Philips SmartSleep Wake-up Light, Colored Sunrise and Sunset Simulation, 5 Natural Sounds, FM Radio & Reading Lamp, Tap Snooze, HF3520/60

I use the Wake Up light for two reasons: waking up in the morning and winding down at night. It’s really helpful during gray months and the winter time when the sun isn’t shining bright in the morning. I also use it at night when I’m getting ready for bed. It has different light settings that I can control the brightness in the room. I usually put a low glow on in the room to help my brain wind down rather than have the overhead light on. I really like the ocean noise for my alarm sound!

If you just want to know if this lamp is effective and whether I recommend it, the answer is YES!!! If you want to know why I say so, read on: For the first time in years I am able to get up on time and have energy in the mornings! My ability to sleep through alarms is legendary among my family, friends, and roommates. I generally set 8 or more alarms and manage to sleep through all of them, often for over an hour without ever waking up. I have tried music alarms, annoying buzzer alarms, phone alarms, even "never late" alarms that are supposed to be impossible to sleep through. When I did wake up I was always groggy often for over an hour and had a very hard time getting moving. I finally set my bed facing east under my big bedroom window and made myself sleep with the blinds open so the sun would help me wake up, but the city lights coming through the window at night made it difficult to fall asleep and even when I did sleep, I did not wake feeling rested. Also, if it was overcast outside I would not wake up to my alarms. I recently moved to a new city (where I do not get sun streaming through my windows in the morning) and started graduate school, and I could not afford to continue this pattern of sleeping through alarms. Since I got the Wake-up Light I have yet to sleep through my alarm. It is truly a miracle! Where before I had a hard time getting out of bed by 8 and remained groggy until I'd been at work for over an hour, I now wake up between 5am and 6am (usually waking just before the alarm goes off) and I practically bounce out of bed, even if I only got 3 or 4 hours of sleep (I have chronic insomnia, so this happens more often than not). The sunset function has also helped me with my insomnia, allowing me to make my room a calm and peaceful place as I wind down for bed. I used to use the sunrise simulator on the sunlamp that I used for seasonal depression, but the light was too intense, and I often woke with a headache. And if the head of the lamp wasn't turned just right or if I turned away from it, I did not get sufficient light to wake me up. The full-face light on Phillips lamp is gentle (no headaches), but very effective. It lights the whole room, so even if I turn away from it in the night, I still get at least some of the effect. I still set a second alarm, just in case I don't wake up to the "nature sounds" on the lamp, but I've yet to sleep past my back-up, which is still a vast improvement. Overall, if you have problems getting to sleep or problems waking p, GET THIS LAMP!

purchased this unit online just to see if it would help getting up in the dark. After about a months use, can say it seems to help a little, but sleep habits are just as important if not more. Having some knowledge of sleep, I know the most important part of waking up refreshed is getting enough sleep, but the portion of the sleep cycle is important too, (at least the first 15 minutes or so). We sleep in cycles about 90 minutes in length, reaching the deep levels of sleep at various times during this cycle. If one were to be awakened during one of these deep phases, it would take longer to feel fully awake as you are coming out of a deeper level than if just naturally waking on your own, (without an alarm). So our sleep habit is the most important part of waking refreshed and alert. (i.e.: I need ~9 hours of sleep to feel refreshed. If I go to sleep at 10PM, and wake at 0700AM; I will have my 9 hours sleep and completed 6 cycles of sleep. If I stay up til 11PM, then wake at 0700AM, I will have had 8 hours sleep, but more importantly only 30 mins of the 6th cycle, and awaken during a deep phase of that cycle). So going to sleep and waking at the same times every day is the most important part of waking refreshed and ready to go. This device wakes one gently, and can be effective with the gradual increase of light as well as the audible effects. The interesting point is that the subtle stimuli of light will wake you if you are in light sleep, (also known as theta wave sleep). If you are in deep sleep, (also known as delta wave sleep), you probably won't wake until the light and audio alarms pull you out. This is an excellent way of determining your natural cycle end point given a fixed onset of sleep time. If you require the light and audio, adjust your onset of sleep time forward or back so that you are waking with just the light. When you awaken with the light alone, you know you have awakened near the end of your sleep cycle, as you naturally would on a day you do not use the alarm to wake up, (such as a day off). Of course, many people having difficulty getting to sleep to start. But with persistence, one can 'learn' to get to sleep easier by maintaining the same sleep wake cycle…everyday. (Not easily done in todays world though). Anyway… this device is effective, but only if you get the sleep you need. If I would only get 4 hours of sleep, I would still wake up tired. The gradual increase in light takes a while to adjust to your level of sensitivity, and the audible program can be set to be stimulating enough to arouse one from deep, delta wave sleep. The buttons around the edges require a bit of getting use to, but once you learn the relative positions, they are fairly easy to operate. The gradual decreasing light function when going to sleep is beneficial to me as I enjoy reading before going to sleep, and it helps remind me when I should put the book down, (as opposed to getting just another chapter in…). Long term effects and reliability yet to be determined, but I will try to report them after 6 months to a year.

