Compared to the vicious bright white light emitted from the Lumie Zest (click here to read review), I liked the sound of this “dawn simulator” better.
The BodyClock Active 250 is essentially an alarm clock, but one that wakes you up gently with a golden light that gets brighter, the closer you get to the time you have to get up.
The idea is it brings you round in a more natural way, especially in winter months when the sun doesn’t come up until later in the morning, making it particularly hard for night owls (or people who sleep with the curtains/blinds closed), to rouse themselves.
As well we having the choice of 15, 20, 30, 45, 60 or even 90-minute sunrises, you can also create sunsets for going to sleep. Both are pleasant and effective. I also really liked the range of sounds you can choose from to make sure you wake up when you are meant to (sometimes I sleep through the light) – dawn chorus and waves are my favourite, but there is also the sound of a rooster, alarm beep and white noise.
I found the controls a little confusing at first, especially when half asleep – there is a snooze function and a button you can press to dim or brighten the light manually – but I soon got the hang of it. The BodyClock also features a dimmable display and FM radio with digital tuning, and you can use the lamp for reading.
Measuring 19cm x 22cm x 14cm, it weighs 1.02kg and sports a 42W SES halogen bulb. It plugs into the mains.
PROS Sunshine-like light, choice of alarm sounds, feels like a natural way to wake up
CONS Control panel is a little confusing to operate at first
PRICE £99.95
CONTACT lumie.com
Jenny Southan
