36 Dawn Simulator: The Sunrise Alarm Clock For Peacefull Wake Up

The dawn simulator is a device that is positioned as an alternative to the alarm, the FM radio or even the connected watch, which often cause a sudden awakening.

On the contrary, this device ensures a gentle awakening and, for this, mimics the conditions of a sunrise. For this purpose, a light intensity variation is progressively emitted within the room to simulate a rising sun, before a scheduled wake-up time.

In addition, the vast majority of dawn simulators are also able to mimic a twilight to promote falling asleep.

Clinically tested, the simulator is suitable for all age groups and does not cause any health damage.

From infants to senior citizens, the conclusive results of this device have been highlighted. Moreover, pediatric services are equipped to soften the sleep of toddlers.

The advantage of a dawn simulator is to allow our body to awaken gently and for this, the device is responsible for simulating a dawn, which illuminates the room for a given duration (usually thirty minutes).

The goal is to promote the most natural awakening possible and avoid the feelings of discomfort or tiredness generally felt in the early morning. But, this light therapy device does not know that wake-up.

Most models available on the market are indeed able to simulate a twilight, which creates a favorable environment for falling asleep. Using a dawn simulator, therefore, plays a dual role, as it overcomes perilous awakenings and also helps you sleep ideally.

That being said, the benefits of Dawn Simulator are of various kinds. Beyond the fact that it assures you awake and sleeps softly, the use of this device on a daily basis is recommended to overcome a seasonal depression and its corollaries.

This affection, which affects one in ten French people, is also known to have, among other symptoms, difficult awakenings. It is therefore understandable that using a dawn simulator as part of a therapy against seasonal depression, is thus carried out a symptomatic treatment of waking disorders.

In this regard, this accessory is a perfect complement when you submit to light therapy because the combined action of these two techniques oriented towards well-being can quickly achieve results.

The benefits of using a dawn simulator do not stop there. By adopting this device, you also benefit from a regulation of your biological ecosystem. Clearly, it significantly improves the functioning of your body.

Your mood is also improved, as evidenced by the convincing effects of the dawn simulator on the secretion of cortisol (anti-stress hormone), highlighted by various clinical tests.

With this device, you are in the best predispositions to be productive throughout the day, your awakening has occurred smoothly.

Intended to gradually diffuse a light that reproduces the conditions of a sunrise or a sunset, the simulator has a simple and practical operation. This variation in light intensity is able to filter through your eyelids, even closed.

This prepares the brain, and specifically the hypothalamus, for the idea of waking up or falling asleep. The dawn simulator, therefore, acts on the neurovegetative functions of your body to put it in the best predispositions of an awakening or falling asleep.

Everything is done in a progressive way. The variation of the intensity is spread over a programmed duration, ranging from 15 to 90 minutes. During this period, the simulator acts on the secretion of the hormone responsible for sleep, melatonin. When the sun rises, the device, imitating a dawn, conditions the brain to control an inhibition of the production of this substance.

On the other hand, in the evening, it simulates a twilight and this induces the stimulation of melatonin, which favors falling asleep.

In practice, you will need to set the time of your choice, so that the wake-up process begins. If you plan to wake up at 7:00 am, light scattering can begin as early as 6:00 am or 6:30 am.

Before reaching the hypothalamus, light first enters the eyelids and then the optic nerve before reaching the pineal gland. In the final phase of awakening, the light intensity is at its maximum and you wake up without stress and gently.

In the case of a sleep aid, the intensity of the light gradually decreases over a given period of time, until the simulator turns off. Here again, the hypothalamus is solicited, so that the secretion of melatonin is stimulated.

Gradually, the characteristic signs of sleep appear (eyelids and heavy limbs, yawning, tingling of eyes, etc.).

While some brands do better than others, it’s hard to name the best dawn simulator without taking into account variables like the budget and the expectation of each user.

For lovers of sensory experiences, the Lumie Bodyclock Iris 500 is a must with its two removable tanks that diffuse the scents of your favorite essential oils for a delicately scented awakening.

For others, it will be the Withings Smart Sleep System and its Smart Wake Up feature that wakes you up during a light sleep phase to avoid the sluggishness that can cause a wake up awake.

Some will be seduced by the discount price of a Medisana WL 450, others will prefer to bet on a safe bet with the Philips HF 3531/01 light awakening. Anyway, there is something for all tastes, all requirements and especially all budgets.

How to choose a luminous therapy alarm clock? Given the diversity of the offer on the market and the prima facie resemblance of the equipment proposed, the question is legitimate.

To avoid the off-road and make the right choice, it will be a matter of ignoring the common points of the main dawn simulators market (progressive lighting, twilight mode, sleek design, compact form) to focus on what makes them differs.

Depending on your needs and your sleep cycle, pay close attention to the programming time that varies on the market between 15 to 90 minutes, the power and the quality of the light (the best dawn simulators welcome a bulb of at least 4 watts), medical CE mark, pledge of quality and security and finally additional functions such as radio, USB port, mini-jack input, backup batteries, “white noise” function or the number of positions of the dimmer.

As with any other device, you should start buying a dawn simulator carefully. This is all the more important because there are counterfeit and ineffective models on the market.

