Alarm function – Most lamps will have some kind of audible alarm, which is usually a choice of interesting sounds and/or radio. Hatch Baby Rest Sound Machine, Night Light and Time-to-Rise: Best wake up light for parents and young children Another feature to look for when buying a sunrise alarm is nature sounds. Nature sounds are typically things like forest sounds, rainfall, birds chirping etc. Waking up to sounds like this is better than a piercing alarm tone.

When the alarm goes off, you can snooze it by lightly touching the top of the speaker. After eight minutes, the alarm will sound again (note: there’s no way to vary this duration). To switch off the alarm altogether, you just need to press down on the speaker for three seconds. You can preset two different alarms/sunrises in advance, if that’s helpful to you. Our body’s circadian rhythm is a repeating 24 hour cycle that helps us to carry out essential daily functions, including the regulation of when we sleep and wake. As it’s influenced by environmental cues, our ‘normal’ wake up time naturally occurs in tandem with the rising sun – and the same thing can also be achieved with artificially brightening light. Known as a ‘smart sound machine’, the Hatch Rest is an all-in-one powerhouse that looks after your child’s restful hours – be they sleeping, waking, or a mix of the two. And yet it’s still simple enough to set up and use, mainly thanks to the companion app that allows you to control everything remotely using your smartphone. There, you can switch between eleven soothing sounds including rain, birds and lullabies, create dream schedules, and use the Time-to-Rise program that helps children associate different colours with whether they can get out of bed or not. The lamp itself has hidden controls so curious fingers can’t prod too much, and even the brightest setting is low enough to not be too distracting.

Beurer WL50 Wake Up to Daylight Table Lamp

Whether a lamp can have a medical effect depends essentially on two factors: The light intensity and the colour temperature. For there to be a therapeutic effect, a light intensity of 10,000 lux is recommended. Melatonin is known as the sleep hormone and significantly influences the quality of our sleep. The pineal gland releases the hormone, especially in the dark. The longer it is dark, the more melatonin is produced. Serotonin is considered a happiness hormone, wakes us up and has a positive effect on our mood. However, the two hormones are by no means just counterparts, as they are closely interdependent. The device also functions as an FM radio, and allows you to store up to 30 different channels. Alternatively, you can use the speaker it houses to play your own music via Bluetooth, or via any USB connected device. There’s a cable included for this, which also doubles as an aerial for the FM radio. Beurer WL50 Wake Up Light review: daily use What is slightly grating though is the alarm sounds; birds, chimes and beeps are not something we would choose to wake up too. The same goes for the sleep melody setting, which is designed to help you fall asleep. It is a bit like a baby lullaby.

A sunrise alarm can be an excellent way to make sure you start the day off in the right way. A good sunrise alarm will have both sunrise and sunset modes, so you can get to sleep easier as well as waking up more gently in the mornings. With many models, you also benefit from being able to wake up to nature sounds or your favourite radio station. This alarm also features a built-in Bluetooth speaker, so if you can easily play something on Spotify from your phone or tablet without the need to worry about any additional cables. We appreciated the fact that the Beurer Wake Up Light WL50 can be used as a mood light during the day, and found it very relaxing to watch it shift through all the different colours. When we chose to to read before going to sleep, we found it very calming to have on our bedside table, instead of relying on a dimmer switch.This alarm is suitable for adults but would also be great for kids. Not only is it an appealing design, but there’s also a colourful display and a customisable nightlight that lets you choose from a range of different colours. This alarm also has a DAB radio as well as functioning as a Bluetooth speaker, so you can use it to play music from any mobile device. The speakers are very high quality and the sound is surprisingly powerful for such a compact device. The Beurer WL50 Wake Up Light is a solid choice in a very crowded market. If you’re looking for a no-nonsense device that’s easy to set up and use, and doesn’t baffle you with too many options, you’ll struggle to find finer for this much money. SAD lamps are bright lights which you sit in front of. Designed to mimic sunlight, they can help trigger the brain to release serotonin (the feel-good hormone) when it's dark and gloomy outside. Some can be placed on your desk during the day, while others are used as an alarm to naturally wake you up in the morning.

You can choose from 7 different colours for the bedside light as well as 20 brightness levels. There’s a built-in FM radio too, so you can set this to play when the alarm goes off, or choose from one of the 7 natural sounds if you prefer.

Specifications

Firstly, it has dual alarms, meaning you can set different times for different days of the week. This is incredibly handy, especially if like many people, you tend to wake up later at weekends than during the week. One part of this alarm that is a little disappointing is the sound options. There is no FM/DAB radio and the only sound option is an alarm beep. This isn’t too much of an issue if you care most about the light functions, however. The light is completely dimmable and there is a low-blue white light that’s ideal for when you’re going to sleep. The display automatically adjusts to the light level of your room and will turn itself off when the room is completely dark.