The Best Sunrise Alarm Clocks, According to Someone Who Starts Work at 5 A.M.

As someone who starts work at 5 a.m. every weekday now that Daylight Saving Time has ended (it was 4 a.m. before that!), it’s easy for my circadian rhythm, aka internal body clock, to feel out of whack if I don’t sleep well or wake up gently. That’s why I’m so invested in not only how I go to bed every night (finding the best blackout curtains, for instance) but also how I start my day every morning. I used to struggle with this exact scenario: A loud, blaring alarm would jolt me awake, and I’d have to fight my brain to stay up because of the lack of daylight, often leading to the overconsumption of caffeine. 

That all changed when I discovered sunrise alarm clocks, which stimulate a sunrise (hence the name), allowing you to get your circadian rhythm going on the right track (read: as natural as possible). They are perfect for shift workers, anyone adjusting to Daylight Saving Time changes, or early risers like me, and since making the switch I’ve experienced a much gentler start to my morning that makes a huge difference in how my day continues. Below, I’ve spotlighted the best sunrise alarm clocks I’ve tested.

I’ve been testing sunrise alarm clocks all year, but to really do a comparison, I made sure to test each of these independently, before switching to the next one. The back to back helped me create the ranking list. I used a sunrise alarm clock every weekday morning, but allowed myself to wake up naturally on the weekends.

As a fail-safe, I had a backup alarm on my iPhone that was 20 minutes after the sunrise alarm clock. Spoiler alert: I never woke up from the backup alarm when using any of the sunrise alarm clocks; I would always turn it off before it could even go off. The power of a sunrise!

Here are my picks, ranging from basic sunrise alarm clocks to smart ones.

My pick for the best sunrise alarm clock overall is the Dreamie because of how much it offers in just one device — no phone or subscriptions required. It has a growing library of podcasts, noise masks, and ambient-produced audio to help you sleep, plus sunrise stimulation and gradual alarms to wake you up. The Dreamie has a full-color gradual sunrise alarm clock, powered by a 120 LED system that’s flicker-free. 

Using the device is super-easy too — from alarm setting to controlling the light or volume, and more. I was able to set custom alarm schedules so that there wouldn’t be any wind-down or alarms going off on the weekends. I love that you can select noises, podcasts, and meditation sounds to fall asleep to — brown noise was my go-to — and create multiple alarms if needed (like separate ones for weekdays and weekends). A feature I can’t wait to try is the yet-to-be-launched sleep insights, which will use a contactless, camera-free motion sensor along with other environmental sensors, to provide an overview of your sleep habits, according to the website.

The REACHER Sound Machine Sunrise Alarm Clock was my first foray into sunrise alarm clocks, and I was inspired by an AT contributor to purchase it because it was so affordable compared to other sunrise alarm clocks on the market. 

It’s a standard sunrise alarm clock; it has eight alarm sounds, and it wakes you up gradually with a gentle orange light. There are even 26 soothing sleep aid sounds. I don’t use the sleep sounds on this device; I simply rely on it as a sunrise alarm clock with the rooster crowing sound as my alarm. Because this was my first sunrise alarm clock ever, it was also a great baseline for other ones I tested. This is reliable, no-frills, and cheap — making it the best budget-friendly pick.

The Hatch Sleep Clock is a sleep tracker, sound machine, and alarm — all in one. The sleep tracking function is what makes it different from the Hatch Restore 3, and it works by contactlessly detecting micro-movements and breathing patterns. With purchase, you get 30 days of free access to Hatch+, which is its ever-growing library of 2,500-plus podcasts, meditations, sound baths, audiobooks, and sleep music; but if you still want the subscription, you have to pay $5.99 a month or $59.99 a year. 

You don’t necessarily need the subscription to use the Hatch Sleep Clock — without it you have access to the basic features, free sleep audio, and sleep tracking — but it definitely enhances the clock and shows off its best features. Truly, I loved all the features of the Hatch Sleep Clock with the Hatch+ subscription. The sleep tracking took me by surprise, and it was enlightening to see how well (or bad) I was sleeping every night. Being able to customize my entire wake-up experience, pairing sounds and alarms together (many at the app’s suggestion) made me feel excited about waking up to whatever sunrise alarm I decided on. Some of my favorites are the Pride and Prejudice alarm sound paired with Longbourn countryside light and the farm alarm sound paired with the Appalachia light. What can I say? I love a farm/countryside vibe.

The Philips SmartSleep Wake-up Light looks the most like a sun, as it’s perfectly round and the display is dimmable. It simulates sunrise and sunset to make going to bed and waking up as natural as possible, and it’s clinically proven to promote healthy routines, according to the website. The light gradually increases within 30 minutes, running a spectrum of soft red to orange to bright yellow. It’s paired with five different natural sounds you can choose from: forest birds (my pick), buddha, yoga, ocean waves, and Nepal bowls. It’s all very gentle and meditative, easing me into the morning.

I love the one-tap function to snooze it (you literally can touch anywhere) and that you can set up to two alarms. It’s also a bedside lamp and FM radio, which you can play your favorite morning radio show when you wake up. (This wasn’t an exciting feature to me personally, but I totally get that it is for others!)

The Loftie Lamp is unlike other sunrise alarm clocks I’ve seen. It’s a minimalistic bedside lamp and wake-up light in one, designed to have the light slowly drop down or rise up until fully illuminated (mimicking the sun rising and setting). It’s controlled via the Loftie app, where you can customize the colors, gradients, and modes (day, reading, or night). I love that the illumination runs up as if the sun is rising, really adding to the whole sunrise experience in the morning.

But if you’re going to splurge on your whole wake-up experience, then you need the Loftie Lamp and Loftie Clock — and yes, it’s worth having both. Paired together, you have a multi-sensory light and sound wake-up experience, with the Loftie Lamp emitting the sunrise light and the Loftie Clock producing the sounds, which range from nature and white and brown noises to meditation and breathwork audio. They look and work great together. The Loftie Clocks’ two-phase alarm (wake up and get up) is stellar, starting with gentle sounds to lull you out of sleep — like little small chirps of birds or a fountain running — followed by even louder, but still calming tones coming in minutes later to keep you awake — such as various gonging sounds. But I never get to phase two since I’m such a light sleeper. The combination of the rising “sun” and gentle wake-up phase is enough to get me up and alert.

The Rise Centered The Original Sunrise Alarm Clock is made to be a display piece. It’s probably the most design-forward, stunning sunrise alarm clock on the market. There are two main options: a pink Himalayan salt that emits a soft amber-toned glow, recommended for those who want a gradual wake-up (which I went with), and white Himalayan salt that offers more direct light, recommended for those who want a brighter wake-up. Both are hand-carved, making each a unique piece of art on your nightstand.

It’s also the most straightforward sunrise alarm clock, in terms of functionality, as you don’t need apps, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth. You can touch any part of the base to turn on and off the clock’s light; adjust the brightness of the clock so that the light is completely off when you go to bed; and switch between a 12- or 24-hour time format. The sunrise alarm clock starts 30 minutes prior to your set alarm, and from there, if you still aren’t up to turn off the clock, the sounds of birds chirping and river flowing will begin. 

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