Natural Wake-Up Call

*This post is written in partnership with Philips. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.

I generally have a hard time falling asleep. My mind just runs and runs for hours. I’d like to think that’s when all my best ideas come, but truthfully, it’s just my anxiety listing out everything on my to-do list and going over it again and again. When I eventually do fall asleep, the next thing I hear is a blaring iPhone alarm. Not exactly a recipe for a good night’s rest!!

To help me get to sleep easier and make my morning less of a struggle, I’m giving the Philips Somneo Sleep and Wake-Up Light a try. It mimics a natural sunrise, so you wake up gently rather than with a sudden jolt. It’s clinically proven to help you feel more rested and energetic, so it’s exactly what I need.

Right now, I have the sunrise set to 20 min. In that time, it gradually transitions from full darkness, to a slight amber glow, to a bright sunshine. The full sunrise finishes at your set alarm time and you can program the Somneo to play nature sounds, chimes, bells, or even the radio. Mine is set to birds chirping and the wind rustling tree branches. It’s really peaceful.

In the summer, my bedroom gets a ton of light in the morning, but in the winter, it can be pretty dark. This will be a perfect way to stay on track with my day no matter what the weather is outside. I have also been using it as a mood light when we’re almost ready for bed, but are still on our computers. I just set it to 20% and it gives the room a nice glow without using our overhead light.

Another super cool feature is the RelaxBreathe+. It’s a wind-down setting that guides you through a bedtime breathing exercise. It’s meant to calm your body and mind so you drift off to sleep relaxed. Hoping it helps with my anxious mind at night! Philips actually used this feature during a yoga/mediation press event last month. Philips is also offering a free 3 month subscription to Headspace (the mediation app) if you purchase a Somneo before Dec 31, 2018 and register on Philips.com/headspace.

I added the Philips Somneo to my Amazon Otter shop, so click here to check it out!