We find that waking up to a hideously loud alarm can not only 'jolt' us awake but also set us off in bad mood for the rest of the day. Happily we at The Amazing Blog have discovered that there are ways to prevent this by allowing the natural body clock to take over. Want to know more? Well, if you studied psychology, then the workings of your body clock might be a familiar concept for you, if not then don’t worry, all will be explained.
For instance, did you know that our natural body clock instructs us when to fall asleep and when to wake up? Apparently this to let us know that we have had a sufficient amount of sleep and to keep our brains or body functioning correctly throughout the day. Of course, life in general tends to dictate the disruption of this natural routine with our social and environmental influences (i.e. for many of us going work at 6.30am in the morning - sigh). I have certainly noticed a change in my mood if I wake up naturally with the daylight streaming in through my curtains. The Lumie Bodyclock ACTIVE 250 has a wake-up light also known as a dawn stimulator. It works by gradually increasing a mimicked natural light that slowly wakes you up over a chosen period of 15 to 90 minutes. The light you are exposed to is a signal for your body to ease the production of sleep hormones like melatonin, and increase those that help you get up and go like cortisol. Waking up to a light like this can help keep your sleep cycle on track and boost your mood and energy levels for the whole day. See here for how it works.
Our Exec Ed, Edwina, has been using the Lumie Bodyclock ACTIVE 250 as her new morning alarm. She is notoriously bad at getting up in the mornings (by her own admission) and counts herself as an owl not a lark. Her theory on the matter is that one's body clock is adjusted to the time when we're born to define one as either a night or morning person. She tells us that she has begun to feel a difference using the Lumie Bodyclock and when waking feels more energised. There are also settings for adding 'sounds' when you wake, these are a great addition to the clock and ensure you don't just snooze-on. There are some calmer ones for those who are lighter sleepers, where they can be woken up by Bird Song (Edwina's preference!) Or the Big Ben bell for anyone who needs a more dramatic sound to be nudged out of their sleep. The sounds are all chosen specifically so they complement the light produced. We think that this is great for putting you in a good mood for the day and setting your body clock to run in a harmonious pattern. There is also a snooze feature which is good for anyone who always needs that extra 10 minutes...We also really like the look of the Lumie Bodyclock Zest which is their latest addition, it's fantastic compact version of the other Lumie Bodyclocks so brilliant for traveling and can also be used as a light therapy unit. We think this is the business, particularly for those of us that suffer from SAD Syndrome. we'd really love to test this out...
There are different clocks to chose from depending on what it is you're looking for and how you sleep. The Lumie Bodyclock ACTIVE 250 is £99.95 and with its technologies in our view is money well-spent. So take a look at their website here to see which looks like it is right for you. There is also a great range of other products all of which are designed to help start your day right and put a 'zing' in your step ☺