Natural alarm clocks were not my first choice when writing my holiday gift list to buy friends and relatives. In fact I had not thought about them at all. I am one of those fortunate people who have a metabolic alarm clock and can wake up at will. Many of my friends and relatives are not so lucky and complain of having to jump out of bed at the last minute to get to work on time.

Someone suggested that I give natural alarm clocks as gifts so I did a little research. When we sleep, we go through several stages.

1. Stage 1 is the drowsy stage and lasts only 5 – 10 minutes. Your eyes move slowly under your eyelids and muscle activity will slow down. You are easily awakened from this stage.






2. Stage 2 is Light Sleep. The eye movements stop, the heart rate slows down and body temperature decreases.






3. Stages 3 & 4 are Deep Sleep. In these stages you are difficult to awaken, and if awakened at this time, you cannot adjust immediately and will often feel groggy or disoriented for some minutes. Deep sleep allows the brain to restore the energy that is expended during the waking hours. Blood flow to the brain decreases and is redirected towards the muscles to restore physical energy. Research has shown that immune functions will increase during deep sleep.






4. REM sleep is Dream Sleep – At about an hour to 90 minutes into the sleep cycle, we enter REM sleep. We may experience three to five REM episodes per night. REM sleep is associated with processing the emotions, relieving stress and retaining memories. Breathing becomes rapid, irregular and shallow and the heart rate increases.

Natural alarm clocks are designed to satisfy the sleepers need to wake up with a feeling of mental alertness and no drowsiness. It is much more beneficial to wake up between sleep cycles than in the middle of a sleep cycle.

When we awaken naturally the gradual daylight stimulates our brain to wrap up a sleep cycle instead of jolting us from the middle of a cycle.

To simulate the rising and setting of the sun, some Natural Alarm Clocks have a bedside lamp which helps one regain and maintain our body’s natural balance. When you awaken gradually and gently from sleep you feel refreshed from your night's sleep.

Natural light alarm clocks are programmable and make use of a light source. Some time before you need to wake up a very small amount of light will begin to shine in your bedroom. Over several minutes the natural light will gradually increase. This seems like a great idea to wake up gradually to light rather than from jarring alarm.

Overall, my research suggests that the sleeper will feel refreshed and energized when they awake rather than startled and disturbed. By simulating dawn, natural alarm clocks establish a pattern of natural waking.

In conclusion, I have added several natural alarm clocks to my list of holiday gifts to buy.