The best alarm clocks for sleep

#alarm clock recommendations

Few people can rely on their body's natural circadian rhythm to wake them up. If you find that you’re more prone to oversleeping, you’ll want to explore our list of the best alarm clocks for sleep.

Typically, most of us rely on setting an alarm to wake us up for work or whatever else we have on that day. While your first thought may be to use a phone alarm clock, phones can have a negative impact when it comes to promoting good sleep. Using a phone before bed can be detrimental to your sleep, due to the blue light emitted from the screen. Blue light can trick your brain into believing it’s actually day, disturbing your rest.

Phones emit radio frequency radiation (RF), and can also cause your brain to remain somewhat alert, meaning you don’t receive the best night’s sleep. A recent study found people who used their phones in the hour before bed and were awoken by their phones reported more sleep disturbances and a lack of quality sleep.

If you need a little help waking up in the early mornings, we’d recommend switching to an actual alarm clock. Choose one that you can fine-tune in harmony with your natural sleep-wake cycle to ensure you receive the best night’s sleep possible. In this guide, we’ll break down some of the best alarm clocks out there for sleep, and where to find them.

Why using an alarm clock is important

Setting an alarm clock shouldn’t be a jolting or unpleasant wake up call. By using the right alarm you can help yourself wake up feeling refreshed, more alert and help increase your productivity in the mornings.

We can actually condition ourselves to wake up on time after regular usage of an alarm clock, as it tunes your body clock accordingly. This is a phenomenon known as operant conditioning, characterised by risk and result. For example, the risk in this sense is snoozing your alarm or not waking up on time, which can result in a negative outcome such as your day being disrupted. In other words, don’t snooze your morning alarm!

A 2020 study found that people who woke up to a more melodic or natural sounding alarm reported lower frequencies of sleep inertia and less morning grogginess.

Now that we know that alarm clocks can benefit your quality of sleep, let’s break down the best alarm clocks that are currently available.

Wula Windy Digital Alarm Clock

This digital alarm clock takes top spot as the easiest to use and operate. A lot of alarm clocks are difficult to set up, and the button functions are confusing, causing us to spend hours reading the set-up manual. However, this one features only three buttons, which are the light, alarm sound and the time that features.

This nifty alarm clock also features a mirrored screen and adjustable brightness based on its conditions, giving you the right amount of brightness depending on whether it’s dark or light. This can help you to wake up more naturally, which is beneficial as it can assist to increase productivity, improve mood and leave you feeling refreshed and ready for the day.

Main features:

Dimmable light
Mirrored screen
Modern, appealing design
Can be wall hung
Manually adjustable brightness
Long-lasting battery and USB charging port

Philips Wake Up Light Alarm

The reviews for this product and its features make it worth every penny. This ‘sunrise alarm clock’ mimics a natural sunrise and sunset, features five natural sounds, and manually adjustable brightness settings. This allows you to awaken feeling your best.

Main features:

Adjustable light based on your preferences
Warm coloured light to stimulate natural waking up
5 natural sounds
Long-lasting LED light
Easy snooze button
Multiple different brightness settings and levels

OCUBE Digital LED Alarm Clock

Much like the WulaWindy, this alarm clock comes in a variety of colours, features adjustable brightness and five different wake up sounds. From the usual beep to natural bird noises and soft musical sounds, all the volumes are fully adjustable to suit you. Sounds other than the usual beeping you may negatively associate with alarm clocks, have been proven to help reduce sleep inertia and morning grogginess.

The OCUBE also features an easy to read display screen and powerful battery pack, which is long lasting. You can also easily snooze this alarm and select through the sounds to find the one that’s perfect for you.

Main features:

5 alarm sounds – beeping, bird sounds, piano music, buzzer, etc
Adjustable brightness
Easy to use functionality
Numerous colours
Easy to see and adjustable display screen
Compact, portable design
Powerful, long lasting battery

Lumie Bodyclock Alarm

Like the Philips alarm, the LUMIE alarm features and functionality make it great value for money and especially effective at promoting a healthy sleep-wake cycle.

This sunrise alarm clock mimics the natural sunrise and sunset, allowing for a natural and undisturbed sleep. This particular clock has built in bluetooth and speakers, as well as an FM radio, enabling you to choose your wake up sound based on personal preference. It’s also equipped with fully dimmable LED light and adjustable volume settings, as well as an easy to use snooze button for those of us who want an extra five minutes in bed.

These functional features make the LUMIE alarm one to add to your Amazon wishlist.

Here are the main features:

Over 20 different wake up sounds

FM radio
Bluetooth speakers
Dimmable light
Certified medical benefits
Warm, natural light to promote better sleep

Do sunrise alarm clocks work?

Research has shown that sunrise alarm clocks like the LUMIE and the Philips alarm clocks are known to improve sleep quality and mood, reduce morning grogginess and help certain circadian rhythm disorders.

If you want to get the most out of your alarm clock, it’s worth investing in one that has many features. There are plenty of affordable options available to ensure you’re improving your sleep quality overall.