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I'm Shay! I’m a cookbook author, lifestyle blogger, travel agency owner, wife and mama who loves making every day special for my family.

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Mix & Match Mama

Health & Fitness, Wellness ·

Sunrise Alarm Clock


Happy Wellness Wednesday, friends!

I have a variety for you today.

If you want to look a bit ahead at FALL AND CHRISTMAS (in July!), make sure you check out THIS POST.

If you want a little wellness, stay right here because…last week, YOU influenced me!

Last Wednesday, I shared about how I’m trying to be intentional and have “soft mornings” and so many of you suggested ditching my iPhone as my alarm clock and looking into a “sunrise alarm clock” instead.

I was intrigued.

There were a variety of suggestions, but I decided to buy myself…

…THIS SUNRISE ALARM CLOCK (because the price point was low should I not love it).

On Monday night, I opened the box…

…I read the very quick instructions and got mine all set up.

You can switch out the nightlight colors…

…or not use the nightlight feature at all (I opted to turn my nightlight off because I prefer it be dark).

I set my alarm for the next morning (for 5:00 AM) which meant that the “sunrise” stuff would start happening at 4:40 AM.

I turned on the optional sound machine (I loved that feature!) and went to sleep.

You guys, this was an actual conversation I had with myself around 4:55 this morning…

Me in my head: This is so cool.

Me in my head: Wow, this is really working.

Me in my head: I can’t wait to tell Andrew.

Me in my head: My kids need one of these.

Me in my head: I hope Andrew doesn’t hate it.

Ha! I legit LOVED IT!  It was such a far departure from how I normally wake up.  Instead of being in a deep slumber and then bolting upright at the sound of a screeching alarm clock, twenty minutes before I was supposed to wake up, light softly started filling my room and the sound machine switched off and instead it was birds chirping. It all got a bit brighter/louder until 5:00 when it was at the brightest/loudest.

Crazy cool.

I do have a few questions for those of you who have one of these things…

1: If you sleep with someone else, how do you use this clock with two people waking up at two different times.  Does it bother the other person?

2: Do you ever get too accustomed to the “softness” and therefore not wake up?

If I’m being honest, I set the alarm on my iPhone to 5:10 as a back up because I was doubtful that the “sunrise” would wake me up, but it most certainly did.  It was really such a better way to wake up.  The best way I can describe is that it was like waking up on vacation with the light coming in through the window.  It was very calm and relaxing and didn’t feel like “oh crap, it’s 5:00 AM, and I have to get up”.

I would love any tips you have if you also wake up this way.

Thank YOU for influencing me.  I am a BIG fan!

Don’t forget, if you’re working on better sleep and a better morning, you might want to check out my posts on MY OURA RING as well as SAVORING MORNING RITUALS.  Plus, check out my FALL AND CHRISTMAS IN JULY post today too!

If you have a sunrise alarm, let me know your thoughts, tips, and tricks! xx

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Comments

  2. Katie Compton says

    I’m so intrigued by this and love that you got out and tried it out for all of us, ha! My only hesitation is the waking of different times with my husband, AND the sleep sounds turning off. Is there a way to make them continuous until wake up time? We are the type that BOLT awake when the power goes out and our white noise machine is silenced. 😊

  3. Suzanne says

    I love my Hatch alarm too!!
    My teenage daughter has one as well and it really helped with getting her up for school this spring.

  4. Anne Marie says

    Hi, do you think that the clock would still wake you up if you sleep with an eye mask?

    • Mix and Match Mama says

      Oh, I don’t sleep with an eye mask, so I’m not 100% sure, but I think it would.

    • Jenn Workman says

      Anne Marie, I recently started sleeping with an eye mask because I found that even a little light was disruptive to my sleep, so I want it dark, dark haha. My eye mask provides so much coverage (it is amazing!) that my Hatch alarm doesn’t wake me up when I wear it. Boo. So I had to choose if I wanted a more peaceful wake-up experience, or a better sleep experience! But if you have an eye mask that isn’t as full-coverage as mine, it may work for you.

