Sunrise Alarm Clocks

IMPORTANT NOTE: This is not a medical site and does not offer personal medical advice. You should always discuss medical matters with your doctor.

Photo Credit: deansouglass
(Creative Commons)

Our bodies have evolved a sophisticated daily cycle of waking and sleeping - the circadian rhythm. This is intimately linked to certain bodily hormones such as melatonin. Disruption of the cycle can cause problems - jet lag is an obvious example.

Disruptions can be more subtle. One such is known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) or, in minor cases, the "winter blues". This occurs during the dark winter months and is thought to be due to lack of sunlight. The lack of proper daylight, combined with a modern world that ignores sunrise and sunset, can disrupt the circadian rhythm. The hormone imbalance can then produce depression.

Dawn Simulator

One method used by many people - including myself - to combat mild SAD is use of a sunrise alarm clock. These are also known as "dawn simulators" or "body clocks".

A dawn simulator alarm is in essence quite simple. It's an alarm clock which is equipped with a computer controlled dimmer lamp. Some while before the set alarm time, the bulb begins to light and the intensity is slowly increased until the alarm time is reached. This simulates a natural sunrise.

Even when asleep we can sense the changes in light level. Very often it is possible to be fully awake before the alarm goes off - a much more pleasant way to wake up! As a back-up, when the set time is reached the clock will usually emit a more traditional audible wake-up signal.

Options and Choices

More sophisticated digital sunrise alarms on the market have additional features such as a choice of sunrise duration and possibly a sunset simulation capacity for reversing the process at night. Some are combined with white noise generators for those who have trouble sleeping due to external noise.

Many brands are available to buy at the stores and online with some of the best sellers including Soleil, Bio-Brite and Lumie BodyClock.

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