Sunrays dawn simulator alarm clock review

There’s something about being violently jolted from be at 6 in the morning by the siren setting on my iPhone that just doesn’t sit well with me. I love my iPhone, but every morning at 6 am it feels like it is punching me in the face and chastising me for being so lazy.

The sunrays alarm clock is different – it’s more like a gentle tap on the shoulder and a firm voice saying “come on, get up. You know you have things to do. Like write a review of the sunrays alarm clock.”

There is a lot of “science” in the sunrays alarm clock press junket – something to do with how we are hard coded to wake up to sunlight rather than obnoxious buzzing sounds, and how light is clearly much better for us. I’m always a little wary of “science” in press releases – they are unlikely to add negative or inconclusive findings so I’ve read some highly doubtful claims in my time. However I spoke casually to 3 folks with phD’s about the sunrays alarm clock and they all casually shrugged and said, “yeah that should work”. Pleased with the results of my own transparent study, I decided to test one out.

So how does it work? Well as you can see, it’s a big plastic box, with a transparent cover and some buttons on the back. You  flip the lid down and screw in a light bulb,  plug it in and wait for the magic to happen. That might sound sarcastic, but come 6 am the next morning, my room has gradually and almost imperceptibly, filled with piercingly bright “sun rays” and without quite knowing why, I was awake. And what’s more, it was a much more relaxed way to get up – unlike the aggressive “Siren” setting that I’d grown accustomed to.

But (and forgive me if this is starting to sound like an advertorial) the sunrays alarm clock is packed with more features then an issue of The New Yorker. It works as a regular lamp, has a mood lighting setting (you can bathe your whole room in Princely purple if you so desire), natural sounds, an aux input for mp3s and an aroma function that lets you wake up or fall asleep to  scent oils or dry leaves – that sort of thing.

Is it perfect? No of course not. It feels a bit cheap and plasticky to touch to touch, it looks awkward and bulky and the mood lighting could be stronger. But if your looking for an alternative way to wake up in the morning, then this is one alarm clock I *ahem* have a lot of time for. awkward and bulky and the mood lighting could be stronger. But if your looking for an alternative way to wake up in the morning, then this is one alarm clock I *ahem* have a lot of time for.

Sunrays is £79.99 from here http://www.jmldirect.com/Sunrays-Alarm-Clock-PS1136/