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.

My son (11-1/2) was nearly impossible to get out of bed on school days. It was a virtual fight each morning to get him up and ready to go. This alarm clock has made things so much better. Yes, he still drags a bit when it comes to brushing his teeth, but overall, he's far more alert, awake, and ready to go each morning vs when we didn't have this alarm for him.I don't have any complaints at all, other than the buttons on the rim can be hard to judge in the dark. That said, his not being able to hit "snooze" very easily on school days is actually a good thing. Very easy to program, very easy to use. You just can't go wrong.

Originally purchased my Philips SmartSleep, years ago, in order to awaken with light and it does a great job of this. However, the true bonus turned out to be the pleasant efficacy of its sunset simulator go-to-sleep feature. Imagine a light that not only dims over time but also reddens as it dims, and goes through the sort of pinkish-orangish red reminiscent of beautiful sunsets, providing a pre-sleep ambience whose gradually diminishing intensity and simultaneously increasingly red hue does indeed physiologically prepare you to go to sleep.Another Philips SmartSleep plus is that it has intuitive integral controls, ideal for simply winding down without needing to use a screen and/or app in order to set it. While app-based products may offer more proverbial bells and whistles, they also inevitably lengthen the time required to get to sleep... sometimes even defeating the purpose via temptation for just one more text/email message, just one more social.media refresh, just one more news scroll-through, and so on, for however many minutes or hours.The only thing that could be better about the Philips SmartSleep would be if it had a touch-to-activitate nightlight mode, whereby touching anywhere (or, at least, a very large and centrally located button) would either provide a dim reddish light or turn it off.Although easy enough to turn on and off using small buttons while one is awake, this isn't necessarily ideal human factors engineering for the semi-awake, semi-coordinated.Finally, other than this potential improvement, the Philips SmartSleep is well-designed, effective, well-made, and well worth the nightstand real estate it elegantly occupies. While initially shopping, opted for this based on its features, design, and manufacturer -- a decision that has thus far resulted in several years of reliable usage. And, as mentioned, purchased to enable waking-to-light, and soon found that its *sunset* simulation sleep feature was just as pleasant, if not perhaps more so, than the sunrise simulation wake-up. Dividing its cost by the number of days in use, and considering the value of waking up to light, plus being able to add sunset simulation as a pre-sleep cue, Originally purchased my Philips SmartSleep, years ago, in order to awaken with light and it does a great job of this. However, the true bonus turned out to be the pleasant efficacy of its sunset simulator go-to-sleep feature. Imagine a light that not only dims over time but also reddens as it dims, and goes through the sort of pinkish-orangish red reminiscent of beautiful sunsets, providing perfect ambiance for one's journey into restful sleep.Another Philips SmartSleep plus is that it has integral controls, ideal for just winding down without having to use a screen and/or app in order to set it.The only thing that could be better about the Philips SmartSleep would be if it had a touch-to-activitate nightlight mode, whereby touching anywhere (or, at least, a very large and centrally located button) would either provide a dim reddish light or turn it off.Although easy enough to turn on and off using small buttons while one is awake, this isn't ideal human factors engineering for the semi-awake.Other than this potential improvement, the Philips SmartSleep is well-designed, effective, well-made, and well worth the nightstand real estate it elegantly occupies. Since it's used daily, this product's cost became rather negligible over time (price divided by number of days over however many years), and its reliability has proved positively priceless.

I have to give it 4 stars. I like it, I do, I can't shoot upto 5 because this is a luxury item & does not justify it's price. After writing this review I go down to 3 for me personally but it deserves all 4. It does. It's pricy, a bit ludicrous really. That said, it's very likable. The design will look great anywhere. Very futuristic. For someone who'd like a digital clock in their bedroom but is conscious of lights and distractions keeping them awake - this may be one of the best solutions for that, the display's automated brightness is brilliant. Much like a smartphone, when the lights are on or sun is out the orange numbers pep up a bit but when it's dark & time for bed the numbers are calm and dim. Still easily visible but don't stand out or scream at you, no shine or lighting up near by objects or the table. Brilliant. You can set the display brightness to whatever level you'd like (4 levels total) but if you set it to the dimmest the automated situation described is what you get and it's pretty groovy.Looks like the automated display brightness is my favorite thing about this ridiculously expensive incredibly pretty clock. Wonder if that function is available on a cheaper cheaper, it sure is a great idea. And by cheaper I mean $100 cheaper?Moving on, the waking up by light is a neat concept. In my experience it works if you're sleeping facing the clock - which in most bedroom logistical situations will be 50% of the time. If my math is correct. It chirps if the light doesn't wake you up in a set amount of time, 30 minutes. It's ok, I'm almost swinging down to 3 stars but that feeling is due to the price and the hit and miss functionality of the waking by light concept. I think 4 stars is fair as whole product. The light thing may work really well for some.Lastly the controls have a bit of a learning curve as there are two sets of buttons. Touch screen like keys under the display and a ring of 9 actual push buttons around the perimeter. Muscle memory will do it's thing someday I hope, for some reason it's not clicking yet. Still have to be deliberate about my actions with this clock. It feels as if you can knock it off balance if you bear claw it. Meaning if you press a button quickly half looking. Again, personal sort of experience.Lastly again, the light which wakes you also functions as a desk lamp. It's a nice pleasant warm candle light color with enough intensity to light up the room. The brightness goes from an almost imperceivable 1 to a too bright 20.. 6 is is like a candle.. 11 is dim and nice, 14-16 gets you jotting down a note comfortably or packing a bag for the next day's work. Unfortunately, the light isn't coming from an "above the head" source so it may be uncomfortable for some to have a bright future sphere of light shining at you within your field of view.Summarizing, I wanted to give this thing a 4 star review but after revisiting my thoughts it slipped down to 3. The product is a well made, attractive, useful although sort of basic in it's true function, very expensive dare I say without sounding grumpy, toy. I like it. I think if I ever move my room around or decide to place it in another space it'll have the versatility to be relevant in a lot of placements/settings. Relevant but just so, it may be a real morning booster and awesome initiator of the day for some, I must give it that credit, but not for me. If I'm not facing it half the time my phone or an infinite number of less expensive just as practical alarm clocks can achieve the function of waking one up.It has to be 3 stars. if it was around or under $50 it would definitely get all 4, if it connected to the smartphone and woke me up with light & 'It Might Be You' the theme song to the movie Tootsie it'd get all 5. Cheers.

