Getting out of bed can be one of the toughest challenges of the day, but technology can help. We’re not talking about your phone, though. Ditch the smartphone alarm you’ve been relying on for years and switch to one of these alternatives for an easier way to ease into the day. By gradually getting brighter, these lights aim to wake you up the same way the sun would. Some bulbs, like those in the Philips Hue family of products, can find sunrise times for your location and program themselves accordingly. You don’t have to stick to the natural rhythm of the day, though, and maybe your job or daily routine prevents you from doing so. Just tell the lights when you want to wake up and most will be able to work their way up to a preset brightness level over the course of a few minutes. All you’ve got to do is go into the associated app and tell them what to do. Lifx bulbs are another brand with this ability—you set the sunrise and sunset times, pick the bulbs to include, and the Lifx app takes care of the rest (including matching the color of the sunrise or sunset).
Your smartwatch or fitness tracker
Wearables can also monitor our movements through the night, tracking when we’re experiencing light or deep sleep. You can then use that data to work out the best time to get up, and to stick to a routine featuring the same bedtime and rise time. Of course, if you’ve got an office to get to or kids to get ready, you can’t just sleep until you naturally wake up. Thankfully, some devices will let you choose a time period—between 7 and 7:30 a.m., for example—within which you’d like to wake up, and will try to pick the best moment during that window. Now, let’s talk about the vibration setting, which further reduces the chance that you’re jarred out of sleep. These silent alarms are also helpful if you happen to sleep with someone else who has to get up at a different time.
A radio alarm clock
If modern tech isn’t your thing or you want a bit of retro decor, go slightly old-school by investing in a radio alarm clock, or dusting off an old one that hasn’t been used since you bought a smartphone. A few reasons why a radio might work better than your phone as an alarm: You have to get up to switch it off (if you keep it far enough away from your bed), it can introduce you to the day with the morning headlines or your favorite genre of music, and it means you can keep your phone and all its distractions in another room overnight. If you don’t already have one of these, it won’t cost you a huge amount to get one. At a basic level, these speakers can set a repeating alarm for a time of your choosing, giving you the option of keeping your phone in another room where it won’t distract you overnight. Setting or changing an alarm (and switching it off) is as easy as speaking a voice command. It’s important to start the day properly, and finding the right gadget to get you out of bed is a big part of that. Just remember, you don’t have to rely on your smartphone to do it.
