SAD Light Review: Bodyclock Sunray Dawn Simulating Alarm Clock
Posted on | September 7, 2007 | Comments Off
I’m not a big fan of blaring alarm clocks. I find that they scare me asleep as opposed to awakening me gradually, and when I wake up I’m in a sort of “panic mode”. It’s a very uncomfortable feeling. Yet, up until a friend of mine showed me the Bodyclock Sunray Dawn alarm clock, I didn’t even realize that there were other options that were less abrupt. I ordered mine and was gleefully awaiting its arrival.
Before I continue I should mention that the alarm clock comes in a fairly small package and doubles as a bedside lamp. These features, though not really important to me, are still great additions to this product that really expand its uses beyond “just an alarm clock”.
Initial Impression
The clock arrived eight days after I ordered it and was well packaged. It needs a 220-240 volt 60 watt bulb (which I knew in advance) and had already purchased for it. Setup of the clock is quite simple: take it out of its packaging, plug in the light bulb, plug it into the wall socket, set the time, and set the time you want the alarm to go off. It also includes an audible alarm that you can turn on or off depending on your preference.
When used as a lamp the light is fairly bright and is more than sufficient as a bedside lamp. I found reading quite easy, and it does get quite bright if you turn it up to the maximum brightness setting. Thankfully it operates as a dimmer so you don’t have to blind yourself all the time.It also includes a neat feature where it can go from being bright to dark in about 20 minutes to half an hour, which is good for actually falling asleep as well. It’s a feature that I’ve used more often than I expected.
Usage Impression
The alarm clock, upon activation, increases the intensity of the light over a period of a half an hour. It took me a few days to figure out when in that cycle I actually awoke, thereby allowing me to set the alarm accordingly. However, once I had figured that out it simply meant setting the alarm 10 minutes later.
The alarm works exactly as you’d expect it to, and I found it quite refreshing wake up under more natural circumstances as opposed to having an alarm blaring in my ear. It really changed my overall mood for the whole day.
Overall
This was a great idea and a great purchase. It is a tad expensive for an alarm clock at £55, but for me, it’s completely worth it.
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