For the past 2 months, I haven’t snoozed my alarm even once.
Sounds impossible?
It’s true: I’ve been trying to wake up early consistently without being tired for my entire life.
Ever since I’ve finished school and now am self-employed, this is even more of a challenge.
I experimented with different techniques and strategies.
Recently, I discovered sunlight alarm clocks.
I’ve been using it for 2 months so far, and the results are incredible.
- I haven’t snoozed my alarm and gone back to sleep, even once.
- I’ve shifted my wake-up time from about ~9-10am to ~6-7am. (I am self-employed, so waking up early was difficult)
- I feel more energy in the morning, and better mood.
Sunlight alarm clocks are one of the biggest sleep hacks for waking up more refreshed and energized.
Basically, they help you wake up gently with light that imitates sunlight, in addition to sound.
They make waking up early effortless. Yes, effortless.
Why Regular Alarms Don’t Work
Traditional alarm clocks, whether on your phone or physical, wake you up with sudden jarring sounds. This causes you to have that familiar unpleasant feeling of being groggy and disoriented just after waking up.
Some people argue that this is because the sudden loud sound causes a spike in adrenaline, leaving you feeling stressed and anxious. Whatever the cause, it’s true.
Enter: The Sunlight Alarm Clock
Sunlight alarm clocks, on the other hand, use a giant bright light which turns on and gradually increases in intensity over 30 minutes, to emuate sunrise.
Only then, if you haven’t woken up yet, does it turn on sound, typically soothing nature sounds.
One of the signals to the body for wanting to wake up naturally is sunlight (the circadian rhythm).
Then, using this alarm, you can naturally feel like you want to wake up. No forcing yourself required.
If you need to wake up early, but there is no natural sunlight coming into your room, the darkness and cold temperature makes snoozing appealing. Just 5 minutes more…
Contrast that with the sunlight alarm. It gradually turns on, then starts playing sounds.
And here’s the genius:
To turn it off, you have to get out of bed and walk over to the alarm. This simple act means you have to stare directly into the giant bright light, and press the button on the side. By the time you’ve stared into the light for a few seconds, trying to find the button to press, you already feel awake.
How Much Is It?
You can get a sunlight alarm clock on Amazon for ~$50.
I personally bought this one, but I’m sure there are others which work just as well.
It’s a small investment for a major upgrade in your morning routine.
Of course, if you try it and it somehow doesn’t work for you, you can always return it.
Happy sleeping!