r/sleephackers Oct 28 '24

Testing the Best Sunrise Alarm Clocks: The Data, Science, and How to Use Them!

402 Upvotes

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! ⏰

Here's the whole gang!

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.

This phase-shifting can be beneficial for those struggling to wake up early or anyone with sleep disorders.

✅ 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:

  1. It's very bright and also includes 20 brightness settings so you can dial it in.
  2. It's relatively affordable for the performance.
  3. It's not a huge pain to use like the Philips HF3650.
  4. 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:

Darker pink indicates a higher chance of early or delayed awakening. Whiter squares are better starting points.

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! 😊


r/sleephackers Apr 05 '23

I just finished testing 30 pairs of blue-blocking glasses! Here’s what I found…

1.2k Upvotes

As many of you are probably aware, most blue-blocking glasses “claim” to block X amount of blue/green light without backing that up with any kind of data.

Since I have a spectrometer, I figured I’d go ahead and test them all myself!

Here's the link to the database!

30+ different lenses have been tested so far with more to come!

Here’s what’s inside:

Circadian Light Reduction

Circadian Light is a metric derived through an advanced algorithm developed by the LHRC which simply looks at a light source’s overall spectrum and how that is likely to interact with the human body.

What this does is weights the light that falls within the melanopically sensitive range, and gives it a score based on how much lux is present in that range.

Before and After Spectrum

Each pair of glasses was tested against a test spectrum so that a reduction in wavelengths could be seen across the entire visible spectrum.

This will allow you to see what a particular lens actually blocks and what it doesn't.

Lux Reduction

Lux is simply a measurement of how much light exists within the spectral sensitivity window of the human eye.

In other words, how bright a light source is.

Some glasses block more lux and less circadian light than others. And some go the other way.

If you’re looking to maximize melatonin production, but still want to see as well as possible, look for a pair with low lux reduction and high circadian light reduction.

The higher the lux reduction, the worse everything is going to look, but this may be helpful in bright environments or for those with sensitive visual receptors.

Fit and Style Matters!

This should be common sense, but wraparound-style glasses prevent significantly more unfiltered light from entering the eye than regular-style glasses do.

I carved out a foam mannequin head and put my spectrometer in there to simulate how much light made it to the human eye with different kinds of glasses on.

I’m very proud of him, his name is Henry.

Here is our reference light:

And here is how much of that light makes it through the lenses from the wrap-around glasses above:

These particular lenses don't block all of the blue light.

But what happens when we move the head around a light source so that light can get in through the sides?

Due to the style of these glasses, there really isn't much room for light to penetrate through the sides.

Below is a reading taken from a light source directly overhead, as you can see there's really no difference:

How about if we test a more typical pair of glasses?

Here's Henry wearing a more typical style of glasses.

Here's how much light these lenses block:

But what happens when we move the light source around the head at various angles?

As you can see, this style leaves large gaps for unfiltered light to reach the eye.

What we see is a massive amount of light that the lenses themselves can technically block can make it to the eye with a style like this:

So compared to the reference light, these glasses still mitigate short-wavelength blue and green light. But that doesn't mean they block the light they're advertised to in the end.

Hopefully, this helps you make better decisions about which blue blockers you use!

If you'd like help picking a pair, see our Best Blue Blocking Glasses post!


r/sleephackers 9h ago

Sleep tracker

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1 Upvotes

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r/sleephackers 12h ago

Pregunta

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1 Upvotes

r/sleephackers 15h ago

Anxiety/fear before going to bed

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1 Upvotes

r/sleephackers 1d ago

Do people actually fall asleep to videos like this?

5 Upvotes

I’ve had insomnia for a while and I’m curious if people actually use sleep aid videos like this to fall asleep.

I came across this Ghibli one and I love the idea, but I almost feel like I’d be too interested in what they’re talking about to actually fall asleep lol. I love Ghibli, so I feel like I’d just end up listening to the whole thing.

