When someone who woke up at the crack of stupid as long as Erin Davis did gives you a recommendation that she says will make wake-up time easier, you listen. You don’t have to wake up at 3:15 am to relate, but it helps.
On my recent visit to Victoria, Erin sent me home with her spare Philips Wake-up Light. It looks like a huge spotlight but it’s really a small sun. The idea is simple and effective. The light mimics the sunrise, fooling your body into believing your ridiculous wake-up time is actually normal. The sun, or light, slowly increases in intensity (and in colour, if you wish) accompanied by soft music or an FM radio station, if you choose.
The change is dramatic. For years – decades, even – a sharp alarm has gone off and my feet hit the floor before my brain even knows what’s happening. It’s a jarring way to start the day in the dead of night when the birds cry out, “Shaddup, we’re sleepin’ ovah heah!” (My birds sound like mobsters from Goodfellas.)
With the light, it’s a gentle arousal that feels natural. Your brain slowly understands that the sun is rising and your body starts to react as if it’s the easiest thing in the world to wake up when the party crowd is just thinking about calling it a night. That shock to the system I’ve felt for decades – gone. It’s as if it really is simply just time to get up. Best. Gift. Ever. Thanks to the woman who knows what she’s sleeping about! Thanks Erin.
On Fridays I run a Really Late Review in this space. Please send me your review of any movie, TV show, music, podcast, book – as long as it’s not brand new – to lisambrandt1@gmail.com.
That sounds like an absolutely great device and I wish I had one back when I woke up at time stupid, but even now it could come in handy.
I have one. Do you not have or use a backup? Mine will also beep eventually if I want it to, just in case. I’m not sure why I stopped using it.
I have a backup – my iPhone alarm that grabs me by the throat and drags me out of bed! But I’m happy to say that I haven’t had to use it since I started using the light and I wake up happier and calmer. 🙂
This makes me SO happy! I was preaching to my co-workers about these lights but they all have spouses who would not appreciate the light coming in. So you’re lucky! But thanks to the Dr. who recommended this as a way to maintain (ha!) my sanity. It was a real gift and I wish I’d been using one for the past 30 years!!!!!!!!!
Me too! But I’m grateful that I can wake up more gently now. What a change from leaping out of bed like someone has hit me with a hot (audio) poker.