We feel best when our bodies are in sync with the rhythms of waking with the natural sunrise and falling asleep with the natural sunset. We were built to take the cues of shifting light to prep our bodies for sleep or waking up, and it’s a far more gentle way than being roused out of a dream by a screaming alarm buzzer.
Problem is, it’s hard in modern life to sync up with these natural patterns. Thanks to artificial light, the allure of late-night entertainment, and crazy job schedules, our schedules are usually out of sync with nature.
That’s where a sunrise alarm steps in. It uses a built-in lamp to mimic the gradual rising and setting, running the full gamut from dim orange to radiant blue-white, tricking our bodies into getting slowly sleepy before bed and waking up gently in the morning. Even if you’ve never used a sunrise alarm before, the WiiM Wake-Up Light is the easiest one to use that I’ve ever tested.
Wiim
Wake-Up Light (opens in a new window)
Available at Amazon
Buy Now (opens in a new window)
Available at Walmart
Buy Now (opens in a new window)
Simple to use
Of all the sunrise alarms I’ve tested, the WiiM was the easiest to use. All I had to do was download the Light app to my smartphone (a tablet also works), and the WiiM automatically discovered and paired with the app once I plugged it into the wall. That was it.
The tutorial screens walk you through the process of how to set the brightness (which can go very high), set wake-up and nighttime routines, use sleep sounds, and change light modes. It also has Amazon Alexa voice assistant built in, but you can turn it off.
I like that there are physical buttons so that you can hit snooze for a few more minutes of ZZZs. Sunrise alarms whose controls are all in-app make it impossible to operate the valuable snooze button without opening one’s eyes, an affront to the whole concept of the snooze button.
You can also use the buttons to change the brightness, light modes, alarm volume, and mute it when it’s going off. The WiiM is a winner (WiiMer?) because it melds the smart sunrise functionality with the best of the old school, physical alarm. Minus the obnoxious noise.
Wiim
Wake-Up Light (opens in a new window)
Available at Amazon
Buy Now (opens in a new window)
Available at Walmart
Buy Now (opens in a new window)
The post Wham, Out Like a Light With This WiiM Sunrise (and Sunset) Alarm appeared first on VICE.