  5. Ashley Rodriguez says

    I have been seeing these everywhere. Thanks Shay! I get up at 0500am too when back at work (school life). I really like that you don’t dread waking up and that it is actually a pleasant experience! I am wondering if it will bother my light sleeper husband though. He gets up at 0600 and always says he enjoys the summers because he doesn’t have to hear my 5am alarm-ha! My questions are your questions too so I will definitive be following! Enjoy the last days of vacation. Sounds like school starts up early like us in TN too!

  6. Pam E. says

    I don’t have one yet was intrigued by the idea after reading your post! It’s on my Amazon list just patiently waiting. Glad to hear you are liking it . It just seems such a peaceful way to start your day!

  7. Kristen says

    Immediately purchasing! I’m currently at the beach and waking up to the sunrise on the ocean. I was literally thinking this morning how serene it is!

  8. Erika Slaughter says

    Can you imagine if birds started chirping HOURS before Tab had to be up? 😂😂 This won’t work for the Slaughter marriage.

  9. Therese says

    Oh, I am so intrigued! Def want to hear feedback from anyone who may wake up at different times than their partner. I’m married to a commercial airline pilot and sometimes he absolutely needs to sleep later than me! He also hates the sound of my alarm and the fact that I’m a “snoozer.” This may be an awesome alternative!

  10. Faith says

    Thanks for sharing! I want to try this instead of using my phone (my husband hates my phone alarm) but didn’t want to pay for a fancy brand. Two of my daughters do have the hatch alarm that they bought themselves but it is pricey. I’m going to try this one!

  11. Laci says

    I have a really old Hatch sound machine and it offers this too. I love waking up to the brighter room and birds over my alarm. I agree, for the price point I will be purchasing this next when my Hatch gives out.

  12. Paula Hobbs says

    Ohhhhhhhhhh, I have been SO intrigued since the comments about this clock last week. Thank you for doing the Lord’s work, Shay!! haha 🙂 I have never added to cart so fast! So, excited to add this to my soft mornings.

  13. Laura Denton says

    Interesting! I’ve always been doubtful if these would work. We have skylights in two of our bedrooms so we get, and sleep right through, the natural sunrise.
    Also wondering if your dogs react. I’m sure they’d get used to the bird sounds in the house but I’d imagine mine would initially not be pleased.

    • Mix and Match Mama says

      I only have Poppy in my room right now and she has been completely unfazed. I didn’t think about what Charlie and Yankee might think…I’ll let you know.

  14. Courtney says

    Does this help a teen who is soooo DIFFICULT to wake up and get out of bed? His job this summer has been to research annoying alarms to wake him up as me going upstairs 10,000 times nagging him to get out of bed is not good for anyone. Any suggestions??

    • Diane Moore says

      I am past that stage (my son is now 36 and a fully functional adult). When he was a teen, started putting about 1-2 tsp of water in a cup and tossing it on him if he didn’t get up. It only takes a couple of times and they get the point. Make it his problem, not yours, if he won’t get up 😉

  15. Angela P says

    I have used it for years and for some reason it doesn’t wake up my husband. In all of my time i think i overslept one time. If i have a flight to catch or really need to be somewhere i use a backup. It does make getting up much easier.

  16. C says

    I’ve had mine for a couple years now and absolutely love it still! I have the hatch restore 2. I’ve never not woken up from it, but I always set my iPhone alarm for about 10 minutes after because I’m scared one day I won’t wake up.

  17. Elizabeth S says

    I love this idea of waking up to birds and not the blaring alarm. Thank you for this post. I get such good information here. Never would have happened upon Zoe Health podcast. It is my favorite!

    Thank you!

  18. K.K. says

    I had a sunrise alarm clock as well, but then I got married!! I will be reading comments if there’s a way to work this out well. (I’m the early bird.)

