Before I used this I always struggled to wake up, and would snooze all my alarms on my phone
I’m one of thousands of people who find winter mornings difficult, as the cold UK weather brings a blanket of seemingly ever-lasting darkness. Luckily, one of Amazon’s early Black Friday discounts has been a game-changer for me, helping me wake up when it’s still pitch black outside.
It’s the Lumie Sunrise Alarm Clock, a simple-looking bedside gadget that does so much more than tell you the time. As the name suggests, the clock mimics that of a natural sunrise slowly increasing light levels 30 minutes before your alarm goes off…that way you aren’t jolted awake by a loud alarm.
It’s massively helped me get out of bed quicker and stopped any early morning groggy feeling I’m sure we all know too well. And this simple yet effective gadget is now much cheaper at Amazon – where the Prime retailer has cut the price down to £32.99.
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Originally £49.99 the limited-time deal has chopped a big 34% off the price, making it one of the best early Black Friday deals to hit the online giant’s site. That is of course before the highly anticipated November 29 sale date in the consumer calendar.
Nonetheless, I couldn’t look at the discount and not share my experience of using the lamp over the past two years, as it has genuinely made a huge difference. Something I now joke to my boyfriend that his ‘last-dash’ birthday present turned out to be one of the best gifts I’ve ever received.
The Lumie light is designed to slowly wake you up from sleep, which it does by gradually brightening the warm white light over a 30-minute period. The closer to your set alarm time the brightest it will be, as it states helping you “feel refreshed, energised and ready to take on the day”.
Having set it up for myself each night for 6:30am (which is now done in the click of a button after the initial set-up) I have felt a change in my mood. Before using the Lumie I used to sit in bed, dreading getting out and to groggy to speak, for around 20 minutes. Now I get up five minutes after my alarm, sometimes I’m even awake before the final light change.
There’s also a useful night setting, where you can pick your favourite of its colourful settings to help you unwind. The yellow and reds of which help mimic a fading sunset. I don’t use this every day although it has come in handy on the rare occasion I read a book before bed.
For me, there is nothing worse than a loud obnoxious alarm tone to wake up to, and its sounds are another thing worth mentioning. The five natural sounds to choose from are peaceful, bird-song-like sounds – again, a feature that helps promote a natural wake-up as if your window was open on a bright summer’s morning.
Since I got the Lumie as part of my birthday a few years ago the one thing which could be improved, in my opinion, is the material of the light…if I’m being picky. I can’t fault its use but the feel and look is ‘plasticy’.
As well as the Lumie, alternative models like the Philips Sunrise Alarm and the Lexon Mina Sunrise Lamp all offer sunrise-like qualities and are available to shop. Although they are more expensive than the Lumie light I use.
