Testing the Best Sunrise Alarm Clocks: The Data, Science, and How to Use Them!
I just finished testing the best sunrise alarm clocks I could find! So I thought I'd make a post about the data I collected, the science behind dawn simulation, and how to use them! ⏰
We tested the Philips SmartSleep lamps, Lumie Bodyclock lamps, Philips Hue Twilight, Hatch Restore 2, Casper Glow, Loftie Lamp, and some generic budget Amazon lamps.
The Science Behind Dawn Simulation 🌅
If you don't already use a sunrise alarm clock, you should! Especially with the winter solstice approaching. Most people don't realize just how useful these are.
✅ They Support Natural Cortisol Release
Cortisol is a hormone that naturally peaks in the morning, helping you feel alert. Sunrise alarms can boost this "Cortisol Awakening Response (CAR)," similar to morning sunlight.
We want a robust CAR in the early morning!
A 2004 study found that people using dawn simulation saw higher cortisol levels 15 and 30 minutes after waking, along with improved alertness.
In a 2014 study, researchers found that waking with dawn simulation led to a significantly higher cortisol level 30 minutes after waking compared to a dim light control. This gradual wake-up also decreased the body’s stress response, evidenced by a lower heart rate and improved heart rate variability (HRV) upon waking, suggesting dawn light may promote a calmer, more balanced wake-up.
✅ Reduced Sleep Inertia and Better Morning Alertness
Studies show that sunrise alarms reduce sleep inertia and improve morning mood and performance.
One study in 2010 found that dawn lights peaking at 50 and 250 lux improved participants' wakefulness and mood compared to no light.
Another 2010 study involved over 100 children who spent one week waking up with dawn simulation, and one week without.
During the dawn wake-up week, children felt more alert at awakening, got up more easily, and reported higher alertness during the second lesson at school. Evening types benefited more than morning types.
The school children largely found that waking up this way was more pleasant than without.
A final 2014 study with late-night chronotypes (night owls) saw that participants using sunrise alarms reported higher morning alertness, faster reaction times, and even better cognitive and athletic performance.
✅ Potential for Phase-Shifting the Body’s Circadian Rhythm
A 2010 study on dawn simulation found that light peaking at just 250 lux over 93 minutes could shift participants’ circadian clocks, similar to exposure to 10,000 lux light shortly after waking.
✅ Reducing Symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
Finally, sunrise alarms have been heavily tested as a natural intervention for winter depression.
In 2001, a study found that a 1.5-hour dawn light peaking at 250 lux was surprisingly more effective than traditional bright light therapy in reducing symptoms of seasonal affective disorder.
Most other studies show bright light being slightly more effective, like this 2015 study:
Overall: There are clear benefits to using a sunrise simulator, but that simply begs the question, which one should you buy? That's where the testing comes in.
The Data 🔎
To see how effective each lamp is, we measured lux with a spectrometer every 6 inches.
Here is the Philips SmartSleep HF3650 about 6 inches from our spectrometer.
Here are the results from that test!
There's a lot to take in here! Since many of these studies use 250 lux, and most people are about 18 inches from their sunrise alarm, let's narrow this down...
Ah okay, well that's much better! Out of all of these, I think the Lumie Bodyclock Shine 300 is the best overall pick, for a few reasons:
- It's very bright and also includes 20 brightness settings so you can dial it in.
- It's relatively affordable for the performance.
- It's not a huge pain to use like the Philips HF3650.
- You can set up to a 90-minute sunrise, all other lamps max out at 60 minutes (other than the much more expensive Lumie Luxe 700FM)
Speaking of sunrise durations, here's a graph showing the durations for each lamp we tested:
There's also the brightness ramp-up curve to consider. Like a real sunrise, we want to see a gradual increase in brightness that eventually brightens quicker at the end.
Like you see on the Philips Hue Twilight lamp:
A well done lamp but very expensive!
The Philips SmartSleep Lamps look quite similar:
And the Lumie's aren't too bad either:
Some lamps though, such as the Hatch Resore 2, have some less desirable sunrise curves:
Anyway, there are other features of these lamps you may want to consider, but let's move on to how you can use one optimally.
How to Use a Sunrise Alarm Clock 📋
1️⃣ Start with the end in mind
Sunrise clocks are ideally used without the audible function, so your body can wake up when it's ready to. If you set your alarm for 6 am, and you're using a 30-minute sunrise, it will begin at 5:30. This means you might wake up at 5:45, or you might wake up at 6:20, you never really know! So make sure you can wake up a bit later than your "alarm time" if you oversleep a little.
2️⃣ Get enough sleep
Since sunrise clocks can phase shift your circadian rhythm, so it's possible to cut your sleep short by setting your alarm too early. Be aware of daytime sleepiness and dial back your alarm time if you aren't getting enough sleep at night.
3️⃣ Start at around 250 lux
This is what most of the studies use, and seems like a good starting point. We have charts on our website for determining this, but here's one for the Lumie Shine 300 to give you an idea:
4️⃣ Give it a week before you decide
If you're used to waking up in the dark to an audible alarm, there will be an adjustment phase! Give it a week or so for your body to adjust to this before deciding how to experiment.
5️⃣ Experiment and dial it in
You may find that with 250 lux and a 30-minute duration, you're waking up consistently 5 minutes after the sunrise begins. This is early waking and you'll probably want to try a lower brightness setting to fix this.
If you're consistently waking too late, try increasing the brightness.
Short sunrise durations seem to contribute to early and stronger waking signals, so decrease the duration if you want a gentler wake-up as well.
Wrapping it Up
Well, I think that about covers it!
If you want to take a deeper dive into the studies, we have an article on the science behind sunrise alarm clocks on our website.
We are also currently working on a series of YouTube videos covering the studies and science, each alarm tested, and how they compare. So if you haven't already been to our YouTube channel, go check it out and subscribe to be notified!
Hope this post was helpful! 😊