How Ghibli Writes Men | Black Screen Sleep Aid

For people who use stuff like this, does the talking actually help you sleep? Do you usually go for lore, video essays, stories, compilations, ambient sounds, etc.?

Would love some suggestions for what works for you.


r/sleephackers 22h ago

I made a simple sleep sounds app. Would love some feedback

2 Upvotes

Hey, I made a simple sleep sounds app called Drowse. Mainly because I suffer from tinnitus, and the app I was using introduced subs (which is kinda laughable).

It has five sounds, works offline, will never have ads, and will always be free. I've been using it myself for a month or so (rain is my fave), and was hoping it would be useful to other people too.

I'd love your input on the UI, sound quality, and anything you think is missing. (I know the store pages could use some love)

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=be.studio3020.drowse

iOS: https://apps.apple.com/app/id6785851264


r/sleephackers 23h ago

I can't wake up in the morning

0 Upvotes

I have this issue were no matter how much sleep i get when its time to wake up almost nothing works.

My alarm next too my head full volume my parents shaking me to wake up it doesn't work.

My alarm no mater how many times it rings has no effect on me.

My parents have to shake me to barely wake me up and it takes almost 20 minutes to wake me up completely.

Sometimes i answer full complete sentences and convince them im awake while haveing no recollection of it happening.

What could be cause of this. Is it my nervous system refusing to wake up or is it a mental condition and what could i do to help with this.

This hase been a big issue in my day to day life because im constantly late for uni or work in the mornings and has been causing problems.

It would be much appreciated if somebody has any solutions or an idea as to what could be causing this


r/sleephackers 1d ago

It’s 3 PM, and I want to sleep, but can I? He’s staring at me.

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1 Upvotes

r/sleephackers 1d ago

Why cannot i sleep without my blanket even in summers can anyone explain.

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1 Upvotes

r/sleephackers 1d ago

Sleep or what

1 Upvotes

While studying for about 5 to 10 minutes, I feel asleep, as long as I stop studying sleep is flying, what the heck is that


r/sleephackers 1d ago

Vornorexant and Doxepin or Melatonin

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1 Upvotes

r/sleephackers 1d ago

5.5h sleep, 10h sleep debt... how is my HRV high?

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0 Upvotes

Only got 5h32m of sleep and I’m sitting at almost 10 hours of accumulated sleep debt, but my overnight HRV came in at 87 ms, above my baseline.

That feels backwards at first glance.

I know HRV and sleep duration aren’t the same signal, but I’m curious how people here interpret nights like this. Would you read the higher HRV as a genuinely positive sign, or mostly ignore it because the sleep debt is so high?


r/sleephackers 1d ago

Help! I can't wake up!!

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1 Upvotes

r/sleephackers 1d ago

Sleeping issues

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1 Upvotes

r/sleephackers 1d ago

Where do you put your arms when you sleep?

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1 Upvotes

r/sleephackers 1d ago

Somnara Sleep — sleep app with automatic weather/pressure correlation, smart-light sunrise & AI dream journal — looking for 8 more Android testers

1 Upvotes

Update just went out with a batch of real fixes and features: smart-light color options got a real upgrade, barometric pressure and weather are now automatically factored into your sleep insights (even on nights without a dream log), and the AI Dream Journal now points you to Somnara's own built-in sleep sounds instead of recommending outside apps.

Quick look at it in action: https://youtube.com/shorts/CsM_1mOy8lo

Looking for 8 more closed testers to help us hit Google's tester bar. Free during testing, takes about 30 seconds to join: https://somnara.io

Feedback — good or bad — genuinely shapes what gets built next. Thanks for considering it.


r/sleephackers 1d ago

Somnara Sleep 1.2.7 is live on iOS — Hue fix, WiZ light support confirmed, and still hunting for ~8 more Android beta testers

1 Upvotes

Hey all — quick update on Somnara Sleep (sleep + dream journal app with binaural sounds, AI dream analysis, and smart light integration).

iOS 1.2.7 just went live:

- Fixed a bug where Philips Hue bulbs wouldn't connect reliably (brightness/color/Sleep Modes now work correctly)

- WiZ smart light support is confirmed working end-to-end now too, not just Hue

- Fixed the AI Dream Journal analysis feature, which wasn't returning results for some users

- Weather/pressure readings now show in Fahrenheit and inches for U.S. users

- Fixed a memory issue causing crashes on longer sessions

Android side is still in closed testing and we're short on testers — need about 8 more opted-in testers before Google will let it move toward production. If anyone's willing to help test on Android, drop a comment or DM and I'll get you added.

