One of the worst things about winter – and indeed life here on earth – is waking up in the dark and cold of a winter morning and dragging yourself out of bed.
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A light alarm can help. Instead of going from fast asleep to shocked into life by a blaring alarm clock, a light alarm will wake you gently, in stages. The colour changing device slowly brightens your bedroom, mimicking the effect of a sunrise and helping you to achieve consciousness more naturally.
The only snag with these devices is that they tend to be on the pricey side. But Lidl has just launched a budget-friendly dupe.
Lidl’s Auriol Light Alarm Clock with DAB+ Radio is available now in shops, until stock runs out. And for a device priced at just £29.99, it’s packed with features.
Lidl
It’s a light alarm with 20 brightness settings. And instead of the usual unpleasant alarm noise, you can wake up to one of eight nature sounds, including birdsong, forest sounds, waves and rain – if, that is, you don’t feel you’re getting enough rain in day-to-day life. Or you can set the radio to come on instead.
There’s also a classic alarm sound, in case you decide you miss that. It has two adjustable alarm times and a snooze function.
The DAB+/FM radio has automatic station search (as well as manual for FM) and 60 station presents: 30 for DAB+ and 30 for FM.
The light alarm can also function as a sleep light, gradually darkening your room before bed, to help you to improve your sleep hygiene. There’s a timer to adjust it for up to 120 minutes, and you can set the radio on a timer as well. You can also use it as a mood light.
Another reason that the Auriol Light Alarm Clock is worth a spot on your bedside table is its USB output for charging your phone.
The Auriol light alarm is available in Lidl shops now. It comes with a three-year warranty. You can’t buy it online, although you can see all the product information on the Lidl website.
A Groov-e alternative
Foundry
If you can’t get to a Lidl, we have a budget-friendly pick of our own, which has the serious advantage of being deliverable to your door: the Groov-e Curve light alarm, which you can get from Amazon for £34.20. It also has FM radio and can double as a mood light, with seven rotating colours and the option to set it to your shade of choice.
As a light alarm, it can be used as either a sunrise or a sunset simulator, so you can improve your sleeping schedule all around.
To find out more about the Groov-e Curve light alarm and to see all of our recommended picks, check out our round-up of the best light alarms we’ve tested.