I purchased this sunrise simulator alarm clock almost 5 and a half years ago (September 2016). I am happy to see it is still available on Amazon. The price doesn't appear to have changed much, but perhaps that's just because this thing is so great!! I use this every day. This gives you the option for two alarm settings, so I have one set for weekdays and another set for weekends. My wake-up sound of choice? Birds chirping. There are a few other serene sounds you can choose as well. About a half hour before your alarm is set to go off, the sunrise simulator starts up. It starts with a dull, deep red and gradually gets brighter, then goes orange and gradually gets brighter and more golden, then it starts going white the brighter it gets until your alarm goes off. When the alarm goes off, it starts off quiet and gradually gets louder. You can choose how loud you want the alarm to get. You have three options at this point. You can either press the alarm button to reset it for the next day, press the alarm button twice to shut off the alarm completely until you press it again to turn it back on, or you can tap the clock (or the table it's sitting on, which is what I do) for it to snooze for 9 minutes. It will snooze for up to an hour before resetting itself for the next day. You will have to turn the light off yourself regardless of which option you choose. I do wish the alarm didn't auto shut off after an hour though, but I think the reason behind it is in case you forget to hit the alarm button to reset it or shut it off. I've done this on occasion and came back into my room after a shower with the alarm going off, but it will shut itself off eventually. This is not a smart device, in that it doesn't connect to wifi or bluetooth. You will have to change the clock twice a year for daylight saving time. I don't usually use the radio, but I have bumped the button a few times to know it works. It does come with an attached antenna as well, which is just a thin rubber coated wire. I don't typically use the sunset/sleep setting to really have anything to say about it other than it works. One thing I like about the clock display is it auto brightens and auto dims according to the room's light setting. The clock is dull enough when the lights are out that it won't bother you if you're trying to sleep and the clock will brighten in sunlight or when the lights are on so you can see it better. Also, you're able to choose the clock to display a 24 hour clock or 12 hour clock (00:01 to 23:59 or 12:00-11:59am to 12:00-11:59pm). I also use this as a bedside lamp as well, if I've got the TV on or if I'm reading a book. I like that there are 20 brightness settings. It can also be used as a night light. One con is trying to navigate the buttons. It's tougher when the light is at full brightness because you can't see the buttons very well. There are three buttons together at the top left for brightness down, light on/off, and brightness up. There is a small brail-type dot on the on/off button but it's not noticeable enough not to accidently change the brightness when you're trying to turn it off. You more or less need to close your eyes and let your sense of touch figure it out for you. It's really not that big of a deal though, just a little annoying. The only time I've bumped the radio button or the sunset button is because I don't always use the second alarm and I'm trying to figure out which button is which. Overall, I love this thing! It really works, though nothing will ever be as good as actually waking up to the sun coming in. This is a particularly important tool to have if you suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) or have blackout curtains because you work midnight shifts, or maybe you're just not a morning person. Waking up to a nature sound is a nice touch too. I want to make note that some reviews have mentioned not being able to replace the light bulb or the light stops working in 2-3 years... again, I have had this for 5 years and 4 months now and I have never had the light stop working. It's still going strong. And I use this 5-7 days per week and have since I purchased it. The only things about it I wish were different are making the buttons easier to navigate when the light is bright (best way I can do this now is turning the brightness down before trying to discover the on/off button) and I wish the clock changed automatically in accordance to Daylight Saving Time. If anything does happen to this one, though, I will most definitely be purchasing another. Update January 2026: 7 months shy of 10 years... it died. I got up in the middle of the night to use the toilet, turned on the light on the sunrise simulator which I keep set low like a nightlight, took a few steps towards my bedroom door, and it turned off. No clock either. I had been noticing the past maybe 2 weeks that it had been making the clicking sound it makes when you press the menu buttons. I heard it maybe twice when I was in bed and they were lit up like they'd been touched. Perhaps that was my warning that it was about to go. I've come back here to purchase another - either an upgraded one or the same one. I don't really see any upgraded ones... and this one has increased in price by 50%!! Although I don't want anything but another of these, I will be looking at other brands and weigh my options. Breaks my heart to say that, actually.... but a replacement is a MUST.

