If you start your day before the sun rises, or if you’re looking for a gentle alternative to a blaring alarm clock, a sunrise alarm clock may be your new favorite tool. These clocks mimic the natural sunrise by gradually emitting light up to 90 minutes before your scheduled wake-up time — and best of all, they won’t jolt you awake like a normal alarm clock would. These clocks are also typically compact enough to fit on top of your nightstand, and they can offer gentle sounds that are quieter and more peaceful than what you might normally be used to.
“Sunrise clocks are designed to mimic the natural sunlight, which plays an essential role in the regulation of our sleep-wake cycles, also known as our circadian rhythm,” says Dr. Shelby Harris, a licensed clinical psychologist and the director of sleep health at sleep product review site Sleepopolis. This can ultimately improve your overall sleep quality, mood and health, and using an alarm clock that simulates both the sunset and sunrise can even help you fall asleep faster and wake up quicker in the morning, says Harris.
To help you determine the best sunrise clock for you, we consulted medical experts on the benefits of these sleep aids, their limitations and what to look for when shopping for one. We also rounded up expert-recommended and highly rated options to consider, as well as NBC Select staff favorites.
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How we picked the best sunrise alarm clocks
To determine which sunrise alarm clock is best for you, our experts recommend keeping the following key features in mind (we elaborate more on these features below):
- Adjustable brightness and colors: Look for a sunrise clock that lets you adjust its brightness level and color options, whether via an app or manually on the device, for a more customizable wake-up and wind-down experience, experts say. Most sunrise clocks will also automatically adjust the light in the morning to mimic the gradual sunrise, according to our experts.
- Brightness level: You’ll sometimes see a sunrise clock’s brightness level expressed in lux or lumens: Lumens are a measure of brightness, whereas lux is a measure of lumens spread over an area, expressed in square meters. As you shop for a sunrise alarm clock, keep in mind that a higher lux signifies a more intense light. Most sunrise clocks we browsed range between 100 to upwards of 300 lux.
- Sleep and wake sounds: Sunrise clocks can include sleep sounds that can either help lull you to sleep or gently wake you up in the morning — these typically range from nature sounds like birds chirping and ocean waves to white noise that reduces distractions. There are also options that only emit wake-up sounds if you haven’t turned off the light alarm after a certain amount of time, which can be a helpful backup plan, says Dr. W. Christopher Winter, a neurologist and sleep specialist based in Charlottesville, Virginia.
- Connected apps: Look for a sunrise clock with Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connectivity that lets you customize features like brightness level, sleep sounds, your wake-up schedule and more through a companion app, experts told us.
Best sunrise alarm clocks of 2025
Below, we highlight the best sunrise clocks and sleep lights, all of which include varying brightness levels and additional features like connected apps and noise settings in line with our experts’ guidance.
Best overall sunrise clock: Hatch
Hatch Restore 2
- Many sleep and wake-up sounds
- Sleek and modern design
- Only works with Wi-Fi
- Not as bright as other options
The Hatch Restore 2 is a favorite among our experts, as well as NBC Select staff. “I’m more likely to sleep through the night now since I’m not anticipating being startled awake [by my alarm clock],” says NBC Select associate updates editor Zoe Malin. “The gradual increase of light in my bedroom lets me slowly transition from a deep sleep into consciousness.”
You can use the Hatch Restore 2 to gently wake you up in the morning, moving from red to orange to white before your alarm sounds, or as a bedside light to wind down. You can also customize your sleep and wake up routine, play sound, adjust light and more using the companion Hatch Sleep app, or you can press the buttons directly on the device to control your nighttime or morning routine (keep in mind, you’ll need Wi-Fi connection for the device to work). It’s also a stylish alternative to other alarm clocks: “Since the curved device has a sleek, minimalistic appearance, it practically blends into my bedroom,” says Malin.
Brightness settings: Adjustable | Wake-up sounds: 13 | Relaxation sounds: 25 | App-enabled: Yes | Max light intensity: 180 lux | Light colors: Red, orange, white | Sunset simulation: Yes | FM radio: No
Best app-enabled sunrise clock: Philips
Philips SmartSleep Connected Sleep and Wake-Up Light
- Can track sleep and sync metrics to Apple or Google device
- Built-in phone charging dock
- Auto-dimming display
- Only works with Wi-Fi
This Philips sunrise clock comes recommended by Winter because it’s equipped with an auto-dimming display and five adjustable colors. The light gradually gets brighter and starts 30 minutes before your scheduled alarm time — the simulation starts off as a soft red and moves to orange and ultimately a bright yellow light to wake you up. The brand’s companion app, SleepMapper, lets you customize your chosen sunset and sunrise times, track your sleep over time and sync your sleep metrics with Apple and Google Health.
