Mornings. They greet us every day. Do you rise and shine? Even if you’re one of those who wakes with a little more sand in the eyes, these alarm clocks are guaranteed to put some light into your mornings.
The first person we know of to hatch the alarm clock idea was Levi Hutchins of Concord, New Hampshire in 1787, who needed something to wake him up at 4 a.m. each day. But he only made one, just for himself. Later a French inventor patented the first mechanical alarm clock in 1847. By the late 1870s, the idea gained popularity, and clock manufacturing companies jumped in. The rest is, well, history.
Feeling tired?
With its combination of a bright sunrise and lots of colors, this alarm clock makes waking up in the morning as natural as the sunrise. This alarm clock actually simulates the sun rising by increasing illumination from just one-tenth brightness to fully bright within 30 minutes. We think this is a clever idea since it synchs with the natural process of increasing serotonin in your brain as you gradually wake up with the daylight. You can also set the “sunrise” timer to either 10- or 20-minute intervals. We love the seven rainbow-colored rays of sunshine, each with 20 lighting levels. There are even nature sounds to gently nudge you awake.
Buy: Wake Up Light Sunrise Alarm Clock
Stylish design
The understated design of this wooden alarm clock suits any guest room, bedroom, or office. With three alarms, you have no excuse not to get up, even if the dog is keeping your feet oh-so-warm. You can set the alarms to go off just on the weekdays. We love the easy-to-read clock and appreciate the daily weather updates, too. The sleek, simple design makes a great gift for the hard-to-shop-for people on your list.
Buy: Digital Alarm Clock, with Wooden Electronic LED Time Display
Tons of features
A cool design with a projection alarm clock gives this model double the wake-up power. A little bit of everything – a big digital clock, a time projector, and loads of stations (more than 60 of them!) – are just a few of the reasons we love this alarm clock. Go ahead and rotate that cool clock projector to shine on the wall or the ceiling. If you’ve got a sound sleeper in the bunch, this alarm clock offers 7 alarm tones, from birds tweeting to annoying beeping, in 6 volume levels. The attached USB port can also be used to charge other devices, making it great for the teens in your life.
Update your accommodations
This alarm clock gives all the techies what they want in an alarm clock, which is oodles of features not relating to waking up in the morning. Isn’t it great to wake up recharged in the morning? Your phone thinks so, too. The Qi-enabled charger allows for cord-free charging. There’s also a free USB port. Every morning we appreciate the sound quality, specifically the subwoofer when we play some Lane 8 first thing in the morning through the Bluetooth speaker. The soft round design fills your room with so much great music, you’re going to have to get outta bed and get moving.
Buy: Bedside Radio Alarm Clock with USB Charger
Easy to read
Everyone in the family over that certain age should get one of these jumbo-digit display alarm clocks. It’s also got a USB port to charge her phone, tablet, pad, or that electric photo frame with all the baby pictures in there. It’s simple to adjust the alarm volume so nobody is jarred awake or sleeps through bocce ball practice. Install 3 AAA batteries (not included with the clock) and in the event of a power loss, it will recall your time and alarm settings.
Buy: DreamSky Compact Digital Alarm Clock
Cyndi Mathews is a contributing writer to Florida Travel & Life, an online brand that inspires active, affluent travelers, providing them with insider information on discovering the best of Florida. Informative and engaging, the website showcases travel destinations, arts and cultural venues, vibrant dining scenes, recreational activities, the great outdoors and the revitalized real-estate market. Cyndi recently published her first book and enjoys traveling to Florida in her sailboat.
