Wake-up Happy with Lumie

Usually it’s the brands coming to us, but this time, I got in touch with Cambridge-based light therapy specialist, Lumie, about one of their innovative products I’ve had my eye on.

Why did I bother? Well, once I’m up in the morning I’m a pretty go-getting kind of guy. I clock up about 50 hours a week work, try to get to the gym most days and have a good social life. Although I live a modern man’s lifestyle actually waking up & the mood i wake up in has always been a problem. I’ve no reason to not want to get up, my days are incredibly enjoyable at the moment so I just wanted to get to the bottom of what it’s all about and why I’m not a morning person.

Well it may come as no surprise that it all comes down to sleep and not just how long you sleep for. Turns out how you are awoken plays a big part in the day ahead.

To reiterate this is not a sponsored post, this is me genuinely trying to shake off this irritation so if you’re also not a morning person read on.

I’ve had the Bodyclock Iris by Lumie on trial.  It’s an alarm clock that combines aromatherapy with a simulated sunrise and sunset, helping you relax at bedtime and waking you fully refreshed. It has a 5, 20, 30, 45, 60 or 90-minute sunset and sunrise settings, continuous or intermittent mist diffusion, a choice of a daily or 7-day alarm and nightlight and snooze features.

The sunset is a great way to relax. It’s not quite bright enough to read a book comfortably so it really is for when you are ready to go to sleep. The aromatherapy in the wake-up is also very nice and it’s an indulgent way to start the day but would I be rushing out to refill the oils when they run out, maybe not? What is an absolute game-changer is the sunrise functionality. The only way I can describe it is waking up as you do on a beach holiday every morning, with sun light pouring through your curtains. No one wakes up in a bad mood on holiday and if you do, well, you’re beyond help.

How has something so simple helped me so instantly? Well, studies have shown that wake-up lights that gradually turn on and get brighter during the last 30 minutes of sleep, can reduce complaints of sleep inertia. The light stimulates production of hormones that help us to get up and go, like cortisol, while suppressing those, like melatonin, that bring on sleep. Oversleeping in the morning could also indicate that your body clock is set at a later time than desired. Bodyclock can help to reset the body’s natural rhythms to suit the working day better and help you wake up brighter.

Lumie have more simplified versions which for what I need would have done the job but this time I went for the Ferrari of wake-up lights. The Bodyclock Iris has two aromatherapy chambers, you can easily switch from an appropriate ‘sunrise’ oil such as up-lifting lemon, to a ‘sunset’ oil like relaxing lavender.

Jonathan Cridland, CEO, Lumie explained to me the Aromatherapy add-on; “Aromatherapy is the perfect complement to light therapy – the relaxing properties of lavender oil for example combine with the light to optimise your chances of unwinding properly at bedtime and having a really good night’s sleep. Equally, a more stimulating oil like lemon enhances the positive effect of the gradual sunrise to help you wake up fully refreshed in the morning.”

This is clock really is worth every penny. Bodyclock Iris (RRP £160) is available from Lumie.com