If you’re looking for a more affordable model that drops the app connectivity, this version of the Philips SmartSleep Wake-up Light has a weaker light intensity and still includes built-in sounds to help you fall asleep faster, according to the brand.
Brightness settings: 25 | Wake-up sounds: 7 | Relaxation sounds: 3 | App-enabled: Yes | Max light intensity: 310 lux | Light colors: White, orange, yellow, amber | Sunset simulation: Yes | FM radio: Yes
Best portable sunrise clock: Casper
Casper The Glow Light
- Portable and doesn’t need to stay plugged in
- Easy brightness control with twisting base
- Auto-dimming and auto-off during wind-down period
- No sleep or wake-up sounds
Casper’s The Glow Light lacks sound options, so it’s less of an alarm clock and more of a sunrise- and sunset-simulating light. I use the Glow Light daily to wake up in the morning since the light gradually increases over the course of an hour based on the time I set on its companion app. It also functions as a bedside lamp — I often use its auto-dimming feature to help me wind down at night, and the light will automatically turn off after an hour, so I can fall asleep without having to worry about it staying on. I like that this light has several straightforward, easy-to-use functions: You can twist it on its base to control its brightness, flip it upside down to turn it on and off, and lift it off its base to light up the way to a midnight snack (it’s durable enough to survive everyday tumbles, too, according to the brand).
Brightness settings: Adjustable | Wake-up sounds: n/a | Relaxation sounds: n/a | App-enabled: Yes | Max light intensity: n/a | Light colors: Standard warm light | Sunset simulation: Yes | FM radio: No
Best budget-friendly sunrise clock: Jall
Jall Wake Up Light Sunrise Alarm Clock
- Plenty of brightness levels and colors to choose from
- Dual-alarm capabilities
- One-click snooze
- No companion app
This Jall sunrise alarm clock offers seven colored lights and 20 brightness levels to gradually wake you up over the span of 10, 20 and 30 minutes. It also has access to FM radio and seven built-in sounds to help you wake up or wind down, such as birds chirping, ocean waves and piano music. To better customize your routine, the clock also has 16 volume levels to choose from.
Brightness settings: 20 | Wake-up sounds: 7 | Relaxation sounds: n/a | App-enabled: No | Max light intensity: n/a | Light colors: Blue, indigo, purple, red, orange, yellow, green | Sunset simulation: n/a | FM radio: Yes
Best customizable sunrise clock: Lumie
Lumie Bodyclock Shine 300 Wake-Up Light Alarm Clock
- Plenty of sleep and wake-up sounds
- Auto-dimming display to act as a nightlight
- No companion app
- Can’t switch from military time to regular 12-hour clock
This sunrise clock from Lumie lets you customize the maximum brightness of its light and allows you to wake up gradually over anywhere from 15 minutes to 90 minutes, according to the brand. It also includes a built-in alarm that lets you wake up with the radio or one of 15 sleep sounds to complement the light, according to Lumie. It has an auto-dimming display and a snooze button, too.
Lumie also offers other, pared down Bodyclock models available: The Bodyclock Rise 100 loses its radio function and alarm while the Bodyclock Glow 150 includes 10 waking sounds and a duration of 20 minutes, 30 minutes and 45 minutes.
Brightness settings: Adjustable | Wake-up sounds: 15 | Relaxation sounds: n/a | App-enabled: No | Max light intensity: n/a | Light colors: Red, orange and warm white | Sunset simulation: Yes | FM radio: Yes
Best sunrise clock with voice controls: WiiM
WiiM Wake-up Light
- Unlimited sleep/wake-up sounds
- Built-in Amazon Alexa
- Features can be overwhelming
Though this sunrise clock comes with a lot of bells and whistles, our staff says it’s easy to set up and they like that it comes with an unlimited amount of sound options, including Spotify, internet and FM radio and built-in sounds. You can control the sunrise clock using the proprietary app, on-device buttons or your voice thanks to its built-in Amazon Alexa technology. “There are quite a bit of buttons, which may take some time to get used to but again, for tech heads, this is a lot of fun, and super intuitive,” says NBC Select SEO editor Nikki Brown.
Brightness settings: Adjustable | Wake-up sounds: Unlimited | Relaxation sounds: Unlimited | App-enabled: Yes | Max light intensity: n/a | Light colors: 12+ multicolor options | Sunset simulation: Yes | FM radio: Yes
Are sunrise alarm clocks worth it?
