Sunrise Alarm Clock For Your Circadian Rhythm Health

Sunrise alarm clock is a natural body alarm that can help reset your circadian rhythm. Your best bet is to find a bedroom that has an eastern facing window with natural sunlight coming in. It’s that simple. 🌅

But not always easy, as your room may not be located in that ideal spot. And to change that could mean having to move rooms or move houses entirely.

I’m not suggesting that you do, and I have a few recommendations below if you can’t get the bedroom sunrise view today.

Especially when colder weather rolls around and you don’t feel like getting up early. And a little morning glow could help… both outside and inside you!

Then with warmer weather when the clocks spring forward, it gets a little easier with a March pep in your step from more natural Vitamin D sunshine. That helps us become more daily active in our outdoor activities, gardening, or exercising

And getting outside more is a good start to get a healthy dose of absorbable Vitamin-D (the happy sunshine pill). 💊

Because happiness affects your energy (mood and having more energy) and vice versa.

This can help with getting more quality sleep.

…Where your sleep shouldn’t be completely season and weather dependent. It can be reset with your 24-hour internal clock (circadian rhythm).

And if circadian rhythm is affecting your happiness, then this is one of the first few changes you should aim to make.

Start with your local surroundings. Where do you spend most your time in the day? At night?

Earlier on in my years, I liked to sleep in and stay up late like a night owl. I used to be such a sleepy head. It took me a long time to wake up.🦉

These days, I think I’ve gotten in a better sleeping-waking up cycle because of natural circadian rhythm (another cycle) resets.

That (re)set comes from natural sunrise sunlight.

And is dependent on my bedroom situations (more than months or seasons).

…Where non-east facing bedroom windows encourage sleeping-in later.

I know this from my own experiences waking up in 5 different sunlight exposure environments within a recent 7-year time span. That was a good, eye-opening test.

…Where, in each bedroom, the windows had horizontal window blinds, but different window sizes. And some had more than one window.

But the biggest factor was the different sunlight exposures based on compass directions: north, south, east, or west.

I still find that tool fascinating. It used to be a separate device you could carry around like a compact mirror, and now it’s on some of our devices 🧭

It works whether there’s a window or not.

And the first place I was in had a windowless bedroom in the middle of the apartment. The bedroom had a pocket sliding door and outside that door is where some light naturally flowed in. I slept like a baby, but the dark light never promoted early mornings.

I always had a blaring alarm to wake me up then, and I never felt well-slept. I would have never considered counting on myself to get up or my natural body alarm clock to wake me up.

Waking up at sunrise would’ve been nearly impossible, and many hours away from the time I actually got up. That’s when I started drinking cups of coffee regularly for the first time in my adult life.

In the second place I moved to, the bedroom had northwestern exposure and more than one window. So it was neutral morning bright and I woke up at my then-regular 8 am or so time, in-time to arrive for a 9-5 job that was within a 5-minute commute.

Then in the third bedroom place, it was northeastern exposure and there was a very big square window like the kind you find in hotels. It was so bright in the morning with mirroring windows across the way, that I quickly added dark blue drapes. Because sleeping past sunrise would have been difficult without an eye mask or sunglasses. 🕶️

Those were tough remote working years in that city view, and I had no reason to get up at sunrise as my window was concrete view blocked.

Then in the fourth bedroom situation, the regular-sized window was full-on western exposure with the most beautiful purple and orange sunsets. It was a daily show. But no sunrise view anywhere I could see in any room.

…So there I found myself slipping into a pattern of sleeping-in later and later, as I went to sleep later and later.

And that brings me to today, where my bedroom is directly facing the east. The complete opposite to the previous situation where I always felt tired, even though I loved the sunsets and staying up late.

The flip was intentional. My last moves were not so intentional as I was not as choosy and didn’t realize the affects of sunlight and the circadian rhythm-sleep connection until I lived out my real life scenarios.

Today I naturally wake up to my body’s alarm clock thanks to my circadian rhythm reset.

With big window paned doors on the sunrise side and some shielding trees, I can fully look out at the morning sun. He-llo00 sunshine!

In this natural sunrise alarm clock lifestyle, I have the blinds slightly cracked open and they wake me up naturally. I don’t need an artificial alarm clock to wake me up.

I naturally wake up at sunrise but don’t get up until the 7 o’clock hour every day.

…That’s not sunrise alarm clock time, but much earlier than when I used to get up. And if I wanted to catch an eventful sunrise glow, I could and am well-rested. 🌄

Today is much more healthy, getting 7-8 quality hours of sleep per night. It’s no longer a guilt sentence to get adequate sleep. It’s a healthy move vs. being lazy.

It’s the opposite than when I started adult life.

We’re wiser now as sleep = longevity.

And if you’re not getting enough sleep, like less than 7 hours a night, you’re hurting your health that can show up in many ways.

…It’s not just about moods and cranky irritability. Less sleep can also add to weight gain and aging faster.

For young people, their brains are still developing, so they especially need more sleep. And adults can get more quality sleep with a few habits…

First thing, get sun in your eyes in the AM. This habit over days and weeks will help reset your natural circadian rhythm in your body.

Look at early morning light through a window when you take sips of your warm beverage. And wake up the same time every day no matter what time you go to sleep.

And if you’re like me that likes to look at devices or watch shows late at night, wear good blue blocking glasses. There are different quality glasses, so it pays to do some research as you only get one set of eyes.

…It’s a good habit to wear blocking glasses even for your smaller phones. It will make a big difference to your eyes and sleep health.

And lastly, if you don’t have eastern facing light in your bedroom, you can purchase and set blue lights or a sunrise alarm clock to turn on in the morning.

When I was younger, we had timers that would turn the regular artificial lights on when we were away.

The early bird still catches the warm. And you can get more done, exercise (that could be a new concept!) or read a little more of your book if you wake up a few minutes (or hours) earlier.

You may even surprise yourself as you inch your way closer to waking up at sunrise as your new alarm clock.