Love waking up to some light and music in the morning.

First off, many of these reviews sound a bit fishy, as if they are `fake' reviews made by the manufacturer or whatever to sell the product. This is not, this is an actual user of the actual product and I have actually rated it 5 stars. I'll start by going over the features then list the pros and end with the cons and wrap up with a final impression. Features: All the advertised features above are present so I won't bother going over those. This is more for the `ins and outs' of it. The device itself has a `touch screen' like front bottom portion. All of the controls are there and don't show themselves unless your finger is about ¼ of an inch from the surface of the light. Once there they light up. There is a -, menu, select and + button listed horizontally across the bottom in that order. When you get near the device they light up with an intensity to match the clock face. The clock face has an intensity setting from 1-4, which will automatically adjust UP as the room becomes brighter. For example a contrast setting of 1 helps you get to sleep but doesn't help you see the clock face at, say, 2 in the afternoon, so the auto adjusting feature I consider that a bonus. The light itself has an intensity setting from 1-20. On the lower settings it is a very dim red glow similar to the red of a sunrise (or set) and as it increases it steadily goes to bright white. Not the white you'd expect from a light but the kind of white of a sunny day. Picture a piece of paper outside on a cloudless August day. You can also adjust the `wakeup time' which is the time between program start and the alarm. The default is 30 minutes so if you wake up at 6AM at 5:30 it will start at intensity 1 and `step up' in intensity until it hits your intensity setting and it spaces this `step up' out over the `wakeup time' that you select. It ranges from 20 minutes to 40. It also includes an audible alarm of 6 different types. 1 is the radio, the other 5 are various combinations ranging from light woods birds/forest sounds to nature sounds with light music overlaid. You can also adjust the volume. These sounds do not play until the alarm time is reached. In other words, it doesn't play during the `wakeup time' period. It also has a snooze function. Simply touching the face of the clock turns the sounds off for 9 minutes but leaves the light on and after the 9 minutes, the sounds start again. The light/clock includes 2 different alarms you can set as well as an FM radio (as alluded to previously). A final note is that it also includes a "dusk" function. By activating the dusk function by pressing the button on the side the exact opposite happens than what happens with the wakeup time. It starts bright and eventually fades to 1 then turns off. This very much simulates the evening. Pros: I noticed a huge change the very first morning I used it. Instead of the harsh bleating of an alarm clock your body first starts to notice the increased light then your consciousness notices the sounds and eventually you're awake. This is VERY similar to waking up while you're rustic camping, if you've ever done so. So much so that at first I thought I was back in my tent at Yellowstone. That is really the only way I can describe it. I also liked how the light changed from dim red to bright white as it got brighter. Lights I've had in the past do not do that, you just get a more intense version of the same color light. Cons: This light is NOT meant to treat SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) being that it only puts out 300 lux at 20 in. and light therapy requires at least 10,000 lux. That aside, it can be used in conjunction with a medical grade light box (such as the SAD Light Therapy Box - Alaska Northern Lights- North Star 10,000 ) as a comprehensive approach. That is what I have done and it seems to work well. You also may have problems using it if you're married and you each wake up at different times as it has a tendency to light up the entire room. As brought up by others, you can't completely turn off the clock face but the lowest setting is pretty darn dim anyway. Finally when you click the alarm off you have to immediately turn it back on again, just like with the old-school alarm clocks. Final thoughts: Overall I believe, considering the price and its effects, the purchase was a very good value. I have always struggled with the `up and at-em' routine and even went to the point of drinking energy drinks as soon as I woke up to no avail. Like I said, the very first day I used it I noticed a difference. Within 10 minutes of waking up I was wrestling with the dog. No joke. I have combined it with the use of a light box (see above for which type) and it has done wonders for my mood and energy level. The minor inconveniences I noted above are just that, minor, and I enjoy the features and ability to have a sunrise and sunset `on demand' as I work very long days and during the winter months I am usually up before the sun and down after the sun as the saying goes. The first week I set a `regular' alarm clock as a backup to click off 15 minutes after this one in case it didn't work and not once did I have to rely on it, nor have I had to use the snooze feature. Like I said, entirely different waking experience and if I had the $$ I would buy one for each of my family as a present this Christmas. Hopefully this review helped you sort things out with this model as to what exactly it does, it's pros and cons.