I have a very difficult time waking up in the mornings. This alarm has helped me some with that problem. It's not a miracle, but it's the best I've found so far. I will not blame the alarm clock for my "waking up disorder". The sunrise simulation is pretty helpful for making the wake up process a litte easier. I believe if it can wake me up, it could probably wake most people up. The light simulates a sunrise (both color and light), and gradually gets brighter leading up to your set wake up time. So, by the time you are supposed to wake up, your room is *brightly* lit up (you can set the brightness level). Personally, I have found that sometimes I feel a littel cheated out of my extra 30 or so minutes of "extra" sleep some mornings if the light wakes me up a little early as it "rises". Also, if you are a heavy sleeper or are very tired, you might just start covering your head with your covers to avoid the light- thus making the light a little less helpful. Another thing, I find the natural sounds to be a little too soothing/relaxing to really wake me up, and the only other option is the radio (which is usually annoying in the early am/ talk, and not music). It would be nice if there was an aux input or cd, but there is not. It does have dual alarms, which is a good feature. A warning, It is very easy to snooze this alarm- you simply touch it, which I am a master of, on any alarm- but especially on this one-it's like magic (and FYI, the light remains on, even when you snooze/touch it, which is helpful, unless you covered your head). I still set my phone alarm as a back up, just in case I snooze completely through the alarm- which is rare.. I do wish there was a battery back up. For this price, you would think it would keep time/wake you up after a power failure. Overall, I think this is a nice alarm- it looks good on the night stand, and the light is fantastic. It does help you wake up, even those of us that have a difficult time doing so.

I'm really happy with this product.I found setting the clock and alarm quite intuitive.I like the feature of a 30-minute sunset, as it gives me time to get into bed and sort myself while still having light but I don't have to get up to switch my bedroom light off and turn my room into instant blackness. Love the peaceful descent into slumber.The light can get as bright as you want it - to me it simulates the sun. They say there are 3 colours to choose from but you can't choose. The light is more red and orange at low light and slowly becomes yellow as the light gets brighter. At first I was disappointed that there wen't any colour options but now I'm not sure I would use multiple options, as I would want to simulate natural light as much as possible.Some have commented there is no battery in case the power goes out. While this is true in a sense, I can say that when the power returns, the clock doesn't need to be reset - it keeps the time and alarms that were stored before it lost power. I'm not sure how long it keeps the settings before it needs to be reset. I unplugged it for an hour and everything was as before when I plugged it back in. So I'm happy with that.The radio is a decent quality. Not powerful but also not like listening to something in a tin can. Can also deliver a little bit of bass, so no complaints there.Very happy with this purchase.

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.

I was a little bit nervous about ordering this item because of the price but, in the end, I was glad I did. I'm not a morning person and I've woken up, every morning I've used this, with no problems at all. I use this as a radio, a light in the dark, and as an alarm clock. This is a great product and you get the quality you're paying for.Pros:Alarm clock works very wellSunrise alarm, and sounds can be used together or aloneLots of customisationVery bright at full power, but dimmableGood sound quality on the radioLooks greatCons:Rolls easily if you try to slide itMenu takes a little bit of getting used toNo battery back upI had mixed feelings when I took it out of the box but I plugged it in and ran the test mode (If you hold the alarm button (1 or 2) it will give a 90 second demo of how your settings will be (this helps you to see the settings you used for the brightness and volume). I didn't know if the extra money was worth it for a few extra features and light colours. Now that I've been using it for a while, I know it was worth it.I love having 2 different preset alarms. I use one for work days and the other for any other time I need to get up. Some people find that they don't wake up at the time they set but that's not the case for me. I instantly wake up when the birds start singing (my audio alarm sound). I do always set my phone alarm in case there is a power outage or in case the alarm doesn't wake me for some reason (It's waken me up with only 3 hours and 5 hours of sleep though). I tend to set the light and volume buttons lower, and angle the light a little bit so that it won't wake my wife. Although that doesn't work, she would wake up to a regular alarm clock anyways.The sunset feature to help you fall asleep is great! I set it to 10 minutes and I've only ever had one issue.... I've never seen it the whole way through! To be honest though, I do think it's great. The different shades represent the sunrise/sunset beautifully and sometimes I've set the sunset just because of how nice it looks.The radio has great sound, and since we don't have a traditional radio, we use it all the time. We get clear crisp sound, and get all the stations without any issues. Since there are no presets, it takes you a little bit of time to change the channel but this is primarily an alarm clock. Adding buttons for the radio feature would take away from the simplistic look of this light.It has a great and simple look to it. The rubber feet on the bottom provide great grip to keep the alarm clock still. The rubber feet are also an issue though. If you're trying to slide it over with one hand the feet will grip and the alarm clock will want to roll. This is not a normal issue but something to keep in mind if you're holding something in one hand and try to slide it.All in all, this was a great buy and well worth the price (even though it is expensive for an alarm clock). Even knowing that there are cheaper and older models out there, I would buy this one again in a heartbeat! If you're on the fence about buying this give it a chance! You won't regret this purchase.

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。