Waking up to a shrill alarm pushes you out of bed with a cortisol hangover, but it’s a stressful way to start the day. The best sunrise alarm clock wakes you up more softly, simulating the sun by emitting light that gradually brightens your room. Hatch Restore also offers a relaxing routine with sunset views, soothing music and sleeping sounds. For me, following a routine has proven to be the most effective way to combat my insomnia. Our custom Hatch Restore process gave us half an hour of reading, followed by a 20-minute sunset with soft music and then the sound of rain through the night. We also set a sunrise alarm with a bird sign. It helps us fall asleep and is a pleasant way to wake up.
The depth of customization options is amazing, and there’s a wide selection of sounds, sleep stories, and meditations. However, only the basic library of white noise and soothing sounds is free; The rest of the content is offered through a subscription that costs $99 per year after a one-month trial. That’s a bit too expensive, since you can get a year of Calm apps for $70, and it boasts better content and support for a variety of devices. That said, if you can bear the cost, Hatch Restore packs a number of handy features into a single bedside device.
★ Another alternative: Google Nest Hub Second Generation ($100) (7/10, Recommend with WIRED) can do many of the same tricks as Hatch, with the option to play sleep sounds, music or podcasts, sunrise alarms, and sleep tracking built in. But it also serves as a great digital photo frame, smart home control panel and display for video.