  19. Maria says

    Shay, I’m so happy to hear hear you love it!!! Yes! It’s like waking up on vacation. No shock to your system. You do have to “play” with it to see what combo works best for you. I found that I like my room pitch dark so the clock itself I keep very dim. I use no sound, just sunrise. I’ve found I don’t need the full hour sunrise mine begins 30 mins before my alarm which means full brightness will be at my alarm time. I am always awake before then. I also set a back up iPhone alarm in the beginning as well. This clock is a perfect trial clock then good one to pass on to kids. I like the Hatch for the App so it’s easier to change alarm times. This one is good if you have the same alarm daily. Enjoy!

  20. Aline says

    I got my kids this alarm clock when they started kinder and i have never had to wake them up for school! its amazing! i also tell people is like light coming thru the window 🙂

  21. Anne says

    Hi Shay! Totally understand if you prefer not to share this, but curious what changes, over the last few years since you’ve gotten more into overall wellness, you have seen or felt in yourself? Do you still buy the same size in most clothes? Do you feel very different on a day-to-day basis? Thanks!

    • Mix and Match Mama says

      I think that’s a great question. I actually have a blog post coming up sort of/kind of on that realm. In short, I’ve never been older than I am today and yet, I’ve never felt better.

      • Maggie says

        I love this comment! I think that so often in our culture we’re obsessed with health being about being skinny or a certain size when really it’s truly how you feel in your body. How are you able to better show up for the people you love because of making better decisions? How are we celebrating the bodies God gave us by moving and taking care of them? I just super appreciate that your health and wellness isn’t about size but much more a holistic look at how taking care of ourselves allows us to show up better equipped for the things God has planned for us.

        • Laura Holmes says

          I love your comment so much that I took a screenshot of it to remember how you phrased this. What a wonderful way to look at things.

  22. Jennifer Maynard says

    My daughter actually just got this the other day after I refused to get her to the Hatch alarm clock. Ha!

  23. Krista Dragoo says

    I use my watch so it vibrated but I love the idea of waking up slowly. My husband is a light sleeper so I’m worried it would wake him.

  24. Maggie says

    I have the Hatch Restore and love it! Turning on my light in the morning is no longer blinding because the Hatch has already made it light in there – definitely more peaceful. I do sleep through the light occasionally (especially when I’m REALLY tired), but the birds wake me up every time. My 3 year old was in my room when the birds started their chirping recently and he was *amazed* LOL.

  25. Karah Stracener says

    Okay I am very intrigued and I think I need to add this to my cart now. I hate alarms in the morning but its the only way I will wake up. I just love my bed oh so much. I am excited to try this out. During the school year my husband and I wake up at the same time so I don’t think that will be an issue.

  26. Jill L says

    Oh Shay, I’m so glad you tried this. I had mentioned we have a Hatch. Got it at Marshall’s for a great price. I’m not a gadget person, but like I said it was shocking how good this was and the birds are wonderful. I thought, really birds, like am I weird, but this weird?! But it’s so good! The convo with yourself that you posted was it! I was nodding and laughing at how you nailed it. Honestly, I still do this. Ha!

  27. Julia says

    I’ve been eyeing these forever! Are there different sounds to choose from? I’m probably in the minority here but I hate the sounds of birds chirping and that would be a horrible way for me to wakeup – hah!

  28. Angie says

    Love it! I’ve used one of these for at least 10 years, and my kids have them as well. I use the radio function on mine as the ‘alarm’, and once it’s actually time for the alarm to go off, the radio slowly fades in to the volume you have set so it’s not abrupt either! But I’m usually almost awake due to the ‘sunrise’ 🙂 My daughter almost never gets to the point where the actual alarm goes off, she wakes up with the ‘sunrise’. Because it’s such a gentle wake up, on the days my husband and I get up at different times, I’m usually able to turn it off before it wakes him up all the way. So glad you love it!!

  29. Astrid says

    This sounds so cool! I am blind (with a tiny bit of light perception) so would likely not benefit from the sunrise feature but waking up to birds chirping sounds great. Will check back to read your post on the improvements you feel in yourself since starting your wellness journey.
    Astrid
    https://astridetal.com/

  30. Erin says

    My husband and I get up at the same time, so it works. I can say for 100 percent sure it would wake him and he would hate it if that weren’t the case. It would be a deal breaker.

