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Best Sunrise Alarm Clock (2026): Hatch, Lumie
With darker days ahead, waking up in the morning can be rough. If you never feel rested when your alarm goes off, a sunrise alarm clock could change your life. The gradually brightening light signals that it’s time to wake up instead of beeps and harsh, unnatural tones. I’m a chronic snooze-button kind of gal, and I’ve found a sunrise clock, or wake-up light, incredibly helpful for getting up when I need to and for supporting a healthier circadian rhythm. Plus, it’s much harder to ignore than a phone alarm that I can simply snooze.
If you want to face dark winter mornings by waking up more gently and naturally, using a sunrise alarm clock might just improve your mood. We recommend the newly released Hatch Sleep Clock if you want a sunrise alarm and sleep tracker in one machine, as well as a personal favorite, the Lumie Bodyclock Luxe 700FM.
Here are our favorite sunrise alarm clocks, each tested for up to a week.
Updated October 2026: We’ve added the Hatch Sleep Clock, Philips SmartSleep Wake-up Light, Rise Centered, Melalight Red Light Lamp, and pros and cons; removed the out-of-stock WiiM Wake-up Light; and ensured links and prices are up to date.
Your body is built to wake naturally with the sunrise and feel sleepy as the sun sets. The light at both the beginning and end of the day is warm and golden, unlike the bright, slightly blue midday sunlight that keeps you wide awake. A sunrise alarm clock mimics this transition from morning to bright daytime light, helping signal your body to wake up (or fall asleep, if the clock also has a sunset option).
A sunrise alarm has a built-in light you can set to brighten at a certain time. It doesn’t happen instantly; it will slowly transition over a period of anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour, and better sunrise alarms let you choose your exact brightening window. I usually choose a half-hour window for the light to start brightening, and let the gradually brightening light wake me.
There are also sound effects. Sunrise alarms feature a mix of relaxing and classic sounds that usually start when the light begins to brighten, helping to rouse you. I’d prefer the light to go first, with music activating later, but that isn’t always an option with these lights.
Some sunrise alarms also offer a sunset routine, meaning you can turn them on at night and they'll slowly dim to darkness to help you feel sleepy. It’s another good visual cue for your brain and body that it’s time for bed, and I prefer sunrise alarms like Hatch and Lumie that let you choose when to activate a routine (for example, pressing a button starts the routine over the course of 30 minutes) rather than needing to be in bed by a set time to use the routine.
Ultimately, these lights can do a lot. They can double as a sound machine, help you wake up and fall asleep, and even serve as a regular bedside lamp if they’re bright enough. Not all sunrise alarms have all of these features, though, so you have to decide how much you want to spend and which features are most important to you.
You might see a range of features listed for a sunrise alarm, and more expensive models will include more of these than cheaper models. If you’re not sure which features you want, try this series of questions to figure out which features you need.