Update 2021 I have to add that I'm still using this one several years later and at least a couple of years ago there was nothing better on the market. It takes awhile to figure out there controls - my husband still can't figure out how to turn it off, you have to know the buttons in the right sequence - and every time daylight savings hits it takes me some fiddling to change the hour! But I do like waking to the bird sounds. Often I wake from the light alone. I still think some people would need an added real alarm. If I have something urgent I set a second alarm on my phone, but for me at least this has never failed to wake me up. Original review Just got this in the mail so I haven't used it yet, but I just finished setting it for the first time. From all the reviews I read, no wake up light on the market is perfect, but there are a few key features missing I wasn't aware of from the other reviews, and I wish I had them. Since none of the choices are perfect, I went ahead and paid this top dollar price to try to get as much as possible, but I don't think it's going to be enough for what I paid (Current price is - wow! I just looked up the current price! I paid $139.99 and current price is 199.95! No WAY would I pay that much for it.) 1. There is no standard alarm sound available. You either have to wake up gently, or not at all. There are sometimes that you absolutely positively have to wake up, so I wish it had that. It means I'll have to set up a backup alarm for important days. 2. The instructions are a little unclear because they tried to make them easy with pictures. 3. You can set different alarm times, but not different alarm sounds,or volume, or light intensities. I was hoping to turn on both alarms and have the first one be a first gentle alarm and a more "alarming one" as a backup. So, we'll see how it does with wake-up, but without the battery backup (noted in the other reviews, if the power blinks you even lose the clock) and without an option of a real alarm sound at the end of the gentle wake up, I would be scared to use this on an important morning! This is my third wakeup light. I had one of the much older models by another brand (also not perfect) but I've also was just using the Philips HF3500 - no nature sounds, but a nice loud alarm if the light fails to wake you. (And still no battery backup.)

I purchased this light in 2015 upon moving to Boston. I've never been a morning person and noticed that it was much easier for me to wake up on days when the sun was up early than long winter days in New England. A friend stated she used this light to "become a morning person" so I decided to give it a try. HOW IT WORKS This unit requires a cord--batteries are not an option. You have custom settings for the duration of the "sunrise" (20-40 minutes), as well as options for no actual alarm noise, a radio station, or five nature sounds (birds, forest sounds, piano, water, and garden noises). You can adjust the volume of the sound you've selected, and when it's time for the alarm, it starts off quieter then builds quickly to that volume. If you set that you want the sunrise option to take 20 minutes, the SUNRISE WILL BEGIN 20 minutes PRIOR to when you've set your alarm to sound, so you will be up at the time you've selected. SNOOZE is an option, which if activated, you can initiate by touching the reactive face of the lamp (the light portion). The light stays on after pressing the snooze option, which will sound again after 9 minutes (this time is NOT adjustable) until you turn off the alarm or reset it for the next day. A gentle touch anywhere on the face of the light puts the alarm in snooze mode. You have the option of two preset alarm times, and can also adjust the brightness of the clock face (which is red on mine, not the yellow-orange shown in the photos). Once set, you can preview what your choices will be like in a much quicker timeline using "demonstrate" mode. This is a nice feature to make sure you've set the sounds options to a high enough setting you'll be able to hear, and that the light is neither too light or too dark. When you've set up your profile for alarm A and alarm B, all you have to do to initiate all the choices you've made is press a single button on either the left or right side of the light to turn them on. SETTING THE ALARM FOR THE NEXT DAY There seems to be confusion in the comments about having to set the sunrise features above every night before use, but once your personal preferences are entered it's as easy as any normal alarm: 1) Press the option you've set up (A and/or B), 2) Sleep, 3) Turn alarm off and get up. You don't have to re-set the "sunrise" timing and brightness every night before you use the alarm. TURNING OFF THE ALARM When you are ready to get up, you can press the alarm button, the FM button, or the Menu button to deactivate the alarm. I personally use the alarm button because it's the easiest for me to tap quickly. If you chose the alarm button, you'll need to reset it again that night (or just press it twice so it deactivates then resets). The light stays on when pressing the alarm button as well, so I leave it on while gathering my things during the morning, and then turn it off as I leave the room by pressing the sun symbol on the top of the alarm. I've read that the other two buttons turn it off without deactivating it, but I've gotten into the habit of using the alarm button and don't see myself changing that. ADDITIONAL FEATURES The alarm can be used as a normal room lamp, and on the brightest setting is light enough to illuminate the entire room (the brightness is adjustable, if you like it dimmer at night). There is a "sleep" option which allows you to select a time you'd like for the light to turn itself off. If you're prone to reading before bed and falling asleep while doing so, like me, this is a nice option. LIGHT COLOR The sunrise feature does cycle through the colors mentioned in the description (red, orange, yellow). The lightest color is a little softer than the harsh white they show in the photos and is more a very slightly off-white. WAKING SPOUSE While my husband was still working in a nearby town the time it takes for the "sunrise' to happen and the alarm to finally sound wasn't an issue at all, but he's an extremely light sleeper and that means he always gets woken up 20 minutes prior to whenever I need to get up because he's awake the moment the light starts to come on (I have the duration set at 20 minutes). He has used the alarm in the morning too though, and it didn't wake me up from his side of the bed, but I'm both not a morning person and a heavy sleeper. He doesn't mind it because he's naturally a morning person and an early riser. If your husband isn't, or if they get to bed much later than you do, I don't know how they'd like this. If they aren't a light sleeper, like I am, they might still be okay, but I'd keep the box that first night just to make sure it works out. BECOMING A MORNING PERSON I do think this light has made the transition to an earlier morning much easier than when I did so with a normal alarm. I don't awake as groggy as before, and actually get up MUCH earlier than my earliest wake time prior to getting this alarm. I feel more rested when it finally sounds so I'm less likely to hit snooze a bunch of times, as the light in the room is also already on, which further pushes me into getting out of bed. I slowly dialed back the alarm in 15-20 minute intervals every 2-3 days to and managed to go from a 7AM alarm (rolling out of bed at 7:30AM) to a wake time of 4:50AM without any real difficulty and without going to sleep any earlier than before. This was particularly helpful during the dark mornings from November to March. This isn't really a comment on the light, but I like having the extra time in the morning. I do laundry in a busy building without having to wait, I prep for coming home so I don't have more obligation waiting for me after a long day at work, and I get to spend a little extra time with my husband, who has always been a morning person. CONS Because this alarm works best when it's relatively close to the sleeper, and level with the bed, one person is going to get a better experience using the sunrise feature than the other, even with the two alarms set. Having the option to set the days of the week, not just two time options would be nice. I still get up pretty early on the weekends, but it would be nice for it to automatically transition from "A" to "B" based on the day of the week. This is pretty minor, considering it's just a second button, but if that is already set for a spouse's wake time, it means resetting one of the two preset options. A cordless/ battery powered option would also be nice, considering not everyone has convenient plugs right next to their bed. A slightly longer cord would also accomplish the same thing. These few things are what dropped it from a five star product, to a four star for me. RECOMMEND? If you're looking for something to make getting up a smoother transition, I'd recommend this product, and if given the chance, it's something I would repurchase.

