For years, I would snooze my alarm for over an hour every morning when I woke up. Usually more. Vibrating alarms don’t affect me, my sleep tracker app seemingly couldn’t find a good time in my REM cycle to wake me up, and I learned how to turn off my iPhone alarm in my sleep a few years back. However, I recently invested in a little invention that is a literal godsend: the sunlight alarm clock.
Light plays a pivotal role in our circadian rhythms: darkness triggers our bodies to go into sleep mode, and light sends the wake-up signal. Sunlight alarm clocks work by simulating the sunrise for upwards of fifteen minutes (personally, I find 30 minutes works best for me), gradually increasing the light and thereby sending the signal to the brain that it’s morning and it’s time to get up. By the time my clock reaches full brightness, I’m usually already fully awake and don’t even need the backup buzzer noise. This is literally a first for me–I’ve never felt so good in the morning after waking up, and I’ve never been able to avoid hitting the snooze button.
My sunlight alarm is called the Wake-Up Light Sunrise Alarm Clock, and it runs for about $45 on Amazon. It’s worth every penny. I would very, very strongly recommend this for any of my fellow heavy sleepers who haven’t found an alarm on the market that’s strong enough to wake them. A little bit of simulated sunlight might be what you need.