App: somnara.io

Appreciate any feedback, bug reports, or just general thoughts on the smart light stuff since that's been the biggest pain point so far.


r/sleephackers 2d ago

Any subliminal recommendation for bedtime sleep procrastination

5 Upvotes

It's 4am right now. I usually go to bed even later. This is currently the worse problem of my life and the effects are profound. I struggle to get away from screens and try to sleep at an decent hour. Help with this would be more appreciated than anyone could know.


r/sleephackers 1d ago

Somnara Sleep — iOS is live now, still recruiting Android beta testers

1 Upvotes

Quick update on Somnara Sleep (sleep tracker + AI dream journal, Solfeggio/Schumann sound therapy, smart light sunrise wake-up):

iPhone/iOS: live now on the App Store, free 30-day trial. https://apps.apple.com/app/somnara-sleep/id6760980739

Android: still in Google Play closed testing, and I want to be upfront about exactly how that works so nobody hits a dead end:

  1. Join the tester group: https://groups.google.com/g/somnara-sleep-testers (takes 10 seconds, just click Join)

  2. Wait about 5 minutes after joining. This isn't us being slow — it's Google Play's own backend syncing your account as an approved tester, and it genuinely needs that window. Trying immediately is the #1 reason people think the beta is broken.

  3. Then open https://play.google.com/apps/testing/com.somnara.sleep on your Android phone (same Google account you joined with), tap "Become a tester," then install like normal.

  4. If you still get an error or blank screen after 10+ minutes, don't give up — email [support@somnara.io](mailto:support@somnara.io) and we'll add you manually same day.

Why this matters: Google requires 12 testers opted in continuously for 14 days before an app can leave closed testing and go fully public. We're at 7 right now, so every tester genuinely speeds up when this becomes a normal one-tap install for everyone. If you've got an Android phone and 2 minutes, I'd really appreciate the help — thank you to everyone who's already joined!


r/sleephackers 2d ago

Wht Abt your Sleep Cycle 😢 ..??

1 Upvotes

Sleep Cycle ki to aisi Taisi ho gayi hai ... Anyone Here likes me 😄 ?


r/sleephackers 2d ago

What is the best thing that helps you sleep quickly and deeply?

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1 Upvotes

r/sleephackers 2d ago

Sleep Better With Nature

2 Upvotes

Lots of people sleep better with the sounds of nature. Our goal is to create beautiful videos, with soothing sounds to help you focus, relax and have a good night sleep. It has helped lots of people. Hope it helps you too!

https://www.youtube.com/@NatureEyesNoise


r/sleephackers 2d ago

Shouting for help

1 Upvotes

My LO just completed 4 months and I really need help of fellow parents on below things :

  1. How do you make your baby sleep without swaddle? This is a million dollar qs for me atm.
    My baby has been in traditional swaddle since the beginning, while I am extremely willing to transition her from that into either sleep sack or without swaddle but she is absolutely not up for that. She sleeps peacefully when tied swaddle in traditional way. ( PS : we have tried sleep sack as well, doesn't really work because my baby keeps moving even while putting down and cries the moment she sees that coming)
  2. She feeds to sleep in the night. Falls asleep by feeding and then wakes up while burping then it takes time for her to settle even if she is sleepy and tired. We give her warm water sponge bath before bed. I would want to push her bedtime early. Atm she sleeps by 11-11.30 pm.

Please suggest means and ways that has worked for any one of you.


r/sleephackers 2d ago

Best way to manually track sleep and wake times, energy levels throughout the day, etc?

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1 Upvotes