I have always struggled with seasonal depression, especially when I lived in Canada. The long, cold and dark winters felt like they had no end, and it was tough to find motivation to do anything, even just going out in the morning at normal times.
What’s even worse is that I didn’t usually have to. I left my office job because I was self-employed and started sleeping later. These habits eventually came to my mind, and as a result my circadian rhythm was completely unshakable.
To re-adjust my sleep schedule, I made the somewhat impulsive decision to buy the Phillips Smart Sleep Wake Upright. My morning routine has changed for the better since buying a product was given years ago. Not only am I woke up every morning at 7am now (YEP – weekends too), but it set me a healthy and happy day and I was able to maintain these habits for years.
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Details of Philips Smart Sleep Wake Upright
Philips SmartSleep Wake Uplight is a traditional morning alarm clock, bedside lamp, and a mild treatment device for seasonal depression (sometimes called sad lamps). This product helps simulate the rising sun (as opposed to loud, aggressive alarms) to wake you up.
price: $179.99 on Amazon
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All the reasons why I love Philips Smart Sleep Wake Upright
The calm sunrise environment was a game changer during the dark winters
I lived in an apartment with little natural sunlight, so I wasn’t waking up to the sun, and I wasn’t in the sun all day long. The mild sunrise setting on the Philips Smart Sleep Wake Upright is programmable to simulate a sunrise before the alarm goes out. This means that my circadian rhythm was fooled by feeling like I was awakened to natural sunlight.
An alarm is a more gentle way to wake up
The alarm clock noise on the wake-up light slows down and gradually increases before the actual alarm goes out. A gentle increase in volume is not overwhelming or stress-inducing like traditional alarms, but allows you to start the day by awakening a more relaxed and comfortable way. Better yet, you can program the alarm noise. I have bird noise and spa-like music. These sounds made me feel good right away, but with my phone alarm I felt like I was starting to feel stressed.
A physical alarm clock will help you clean up your phone before going to bed
Like most people, I wake up in the morning by relying on my cell phone alarm clock. But I don’t need to do that as I use my morning light. This allows you to leave it to recharge elsewhere in the middle of the night. By doing this, I effectively eliminated the seduction I used to scroll through social media before I fell asleep.
Warm light doubles as mood lighting all day long
I tend to live in studio apartments and enjoy maintaining a minimalist lifestyle. That’s why I love how the wake uplights also act as a warm lamp. I tend to set it to about half the perfect lightness, which creates a golden hour-like glow in my apartment all day long.
The post that Philips SmartSleep Make-Right made me on its own was first shown on Real Deal on RetailMenot.
Source: The Real Deal by RetailMeNot – www.retailmenot.com
