How to Build a Sunrise Alarm Clock
If you are a person who hits the snooze button on your alarm clock 10 times, or must have your alarm clock on the loudest setting and you still don't hear it, you may do better waking up gradually to light. Our bodies are more sensitive to light than sound, and waking to light is a more natural and less jarring way to start your day. It is easy to make a low-cost sunrise alarm clock out of a lamp, so you can get rid of that annoying and noisy clock. Does this Spark an idea?
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Inexpensive lamp with an adjustable neck
- Light bulb less than 60W
- Electric wall timer
Instructions
-
-
1
An inexpensive lamp with an adjustable neck is the first item needed. Buy an inexpensive lamp with a long neck. The neck should be adjustable so you can position the lamp to shine on your face.
-
2
A regular incandescent bulb will not last as long as a halogen or fluorescent bulb. Fit the lamp with a low wattage bulb -- less than 60W. A halogen bulb is the best for the environment, and both halogen and fluorescent bulbs last longer than incandescent bulbs.
-
-
3
An inexpensive timer will turn your lamp on and off. Buy a timer at a hardware store. Plug the timer into the wall. Plug your lamp into the timer. Set the timer to the current time of day.
-
4
The timer will have two pins -- a green pin to turn your item on and a red pin to turn the item off. Set the green pin to 15 to 20 minutes earlier than you'd like to wake up. Move the red pin to at least one half-hour after you want to be up.
-
5
The light will gradually wake you. The lamp will go on 15 to 20 minutes before you want to wake up. If it seems you are waking up right away, you can adjust this to five minutes before you want to wake up. The lamp will shut itself off in a half-hour and be automatically set for the next day.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
The light will stay on for a half-hour. If you are slow to wake up and you think it may take longer, set the red pin for up to an hour. Unplug your timer on the weekends if you want to sleep in.
Incandescent and halogen bulbs burn very hot. They will also heat up the lamp. Be careful not to put this type of lamp very near your face. Test the timer first before using it to wake you.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit girl with an alarm clock image by mashe from Fotolia.com lamp image by Marek Kosmal from Fotolia.com bulb image by AGphotographer from Fotolia.com plug in timer image by leafy from Fotolia.com woman in light image by jimcox40 from Fotolia.com