Certain criteria must, therefore, be taken into consideration in order to be sure of making a good choice. In terms of essential characteristics:

When purchasing, it is advisable to opt for simulators equipped with natural light bulbs, which, unlike basic lamps, produce a suitable light that perfectly reproduces the conditions of a sunrise or a twilight.

The advantage here is that in addition, you have the assurance of less eye fatigue. In terms of power, these lamps are 60 W and have a light intensity of at least 300 lux, a minimum for eyelid penetration and posterior, conditioning the brain for awakening or falling asleep.This value, however, does not exceed 350 lux, which is far from the 10,000 lux in light therapy.

As we mentioned earlier: the dawn simulator creates the conditions for sunrise or sunset for a given time. It varies depending on the model chosen and must take into account the specificities of the users because we do not all have the same difficulties to find or out of the alarm clock.

The duration of dawn can range from 15 minutes to an hour and a half. The deadline of this time is materialized by the maximum intensity of the light.

Dawn simulators offer the possibility of programming the duration of the dawn according to your needs, every day. So you can decide to speed up or slow down your waking or falling asleep at will.

Therefore prefer models that concede a wider range of adjustment. This affects the price of the device, so you need to consider your budget.

Apart from the two previous criteria, which are the most important, you must also consider other elements and features. This is for example:

Because we do not present the same profiles, manufacturers equip their devices with a dimmer that adjusts the power of the light scattered, and therefore the pace of dawn, according to his preferences.

Most dawn simulators are equipped with a bright display that can, when the brightness is high, cause discomfort to some users. This, especially when they have trouble getting to sleep.

For this, it is better to focus on devices with a dimmer for adjusting the brightness of the display or simply turn it off. This is the case of the Lumie 300 Elite or Lumie 150.

Even if it is not in this register that we expect it most, a dawn simulator built with a neat design will integrate more easily to your interior design. It will be up to you to choose the simulator whose exterior design suits your tastes.

And, if you want to equip your child’s room, you will find on the market simulators with starred designs and globes decorated in an original way.

Among the other functions of the dawn simulator, we have the mode “Temporary stop”, whose role is to disable the device temporarily, from a dedicated key. This is especially useful when after a day or a tiring evening, you want to extend your sleep.

In addition, you can find advanced models, such as the Lumie 300, that have a “Meditation” mode, very useful for relaxing naturally. So it is possible to choose to simulate your presence by lighting the lamp, to deter any malicious person.

Pre-recorded ringtones are most often incorporated into most dawn simulators to ensure an effective wake-up or sleep. These are for example sounds that mimic the rooster’s song or birds, which naturally act on our brain and cause us to wake up.

On the other hand, to encourage falling asleep, ringtones reproducing the sound of the sea are included in the device. Better, with the generation of white noise, possible with the majority of the simulators, the noise nuisances in the surroundings are ideally absorbed, which brings the calm necessary for the sleep to win us.

The integration of an MP3 player function is part of the latest innovations in the current models. This gives you the possibility to program the music of your choice, so you wake up, or even fall asleep, with your favorite music in the background.

Several dawn simulators have an integrated radio. They can then serve as a radio without triggering the light. The function can also accompany the end of the awakening and thus complete the dawn simulation. You can then start the day with your favorite show.

While lamps used in light therapy have an intensity of the order of 10 000 lux, those equipping a dawn simulator must be at least 300 lux, but generally do not exceed 350 lux, for an average power of 60 W.

The bulbs incorporated in this device are the same as those used during light therapy. They are indeed natural-type lamps, which have the advantage of restoring the colors in their actual hues, for less eye fatigue. With this type of bulbs, the black and white contrasts are ideally enhanced and the glare effects minimized.

Note that it is possible to purchase dawn simulator lamps separately, to replace the failed ones. However, some models of dawn simulator are equipped with irreplaceable LED bulbs and their lifespan is of the order of 10 to 20 years.

Like light therapy, the operation of the dawn simulator is based on the use of light. This explains the fact that we come to consider this accessory as part of the tools of this therapy.

The fundamental difference lies in the intensity of the scattered light, which, in the case of the simulator, is less lively. The modes of action of light therapy and dawn simulator are also different.

Light therapy inhibits the production of melatonin, the hormone responsible for sleep, which is stimulated when you suffer from conditions such as chronic fatigue, mood disorders, depression and others.

With a light whose intensity is of the order of 10 000 lux, this substance is blocked and at the same time, the lack of natural light (accentuated in winter) is compensated. In this way, revivals become less difficult.

The dawn simulator for its part, imitating the sunrise or twilight, synchronizes your natural biological rhythms, supposed to help you fall asleep or wake up, depending on the moment (day or night). This device promotes, so to speak, a better regulation of your natural clock.

Rather than choosing between light therapy and the use of light therapy, it is recommended to combine these two techniques to end difficult awakenings and their consequences on your state of mind.

If you are affected by mood disorders or seasonal depression, consider using the dawn simulator in addition to light therapy. Moreover, this is a sign of benefits that go well beyond the regulation of the biological clock.

Light therapy is indeed known for its benefits including terms of correction of skin imperfections caused by urticaria, eczema, psoriasis or acne.