves crashing and its a close imitation.

Dd3 has one, it's helped her wake up.

I have a Lumie and I love it but the beep is very loud so I only use the gradual light function and use a separate alarm on my phone.

I love mine. It's a Lumie and I have it set to gradually get brighter over 30 mins with a gentle birds 'tweeting' alarm.

I use it every night to gradually dim (60mins) before turning off...this helps me to sleep as it stops me reading too late.

It is also very useful to be able to just turn on a very very low amount of light if I need to get up in the night.

We've had a Lumie and now a Philips. They're great! It wakes us gently rather than suddenly. Just be careful if you choose one with a choice of sounds not to select birdsong otherwise you'll be waking at actual sunrise all summer!

I have a Lumie sunrise one. I like it in that I'm not jerked awake in the morning by a harsh alarm. Most of the time it's the light that wakes me up (set to 'rise' 15 minutes before the alarm). The alarm itself I have set to birds chirping which is nice.

Added bonus is that the light itself is so bright I do my make up with it!

The thing I don't like about it is it's really fiddly to set. However it was still worth buying.

Oh yes, my Lumie is so complicated to use!

I'm now wondering if it has a bird song setting, but I fear it only has an impending nuclear war setting.

I had a Lumie one, woke me up nice and gradually, but was quite poorly made for the price and very complicated to use.

I have a Lumie and I love it. So much better than having to suddenly turn on a light!

I have a Lumie and love it. I struggle to get up early. This wakes me gently. The alarm is vile so I don’t use that (use my phone) but a gradually brightening light is a nice way to slowly stir. Mine brightens for 30 minutes then stays on for 30 minutes. I have this Bodyclock Starter 30 Wake-Up Light Alarm Clock with Sunrise and Sunset Features [[https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B002TEXEAI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_Q-qLDbE0B0R2Z?tag=mumsnetforu03-21 version]] but newer ones are available.

My DM has one and loves it

I love my lumie so much I’d marry it if it was legal. I just use the sunrise light function, set to start half an hour before I want to get up. The alarm sound is a bit jarring so I don’t use that, but the light is lovely and gentle, it makes such a difference to how groggy I feel when I get up.

Our Lumie is brilliant. We both have new jobs that require getting up stupid early and I frequently wake just as the light begins to gain intensity - then the blackbird kicks in and we're properly awake long before the mobile phone backup alarms go off.

Neither of us are morning people - the time we get up is by all rights, the end of a night, not the time to start a day.

Make sure you sleep with it about 3 foot away from you at near head level for best results - tucked up high and away from you doesn't work.

To no longer have the feeling that death would be preferable to opening your eyes and still getting up three hours earlier than ever done before is amazing - and it's almost completely sorted out my chronic insomnia, as not only am I tired at a reasonable hour, if for some reason a light is needed, I can just add a gentle glow without springing awake like I would (and frequently did) with any light.

I wouldn't be without my Lumie. It makes waking up on dark mornings so much easier, a nice gentle sort of waking up. I don't use the alarm, just the light.

I'm a much nicer person if my Lumie clock wakes me instead of the beeping alarm... :)

We have a Lumie 750D and it's great. As PP have said, you can have different sounds - we have goats 🐐🐐🐐🤣

We originally had a Phillips Wake Up Light for about 6 years but upgraded to the Lumie about 2 years ago as it also does a sunset. I actually find the sunset feature even better than the sunrise - really aids falling off to sleep.