Best sunrise alarm clocks 2024: tested by a sleep expert

Not a morning person? If getting out of bed in the morning is a struggle, a sunrise alarm could be a game changer. Rather than a loud alarm startling you awake, these gentle wake up lights slowly increase the level of light in your room to mimic sunrise. In turn, this slow build-up of light helps to tell your body to reduce the production of sleep hormones, such as melatonin and increase wakeful hormones like cortisol.

In addition to the sunrise light feature, most of our suggested models have plenty of other features. Lights can wake you up with different sounds or radio stations and many have timers to fade them out after a certain period of time. Some double as mood lights and a sunset stimulation, where the light fades from full to zero to help you fall asleep.

I tested each of these recommended wake up lights, using them in their different modes and testing all the features. I have featured wake up lights to suit different budgets and with a range of modes so you can find the best product to help wake you up in the morning.

Sometimes sleeping on the best mattress doesn't cut it. These lights well help you wind down well well and wake up right. 

Best sunrise alarm clock overall

The Bodyclock Shine 300 sits in the middle of Lumie’s range but I think most people will be more than happy with its functions. I found that the Shine produced the most realistic sunrise effect, with the lights shifting gradually through red, yellow and then white. It mimics a natural sunrise well and the shift in colors is subtle and smooth.

There are a wide range of sounds to choose from, if you want to add these in on top of the light. Or you can choose to wake up to an FM radio station if you’d prefer. Some of the sounds are frankly bizarre (bleating goats are an acquired taste at 6:30am) but there are lots of calmer options to choose from such as waves, thunderstorms, and blackbirds. The light can double up as a reading lamp and you can set just one alarm or schedule your whole week with different wake up times.

My biggest criticism of the Shine is the initial setup. The instructions are overly complicated and the audio button use wasn’t entirely clear. But once I got past that, I thought this was an elegantly designed light with a realistic light pattern.

Best for tracking sleep

This premium option from Philips looks great on your nightstand but the design also helps to diffuse the light evenly. The convex design helps to cast light at wider angles than other options and the light quality is superb. 

Plug it in and the light will immediately light up with directions to download the Philips app. You’ve then got the choice of controlling it through the touch sensitive controls on the clock’s face or through the app. There are a great range of realistic sounds to choose from, or you can wake up to an FM radio station. 

Sunrise shifts gently from red to yellow and then white, but the SmartSleep is also an excellent reading light and has an equally good wind down feature. I enjoyed the guided breathing exercises to follow before bedtime and there's even a sleep tracker on the app that gives you insights, tracks your sleep and can sync sleep metrics with Apple and Google Health. 

It is a pretty heavy beast though and some users have reported problems with getting the app to work on an ongoing basis. But this is one of the premium lights on the market and it shows in its features. 

Most stylish sunrise alarm clock

If you’re looking for a light you can control via your phone, the Hatch Restore 2 is the one to go for. This is a really sleek design, which sits nicely on your bedside table. The front is covered with a linen fabric, which helps to diffuse the light, and it’s available in three colors, Putty, Latte and Slate (that's brown, cream and gray, for the rest of us). Setup is easy in the app and you can then control the light entirely through your phone. 

Helpfully, the Hatch will always pick up the correct time via your phone. On the top of the Hatch, you’ll find ‘rest’ and ‘rise’ buttons, plus an Alarm Toggle button on the side to easily turn your alarm on and off. Press either of the top buttons to snooze the alarm and hold down the button to switch off your chosen routine. These button are large and clear, which I found was perfect when I was bleary-eyed in the morning.

I really liked the choice of lighting colors and brightness levels, and you get 13 wake-up sounds to choose from. There's a huge library of other proprietary sounds, too. However, you need a subscription, which is a frustrating ongoing cost.

Best portable sunrise clock

Casper’s Glow Light is fully portable and incredibly simple to use. Flip to turn it on, rotate it to adjust the intensity of the light and wiggle it to turn on the night light. It charges wirelessly on a coaster sized charging pad and this, coupled with its petite size, means it’s easy to take away with you on your travels.

You’ll need to download the app if you want to be able to set wake up and wind down times, which can last from 15 to 90 minutes. There’s also the option to pair the Glow Light with other Glow Lights, although costs could mount up quickly here. It’s also a useful night light – you can pick it up and carry it round with you, rather than bumping into things in the night. 

However, this is a true sunrise alarm. There are no sound options at all, so it might not be enough to wake up heavy sleepers. What's more, there's only one shade of light. You can adjust its brightness, but you can’t change the color. However, I found that its portability and sturdy design (it’s made with polycarbonate to resist bumps and survive falls) means this is a useful light to own.

Best budget sunrise alarm clock

Although adults will also like this light, we think it’s particularly suited to kids with its bright choice of colored lights. You can choose from multicolor mood lighting when it’s not in use as a sunrise clock, and the simple design with bright display makes it easy for children to operate. 

The HomeLabs light feels sturdy, thanks to a metal base and it comes with touch sensitive buttons to operate it. There’s also the option to wake up with an FM radio station. The instructions are clear and it’s easy to set up, plus we really like the fact you can turn off the LED display, so it doesn’t keep kids awake. Sunrise and sunset lights are warm and, although the light isn’t as bright as with some wake up lights, it does the job of waking you up.

There are a good range of sounds, but I felt that they sounded a little tinny compared to the other lights on test.  The light isn’t as diffused as others on our list, so it might be harder to use as a reading light. If price is also a concern, the HomeLabs is one of the cheaper options out there.

How I tested sunrise alarm clocks

My wake up lights review was based on the first-hand experience of using these products at home. I used every of the wake up lights for a week at a time and noted how well the lights performed over that period of time.

I also took into account factors such as ease of use, cost, functionality and features to make sure I selected the best wake up lights on the market.

Sunrise alarm clocks FAQs

There’s a wake up light out there to suit everyone. If you’re looking for all the bells and whistles, app-enabled lights allow you to control everything from your phone and provide users with the most customization options. Those in smaller spaces or people who travel a lot should consider a portable light with battery or charging options. But whichever type of light you choose, make sure that the quality of light is good so that you can wake up in the most natural fashion.