8 Best Sunrise & Wake Up Light Alarm Clocks UK 2023 – An Expert Buyer’s Guide

So many of us rely on our smartphones to wake us up in the morning these days, it’s easy to forget the value of a great dedicated alarm clock.

A good alarm clock can help you start the day in the best way possible. Instead of waking up to an annoying alarm tone or a vibrating handset, you can instead enjoy nature sounds or a gradual light that mimics the sunrise.

I’ve compiled a list of the best wake up lights and sunrise alarm clocks currently available. I’ve covered the key features of each model, so you’ll be able to make a fully informed decision about which one is right for you.

If you want to go directly to the product page for any of the alarm clocks in the list, then simply click the link next to them in the table below or click the ‘check price’ button next to each one to head to Amazon where you can order yours.

Top 5 Best Wake Up Lights And Sunrise Alarm Clocks

• Top pick – Philips Wake-Up Light Alarm Clock
• Runner Up – Lumie Bodyclock Luxe 700DAB
• Radio Alarm Choice – Beurer WL50 Wake Up to Daylight Table Lamp
• Best Budget Choice – Fitfirst Wake Up Light Alarm Clock Sunrise/Sunset Simulation
• Best Smart Choice – Smart Wi-Fi Wake-Up Light Alarm Clock

1. Top Pick – Philips Wake-Up Light Alarm Clock

The Philips Wake-Up Light Alarm Clock is one of the very best of its kind and will help to ensure you start your day in the right way.

The feature that immediately jumps out at you with this alarm is the light. It’s designed to imitate a sunrise and will, therefore, increase very gradually over 30 mins before reaching maximum brightness. This helps you to wake up naturally and helps you to feel restored when you do. You can adjust the brightness level to your preference and once the 30 mins are up, a song or radio station of your choosing will play.

The light isn’t the only great future of this alarm clock, though. There are also 5 natural wake up sounds to choose from and the volume of your prefered sound will gradually increase as the light does. There’s an FM radio included too, so you can set your favourite radio station to play if you prefer. This alarm doesn’t just help you to get to sleep. It also has a sunset simulation, where the light and sounds are gradually decreased instead of increased to help you get to sleep that much easier.

No alarm clock would be complete without a snooze button, but the snooze feature on this alarm is not like most others. Instead of hitting a button on top of the alarm, you can simply tap anywhere on the front of the unit and it will go into snooze mode.

Included in the box is the wake-up light itself, an AC/DC adaptor and the user manual. You also get a worldwide, 2-year guarantee. Prime members get free next day delivery. And an easy choice of the best wake-up light alarm clock

2. Runner Up – Lumie Bodyclock Luxe 700DAB Sunrise Simulation Alarm Clock

Next up is the Lumie Bodyclock Luxe 700DAB. This alarm clock has some great features that make it good not as a way to wake up in the morning but also as an entertainment centre.

The wake-up light is displayed prominently on the top half of the device and gets gradually brighter over 15-90 mins, after which time a sound of your choice will play to help wake you up. The brightness settings of the light can be easily adjusted, as can the duration.

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.

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.

Included in the box is the alarm itself as well as a mains adaptor and the user manual. If you have Amazon Prime, then you can get free next day delivery. You can also get accidental damage and breakdown insurance included for an additional cost.

3. Radio Alarm Choice – Beurer WL50 Wake Up to Daylight Table Lamp

The Beurer WL50 Wake Up to Daylight Table Lamp functions as a bedside lamp, an alarm clock and an FM radio.

The light has sunlight and sunset settings, so you’re able to use it for getting to sleep and waking up in the morning. There are 3 light levels you can choose from that have varying intensity settings and the digital display also has adjustable brightness levels. You can choose from two wake up sounds, or you can set your favourite radio station to play instead if you prefer.

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.

Included in the box is the wake-up alarm itself in addition to a mains adaptor and user guide. You get free standard delivery included or if you prefer, you can click and collect in-store. If you want it sooner, then there are a range of other delivery options for an additional cost, including next or named day delivery. A fantastic choice of light therapy lamp

4. Best Budget Choice – Fitfirst Wake Up Light Alarm Clock Sunrise/Sunset Simulation

The Fitfirst Wake Up Light Alarm Clock packs in a lot of great features at a very affordable price.

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.

It has both sunrise and sunset simulation, so it’s equally effective at getting you to sleep as well as waking you up. For the sunrise setting, the light will gradually get stronger over 10-60 minutes depending on your preference. When the alarm goes off, you can choose from one of 7 natural sounds or an FM radio station. The sunset mode decreases the light gradually from 10-120 minutes and you can also choose to have natural sounds or a radio station play.

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.

A very nice additional feature of this alarm is the USB charging port at the back. This means you can use it to charge your phone or tablet very easily, providing you have a USB cable. It does have a battery pack but this is intended as a backup so you don’t lose your settings. For it to function, you’ll need to have it plugged in.

You can have this delivered for free if you’re a Prime member but at the time of writing, it takes longer to arrive than typical Prime items.

