The sooner your eyes detect bright light, the sooner your internal clock gets the signal to start the day, say researchers. The same goes for your olfactory cells and the aroma of coffee, according to, um, a bajillion parents. Pleasant sounds can help make the morning easier, too.
Use light (real or fake)
Top pick
This sleek alarm clock has a soothing simulated sunrise and sunset, and a good range of alarm sounds.
Getting out of bed and raising the curtains as soon as the alarm goes off is a good way to start the morning. For extra help, consider a wake-up light. A sunrise alarm clock gives you the extra nudge with sound, but a less jarring one than a typical clock makes. “I have an immediate strong negative reaction to a buzzing alarm clock, and by comparison the ‘sunlight’ setting with birds chirping is much gentler,” said senior staff writer Sarah Witman. “I feel like I have more of an up-and-at-’em mentality to start my day.”
Liam McCabe, senior staff writer, and his wife like the WiZ 60W A19 Color LED Smart Bulb, which continues to brighten over a number of minutes until a designated wake-up time. “It’s so much easier to get up early, and that’s half the battle,” he said. (Note: Liam finds it tough to fall back to sleep once the sunrise effect begins, so if you and your partner have different wake-up times, you may want another option.)
Play their song
Top pick
The Echo Dot includes all of the standard Alexa features for a great price, and can be programmed to play your kids’ favorite wakeup music.
Kids are more likely to stay on task when they’re not cranky. Editor Jon Chase lets his kids set the smart-speaker alarm to their favorite music. His elementary school-er likes to wake up to the Beatles (his teen may listen to music in the morning, but she won’t tell him her playlist).
Make coffee the night before
Top pick
This brewer not only makes a tasty cup of coffee, but also features an auto-brew function that can be programmed to have a pot ready when you wake up.
Hot or cold, caffeine is nonnegotiable for many people first thing in the morning. Using a programmable drip coffee maker means that you don’t have to fumble bleary-eyed through brewing a cup before you’re fully awake. When senior staff writer Liam McCabe’s daughter was a baby, he took a similar tack but with a cold-brew coffee maker, brewing several days’ worth of concentrated coffee at a time and storing it in the fridge. Come morning, he’d simply add water, either hot or cold, depending on the season.
