This Best List-Winning Sound Machine Helps Me Quiet My Mind and Fall Asleep Faster

For most of my life, I’ve stuck to basic alarm clocks, including a stereotypical one with clanging bells and a SpongeBob digital alarm clock that I used from high school through college. I’m technically a morning person; but since I go to bed late and tend to wake up a few times in the middle of the night, I often use a white noise machine or weighted blanket to help me sleep a little better. After leaving my old clocks behind, my phone became my go-to alarm as it only took a few swipes to set a wake-up call for as many days as necessary. I tried to choose the least offensive sound that wouldn’t be jarring in the morning, but to be honest, they all were. It wasn’t until I received a Hatch Restore that I realized my sleep routine could be infinitely better. In fact, it was such a success that this stylish device won Best Overall on AT’s sound machine Best List.

The Hatch Restore is no singular device: It’s a sound machine, alarm clock, and nightlight. On top of that, it can also be used to create your own personal wind-down routine to help you ease into the end of your day instead of crashing into bed. It’s shaped like a sun on the horizon with the upper portion acting as an optional lamp and the bottom is the display that shows the clock and settings. The variety of sounds available for the Hatch Restore is seriously impressive, and even more so since they get updated in the app. White noise might be popular, but it’s not the only option and Hatch makes it incredibly easy to try out trendier sleep sounds, such as brown noise and pink noise to find what actually works for you.

To take it a step further, you can get the Hatch Sleep Membership that includes music collections, stories, dreamscapes, and guided meditations. It also allows you to create a wind-down routine to get you settled in before falling asleep. I haven’t started my Hatch Sleep Membership yet, but I plan to do so very soon. The success I’ve had with the Hatch Restore is proof enough that it can only get better. Plus, there’s a free 30-day trial to see if the membership is a good fit for you. The Hatch Restore itself also has a 60-night, money-back guarantee so you can try it out for two months, which provides plenty of time to explore the membership, too.

I love the design of the Hatch Restore because it looks gentle. The base and back are covered in fabric so you’re not faced with the digital display on a heavily-contrasted background. It’s easy to see in the dark and doesn’t glare at you during the day. Though it can be controlled through the Hatch Sleep app, there are buttons directly on the Hatch Restore to power it on, select your sleep routine, adjust the volume, and adjust the brightness.

Setting up the Hatch Restore is fairly simple and straightforward: I initially made the mistake of not standing close enough to it with my phone while setting up the app and bluetooth functions, but overall, it took only a few minutes. However, once it was connected to my home wi-fi and the Hatch Sleep app, that’s when it really got fun. You’ll be amazed by how customizable the Hatch Restore is when it comes to choosing sounds, alarms, and lights. Right now, I have two sleep routines set up with the light rain sound. One of them is programmed with a warm white night light and turns off after four hours, and the other has no light, but the sound stays on until I turn it off. I use the latter most of the time, and it typically stays on all night.

Along with my two sleep routines, I have a sunrise alarm that wakes me up with a soft ringing sound and a gradual “Malibu Sunrise” every weekday morning. My sunrise is set at a five minute duration in which the light gets brighter as my alarm time gets closer, but the duration can be set anywhere between five minutes to one hour in five-minute increments. I really love that I have full control over the brightness and volume so the device can truly be tuned to my preferences, and I’ve found that it’s made getting up in the morning so much easier. I couldn’t tell you the last time I hit snooze!

Another feature I love is the multitude of color options that can be selected for your Hatch Restore light. Bright white light can be intense at night, so it’s nice to be able to choose other shades in all colors of the rainbow to set the mood and help me fall asleep. The Hatch Restore does get bright enough to be used as a reading light, but it won’t light up the entire room like a traditional bedside lamp would. Although, it still has an notable reach. I could tell after a week that the Hatch Restore was a gamechanger for my sleep routine. By the second night, I’d retired my phone as my morning alarm and I haven’t looked back. With the Hatch Restore, I fall asleep faster, stay asleep longer, and haven’t had nearly as many grumpy mornings. And make sure to check out the newest Hatch Restore 2, which offers an elevated design. With so much goodness packed into this sleek little machine (even without the membership), it’s totally worth waking up on the right side of the bed.

Buy: Hatch Restore, $129.99