OK, so now you know that the brightness of the bulb is an important consideration when choosing the right sunrise alarm clock for you. The better units have high-intensity 60Watt or better lamps in them. They are bright enough to read by. Make sure the unit you get has easily replaceable lamps in it or you may be in for a disappointing surprise when the lamp goes. What other features should you be looking for? Your clock should have variable fade in and fade out times. Normally, clocks of this type come with a 30 minute fade in and fade out time. This simply means that your sunrise will take 30 minutes to go from complete darkness to light.

Some sunrise alarm clocks have more advanced features. Some of these features include the ability to play mp3 files to wake you up. The better units have built-in memory card readers so you can swap your music in seconds. I like this setup because I am easily bored and I want to be able to switch from music files to nature sounds whenever I feel like it without having to plug a computer into the alarm clock. The standard amenities should also be there like a large snooze button to get a little more sleep, seven day alarm settings, an AM/FM radio that actually has good reception and so on.

First of all, the type of lamp inside the unit is an important consideration. Some units are simply too dim to wake you up. What good is a sun alarm clock if it is not bright enough to wake you up? Obviously, it is no good. Some clever manufacturers have a novel solution to this problem. Rather than going with a large wattage bulb inside the clock which may cause heat issues, they include a wall plug that you can plug your own lamp into. You plug your lamp into this device and then plug it into the wall. When it comes time to wake you up, the clock will fade your lamp in and out to simulate sunrise and sunset. This type of arrangement is most efficient and flexible. You are not tied to the internal lamp of the clock which is a good thing because those lamps don’t last forever.

Most people also need sound to wake up in the morning. To accomplish this, a good sun alarm clock will have built in sounds to wake you up. Typical sounds include nature sounds, ocean sounds, rain sounds, etc. In addition to nature sounds, some units allow you to load your mp3 music files into them for added flexibility. Then the standard AM/FM radio is usually included. If you live in an area with poor reception, you’ll be thankful for the built in nature sounds and the option to use your own mp3 files.