Have you ever slept out under the stars and woken up to the sunrise? This method of waking up is the most natural process possible. It’s no surprise that “dawn simulating” alarm clocks have been developed. Waking up the way that our ancestors must have, with the rising of the sun, is biologically ingrained in our bodies – according to many experts. The gradual increase of sunlight from night until dawn helps to draw us gently from sleep, starting our bodies out on a positive and healthy note for the day.

You might balk at the idea of using light for your wake up call. Most of us need an alarm as loud as a marching band to get us up early in the morning. However a sunrise alarm clock works because the human eye is very sensitive to light, especially in the morning. Our eyes can perceive small amounts of light and recognize that it is morning. That light actually sends a message to our brains saying “wake up,”.  Our brains then set in motion the wake up process which is natural and not jarring, unlike our traditional loud, obnoxious alarm clocks.

If you’d like to wean yourself off of your traditional, loud alarm clock simply use a process that slowly eliminates the alarm. Set up your sunrise alarm clock and set it to wake you up at the proper time. As a safety net, also set up your regular alarm. As the days progress, you will rely less and less upon your traditional noise-utilizing alarm, and you will grow accustomed to your sunrise alarm clock. Progressively turn the volume down on your noise alarm clock, until you eliminate it from your morning routine altogether. You will likely begin to notice that your days feel less stressful, your mood is more even and positive, and you have more energy throughout the day.

There are many types of dawn simulating alarm clocks. Some vary by price, and some vary by light intensity. Experiment with sunrise alarm clocks until you find the one that wakes you up in a calm way.