This is definitely the best purchase that I have made. I was hesitant because it is quite expensive for an alarm clock, especially when I have one for free on my phone, but it was well worth the money! This is definitely the best way to wake up in the morning. I use it every day and it is much more peaceful of a wake up than other alarm clocks. Also, it is especially great when you have to wake up at a time when it is still dark out as it lights your whole room and helps to make you believe it's time to get up. I've only used the night time sunset setting a couple of times but it actually seemed to work quite well. I think it might have helped put me to sleep and it makes me want to try that setting more often as well. There are a few things that I'm not so fond of. The light is quite bright and you need to look at it in order to see where the buttons are to turn it off. It's difficult to feel for the buttons, so if that could be fixed, it would solve this problem. Also, it came with a loose wire that is the antenna for the radio and I disliked this since I wasn't going to tape it to the was because that would be ugly. So, it just sits beside it in a bundle of wrapped up wire. I would prefer to see an internal antenna that we don't see or a real antenna on the back that could be pulled out if desired or just left in place. I do recommend this alarm clock and would buy one again.

Muy buen producto, si ayuda a despertar, pero es necesario tenerlo cerca de la cama. Buenos sonidos, buen nivel de luminosidad, y buena calidad. Tiene dos alarmas, yo una la uso para días laborales y la segunda para fines de semana. Las rayas en el video no se ven en persona.

Horribly expensive here in India. But cheaper than an air fare. I bought my original, glass, model (this one is plastic) in UK, but, after some years its buttons are failing. It is part of my wake-up life. Don't know how I could live without it. And, as I said, cheaper than an air fare. Is it worth it to YOU? At this price, probably not.

普段は朝日で目覚めるので、除雪や早朝出勤のために、冬の日の出前に起きるのが大変でした。 使った初日から、朝日で起きるのと同じ感覚で目覚めることができました。 大変いい商品です。

This thing is incredible. I've been using it for the past decade and it still works as well as when I first purchased it. It was so good, I purchased a second one to gift to my Mom. I wake up feeling refreshed and ready to take on the day. In comparison, on the mornings that I forget to set this alarm, my cellphone jolts me awake and I feel groggy as I open my eyes to a pitch black room. I love the memory function for the brightness. If I wake up to the washroom in the middle of the night, I turn it on, and it brightens the room with a the dull red light that I set it to previously. I highly recommend purchasing this. It is a game changer in the winter.