Sunrise clocks aim to help you wake up by lighting up your space gradually and slowly in order to give your body time to react and adjust, says Dr. Seema Khosla, medical director at the North Dakota Center for Sleep. It’s a great, natural way for people who typically wake up before the sun is out, like those who work a night shift or parents waking up their kids before school, says Winter.
The presence (or lack) of light can be a main factor in regulating our sleep cycle: A 2019 study shows that light exposure too late in the day and too early in the morning may reduce your quality of sleep and affect the body’s circadian rhythm, an internal mechanism that regulates various processes within any given day or 24-hour cycle (including the sleep-wake cycle).
Most sunrise clocks will start gradually brightening about 30 minutes to an hour before your scheduled wake up time (some give you the option to adjust that length via an app) to give you enough time to fully wake up at your preferred time. Disrupting your sleep too abruptly, such as with a blaring alarm clock, can push you to have lower sleep quality in the long run and can even affect your overall well-being, including weight gain, mood swings, lack of alertness and memory loss, says Khosla.
However, purchasing a sunrise clock alone isn’t enough to build healthy sleeping habits, according to our experts. They highlighted the importance of regulating the light you’re exposed to in general, which means getting a lot of light during the day and less in the evening. Likewise, sunrise clocks are great only if operated appropriately and alongside other healthy sleep behaviors, like eating right, exercising, putting your phone away before bed and trying to stay away from screens altogether long before that moment, says Khosla.
How do sunrise alarm clocks work?
Most sunrise alarm clocks are fairly similar: They have a light that simulates the sunrise and sunset, which can gently increase and dim light without the adrenaline rush of a regular alarm clock. “They are especially beneficial during the winter when the sun rises later, and can help improve symptoms of seasonal affective disorder, insomnia, jet-lag and other sleep issues,” says Harris.
How to shop for a sunrise alarm clock
To determine the best sunrise alarm clock for your needs, our experts highlight a few key features to keep in mind when shopping for one, including brightness level and sleep sounds.
Brightness Level
In addition to lux and lumens, one thing to be aware of is the inverse-square law, which means the further the distance from the light source, the less intense the light will be. That may seem intuitive, but it tells us that the brightness rating of any sunrise clock is only accurate at a certain distance. If you have the sunrise clock all the way across the room, it may not seem too bright and might not work as well, experts say. There are other variables too — like the size of your room and your wall paint colors — that can impact how you perceive a light source.
While the sunrise alarm clocks available commercially generally don’t have extremely bright lights, they can still be helpful. “You have to kind of take what’s available commercially, recognizing that it may not be ideal,” says Khosla. Your goal should be to sleep better, not necessarily to completely optimize the process, she says.
Sleep and wake sounds
In addition to mimicking a sunset that helps you slowly fall asleep to a dimming light, some sunrise alarm clocks also offer sleep sounds like white noise and nature sounds to help you fall asleep at night (the latter can also be used as a gentle alarm in the morning), says Harris. White noise in particular can accomplish multiple things, including reducing outside distractions and tapping into a calming reflex, experts told us in our guide to white noise machines.
Connected apps
“Sunrise alarm clocks that allow you to control and set them from your phone are the most convenient,” says Harris. Though options that don’t offer a Bluetooth feature or Wi-Fi connectivity are still just as effective (especially if you’re not necessarily tech-savvy, says Winter), most app-controlled clocks can offer the benefit of managing its brightness, setting a timer and browsing sounds to help optimize your bedtime and wake-up routine.
Meet our experts
At NBC Select, we work with experts who have specialized knowledge and authority based on relevant training and/or experience. We also take steps to ensure that all expert advice and recommendations are made independently and with no undisclosed financial conflicts of interest.
- Dr. Shelby Harris is a licensed clinical psychologist and the director of sleep health at sleep product review site Sleepopolis.
- Dr. W. Christopher Winter is a neurologist and sleep specialist based in Charlottesville, Virginia.
- Dr. Seema Khosla is the medical director of the North Dakota Center for Sleep and a medical advisor for MedBridge Healthcare.
Why trust NBC Select?
Mili Godio is an updates editor at NBC Select who covers a variety of home, sleep and wellness products, including blackout curtains, cooling pillows and travel pillows. For this article, Godio spoke to three sleep experts about how to shop for a sunrise clock and the benefits of one. She also compiled their recommendations, along with top picks from NBC Select staff.
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