5. Best Smart Choice – Smart Wi-Fi Wake-Up Light Alarm Clock

The Smart Wi-Fi Wake Up Light Alarm Clock features full voice controls, enabling you to control the different functions of the alarm using just your voice. It works with Alexa and Google Home as well as the Smart Life app for iOS and Android.

It has a sunrise and sunset simulator, with adjustable settings from 10-60 minutes. The light gradually changes over your preferred timescale, from a dull red into a bright yellow light to help wake you up in the best way possible.

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.

Included in the box are the alarm, a USB cable, a plug, stand and user manual. Prime members get free next day delivery.

Advantages of a Sunrise Alarm Clock

Some of the main advantages of a sunrise alarm clock are –

• A peaceful way to wake up
• Sunset function helps you to get to sleep too
• Also functions as a reading lamp
• Most models have a radio/Bluetooth speaker
• Provide much needed light therapy
• Help relieve Seasonal Affective Disorder

Disadvantages of a Sunrise Alarm Clock

There are some disadvantages to sunrise alarm clocks too. These include –

• Can be tricky to operate depending on the number of features
• Some models aren’t bright enough to be effective
• Some models develop problems after prolonged use

Features to Consider

Radio

A lot of sunrise alarm clocks have an FM/DAB radio built-in. If you prefer waking up to the sound of the radio then this is a must-have feature.

Nature Sounds

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.

Snooze timer

Pretty much all good alarms will have a snooze timer. This is where you hit the snooze button and you’ll be given a certain amount of time before the alarm goes off again, usually around 9 minutes.

Bluetooth Speaker

A Bluetooth speaker is an incredibly useful feature for a sunrise alarm clock. They enable you to connect other devices like smartphones/tablets wirelessly so you can play music from them through the speaker on the alarm.

F.A.Q

Do sunrise alarm clocks really work?

Generally, a good sunrise alarm clock will work but it will depend on the model and also the individual.

​​​​What is a sunrise alarm clock?

Sunrise alarm clocks simulate the sun rising by gradually increasing the light they emit over a certain period of time. The idea is to wake you up gradually and naturally rather than suddenly, as a traditional alarm clock would.

Are sunrise alarms the best way to wake up?

This will depend on who you ask. Many people have never tried a sunrise alarm clock but many of those who have, swear by them and couldn’t think about not having one on their bedside table. They can also be a great way for heavy sleepers to wake up.

Other Wake Up Light and Sunrise Alarm Clocks Reviewed

Philips Somneo Sleep and Wake-up Light with Relax Breath

The Philips Somneo Sleep and Wake up Light with Relax Breath Alarm has some unique features that help to wake up more comfortably in the morning and get to sleep easier at night.

A feature that sets this alarm apart from a lot of others is RelaxBreath. RelaxBreath gives you a way to control your breathing by using varying rhythms or sound, so you’re able to get to sleep that much easier.

In addition to RelaxBreath, this alarm also features both sunrise and sunset simulation, as well as a variety of nature sounds and ambient music. There’s also an FM radio, so if you prefer you can set your favourite station to play when the alarm goes off. Whatever sound you choose to play, it will increase gradually over time as the light does.

The smart touch display makes it very easy to use this alarm and the aux connection means you can easily connect your phone or tablet so you can use it as a speaker. The light from the alarm means you can also use it as a table lamp and reading light, with fully adjustable light settings.

Prime members get free one-day delivery and you have the option to add accidental damage and breakdown cover at checkout.

Lumie Bodyclock Spark 100 – Wake-up Light Alarm Clock with Sleep Sunset

The Lumie Bodyclock Spark 100 isn’t quite as fully featured as some of the other sunrise alarm clocks I’ve looked at so far but it’s still well worth considering.

This alarm clock has a very nice aesthetic, with a large light dominating the top half with a small circular display panel beneath it. The light has sunlight and sunset simulation, with both modes lasting 30 minutes. The light makes use of mixed LEDs to create the most realistic sunrise and sunset colours possible. The light will auto dim at night but you can also adjust the brightness manually.

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.

Inside the box, you get the alarm, a mains adaptor and the user manual. It comes with free next day delivery for Prime members and you get a 3-year warranty as standard.

Lumie Bodyclock Starter 30 Wake-up Light Alarm Clock

Another entry from Lumie – the Bodyclock Starter 30 Wake up Light Alarm Clock is very similar to the Spark 100 model.

It has both sunrise and sunset modes, each of which lasts for 30 minutes. In addition to these two settings to help you get to sleep/wake up, the light also functions as a bedside lamp with the display beneath it being dimmable to your preference.

Like the previous Lumie model, this alarm is very basic where the sound features are concerned, with just 1 alarm beep and no radio/nature sounds. It has a power failure back-up function, so you don’t need to worry about losing your settings if the power went out for any reason. It’s also considered a Class 1 Medical Device.

It comes packaged with a mains adaptor as well as a user manual and if you’re a Prime member then you get free delivery included.

Conclusion

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.

Hopefully, you’re now able to make an informed decision on the best sunrise alarm clock and st\arting waking up to natural light feeling good with a sunrise simulator.

Related Reading

Best white noise machine

Best mattresses UK

Best earplugs

Lumie Body clock review