Waking up has never been my strong suit. Actually, neither has falling asleep. Modern humans keep weird hours, and as one of those modern humans I go to bed at weird hours and wake up hours after sunrise in a room darkened by blackout curtains. Almost all of us need more sleep.

Sunrise alarms are one way of coping with the fact that most of us no longer go to bed or rise with our natural sleep cycles. They simulate gradual sunsets at night and gradual sunrises in the morning to help you wake up more naturally by tricking your biological hardware. I’ve tested the best sunrise alarm clocks—and a few of the worst—on the market. These are my favorites.

Check out our many other buying guides, such as the Best Mattresses, the Best Weighted Blankets, and the Best Sound Machines, all of which could help you get a better night’s sleep.

Updated March 2021: We’ve mentioned the La Crosse Soluna and updated pricing throughout.

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