  31. Jaimee Shaffer says

    I think this is just what I need, thank you for sharing your thoughts on it so quickly! I’ve been sleeping with YouTube fireplace/rain all night and absolutely prefer to wake up to “natural light”. Appreciate your content around wellness and life in general. Enjoy the rest of summer with your kiddos and family!

  32. Cris says

    Hi, Shay! I’ve had something similar to this for a while, and I love it! I don’t think that mine has the sound feature (but I’m going to check it now that I know that’s a thing!), so as a backup I use the Sleep Cycle app which I’ve been using for years. Sleep Cycle wakes me up with a gradual fade up of sound. So far, I always wake up to the light, which doesn’t bother my husband, but I already know that the gradual sound from the app will wake me up if I sleep through the “sunrise.”

  33. Erin says

    I’ve had it in my cart since last week. So curious for Andrew’s reaction. We mostly wake up at the same time over here, but wondering about those mornings when we don’t.

  34. Lindsey Buck says

    Thanks for this post! We’ve been looking at the Phillips one for our teenagers – bus comes at 6:40 (never heard of the Hatch and out of our price range), but I love how you got a knockoff and it’s working great!

  35. Megan Perkins says

    Came back to read all the comments regarding couples that wake up at different times and whether or not this could still work. Seems like many of us have the same question and not too many have the answer. I’ve always wanted something like this, but I really think my light sleeping husband would get annoyed.

  36. Sheri says

    I have used natural light alarm clocks for over 20 years. I live in Seattle and it is a must for winter time. Mine has an optional alarm built in but I have never needed it. That light does amazing things to your brain.
    I just asked my husband and he said it never wakes him up
    Glad you discovered it. They are the best.

  37. Tricia says

    Love the sunrise alarm! I have had one for years and it was a game changer!! If you live somewhere that’s pitch dark on winter mornings (hello, New England!) it is a life saver of a product!!!

  38. Nova says

    I’m so happy for you that you tried this and liked it! My husband and I have programmed our hue smart lights in our bedroom to simulate this concept of sunrise since about 2017. Since I had a baby a few years ago I wanted to be able to sleep not on the schedule and wear an eye mask so my husband can still get the dawn light simulation.

  39. Tabitha says

    Hi Shay! My husband gifted me the Hatch Restore for Christmas because we were both trying to keep our phones charging downstairs instead of beside our bed, and we have loved it!! We usually get up at the same time, but occasionally, I have an early morning Pilates class and once I wake up, I just turn it off and reset the alarm for when he normally wakes up. (There’s probably a way to just set two alarms but most morning we just use one.) He will do the same for me if I’ve been up through the night with a baby and need a little extra sleep or something along those lines. Usually one of us resets it before the other is fully awake if we are waking up at two different times. Not sure if that helps, but it’s what has worked for us! We have both so much preferred the gentler wake up than phone alarms though (although we still almost always set a backup if we have an early morning flight to catch haha) Thanks for sharing!!

    • Mix and Match Mama says

      Thank you SO MUCH for the tips! This is my only hesitation about this type of clock.

  40. hammnondzoo says

    So I am giving this a try, and I have the birds chirping. It has been nice awakening to that sound. My only concern is that you plug it in, and we have had the experience where person A, who uses a traditional alarm clock, did not wake up when the power went off, whereas person B, who uses their phone, did wake up. Does that cause you any concern (power outages)? I’m still adjusting to all the choices. I’m not confident that I am currently turning it off the right way in the morning- LOL. I do have the snooze figured out, and I love the sounds for my wind-down before falling asleep.

    • Mix and Match Mama says

      These are great questions! I didn’t even think about a power outage (which happens around here more than I’d like).

  41. Courtney Cammarano says

    I love my hatch and the sunrise really does gently wake me up, along with the soft musical tones that begin at the alarm set time. I honestly think that that alone would wake me at 5am, but I do frequently also wear my Apple Watch to bed and set that as an alarm. That one is mostly haptic (I think it has a small chirp to it?). And both things together are so gentle and personalized that neither really bother my husband at all.

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