A good old-fashioned alarm clock might be an effective method to wake you up in the morning, but it is not exactly the gentlest way to do so.
Being pulled abruptly from your peaceful slumber by a wailing cacophony right next to is a jarring experience and can leave you feeling very groggy if you were in a deep sleep cycle. It is also very tempting to simply bash the snooze button and fall back into bed after an alarm clock buzzes you awake.
Fortunately, there is a gentler, more efficient way to wake you up in the mornings and it is called a wake-up light.
What Is A Wake-Up Light?
Wake-up lights are not a new invention, but unless you have been paying attention to the subject of waking up rested and refreshed, you might not have heard about them. Like an ordinary alarm clock, wake-up lights can be set to play a sound to wake you up at a specified time, but that is where the similarities end.
Instead of jolting you awake in an unpleasant manner, the wake-up light gradually starts to glow beforehand in order to simulate the rising of the sun. This means that you usually wake up before the alarm kicks in to a brightly lit room feeling relaxed and refreshed.
It is not only a more peaceful way to wake up than wailing noises in a pitch dark room, but also much more effective for starting the day without feeling rushed. As nice as it is to wake up with real sunlight shining in through the curtains not everyone has that luxury and a wake-up light is the most effective tool for simulating the experience to benefit those of us who need to get going before dawn.
What Benefits Does A Wake-Up Light Provide?
A wake-up light not only offers a more gentle and relaxing return to reality than an alarm, but also comes with a host of other benefits. Ever been scared awake by your alarm clock in the morning and felt like a zombie for the rest of the morning despite downing numerous cups of coffee?
The official medical term for that feeling is sleep inertia, and it is commonly caused by being awakened during a period of deep sleep. Since a wake-up light gradually rouses you from your slumber, it is less of a shock to your system and reduces the chances of sleep inertia spoiling your morning.
It is a proven fact that the melatonin levels in our bodies are influenced directly by light. Exposure to a wake-up light can lead to reduced melatonin production in the morning, which means you won’t experience the drowsiness that is associated with too much melatonin.
Another benefit of using a wake-up light is that it can help with depression. If you have ever awoken in the cold, dark winter months feeling depressed, you might be suffering from seasonal affective disorder, or winter depression as it is also known.
Light therapies are often prescribed to combat this condition and a wake-up light is actually an efficient method of doing so.
You Have Nothing To Lose
We are often told how beneficial it is to get in a full night’s sleep, but getting jolted awake in the morning with a surge of adrenaline thanks to your alarm clock can negate a lot of the benefits.
Investing in a wake-up light is worth it for the peaceful, natural wake in which you are woken up alone as it gets your day off to a great start. Even if you are skeptical, a wake-up light can still double as a neat bedside lamp and most feature an alarm that can be set as backup until you are convinced about the benefits of waking up gradually.
