I have been using the Philips Wake Up Light alarm clock for around 6 months now and thought its time to do a quick review. Whenever I find an outstanding product, I like to give it a quick plug. It helps everyone get an unbiased review of what’s good and not.
Due to being a shift worker on 12 hour days and 12 hour nights, I needed a graduating alarm clock that could trick my brain, into waking up in the correct mood and not feeling drowsy. After a lot of online research, the Philips HF3520 Wake Up Light alarm clock was looking like it would do the job. Think of it as light therapy for night shift workers.
Table of Contents
So what are the Pros of the HF3520
- Philips is the #1 best-selling Wake-up Light around, hands down.
- Natural Wake-up Lights have been clinically proven to work and improve your mood.
- Light therapy sunrise dawn simulation, wakes you up slowly with natural light to trick your brain.
- Choice of 5 natural and calming wake-up sounds. Like Birds / Instrumental, Birds, owl, and wind, Zen Garden, Gentle Piano, and Ocean Sound with seagulls.
- Inbuilt FM radio and a tap-to-snooze digital alarm clock.
- Bedside light has an auto-dim feature and soothing sounds will gently send you off to sleep at night.
- Proximity buttons will glow when your hands move closer to them. Great for in the middle of the night.
What are the cons – Yes it’s not perfect
- No battery backup, if you lose power for longer than a few minutes, it will lose the time.
- Slightly Expensive for the top model.
Where to Buy Philips Wake-up light in America and Australia
The below table shows a few different models of the best wake-up lamps that are manufactured by Philips. They are sold through Amazon and will ship to many parts of the world including Australia.
| Our Best Natural Alarm Lamp Clocks |  |
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| A Light that Helps You Sleep |
#4 Natural Wake Up Light Philips HF3500 |
#3 Philips Wake-Up Light Therapy HF3505 |
#2 Graduating Alarm Clock Wake-Up Light HF3510 Philips |
#1 Best Wake Up Light Colored Sunrise Simulation HF3520 |
| Product colors | White | White, Silver, Black | White | White |
| Sunrise simulation duration | 30 min | 30 min | Adjustable (20-40 min) | Adjustable (20-40 min) |
| Colors in sunrise simulation | Yellow | Yellow | Orange, Yellow | Red, Orange, Yellow |
| Sunset simulation | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Reading lamp | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Adjustable display brightness | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Maximum light intensity | 200 lux | 200 lux | 300 lux | 300 lux |
| FM radio | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Number of wake-up sounds | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| Number of alarms | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Voltage | 110/240v | 110/240v | 110/240v | 110/240v |
| Warranty | 2 years | 2 years | 2 years | 2 years |
| Price | $ | $$ | $$$ | $$$$ |
| Where to buy |  |
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Philips Wake-Up Light HF3520 With Colored Sunrise Simulation Review
The Philips Wake-Up Light will help you get up in the morning in a fun, natural way. The real magic is the LED sunrise simulation which has 20 brightness level settings and 3 different colors. This is to make your morning wake-ups perfect.
Everyone is different, and so too is the amount of light intensity you all enjoy. This artificial LED lamp gradually increases light output between 20 to 40 minutes, prior to your alarm set time. This process of changing and increasing natural light will stimulate your body and mind, to wake up more energized and in a better mood.
This happens because even though your eyes are closed, your eyelids still let a little bit of fake sunlight through. Your brain will register this light and say “Hey it’s morning, time to wake up, and have these special brain chemicals” Bingo.
You can do a simple test for yourself. Go outside on a sunny day and close your eyes. You can see an orange glow. Now place your hands over your eyes. It will go black.
Alarm Options
You can also set an audible alarm to go off at the correct time. With a few options like radio, and soothing sounds you can have one amazing wake-up experience. You are able to turn off the alarm and only wake naturally to the simulated sunrise. This light also offers the option of waking up to one of five different nature-inspired sounds. Like Birds, ocean, piano, and forest.
The Philips Wake Up Lamp HF3520 also has a sunset simulation. This starts the light off bright and with sound if required and will slowly dim the light and sound so you can fall asleep naturally. Great for those of you that have Insomnia and need some light therapy.
Many people like to fall asleep near the TV for this exact reason some light and sound. But get suddenly awakened due to a large noise when the ads come on. This lamp can solve all of these issues.
Light Therapy for Sleep when on Shift Work
As a shift worker, on a 12-hour rotating roster, having the wake-up lamp has been a real lifesaver. Sleeping during the day means that I have to have a totally blackened bedroom with double curtains. It was the only way to simulate night-time.
When it was time to wake up it was always a struggle as the room is still dark. Opening the curtains you will be dazzled with the afternoon sun. So it is confusing for your brain.
There is an increased link between night shift workers and depression. So anything we can do to protect ourselves from this disease is a benefit.
The natural sunrise wake up light is designed to trick your brain into waking up when the sun rises. For me, I could set it or 3 pm and the lamp would slowly start to brighten the room. Accompanied by natural sounds its such a calming way to wake up in the morning or afternoon or even at night if you are on night shift.
Another cool feature is that the clock display will automatically change its brightness according to how much light is in the room. Bright day bright clock. Darkroom, dimmed clock display.
If you want to sleep in and have a little snooze, just tap anywhere on the lamp and, it’s quiet again for 9 minutes. The lamp will stay on to continue conditioning your brain.
So why did I pick this Philips model HF5320 over the cheaper ones? Well, I wanted two features, the 3 color sunrise which was the red, orange, and yellow colors. Plus the ability to set 2 alarms. As a shift worker, I needed this ability. At the end of the day, it was a little extra in money compared to the cheaper ones but it was well worth it. I found that this lamp really did help me sleep better. I had tried a few others, but this is the Best wake up lamp around.
DIY Sunrise alarm clock
Before I chose the HF5320, I experimented with making my own DIY Sunrise alarm clock using the generation 3 Philips hue globes and the official Hue app. This worked very well apart from not having any alarm sound but I did wake up feeling more refreshed and energized.
If you already have some smart light globes like the Philips Hue range you can try experimenting with sunlight wake up colors to see if it works for you.
Sun Wake Up Light Clinical Research
Philips has done a lot of clinical research into this UV-free Natural light alarm clock, and it has been proven to wake you up with an improved mood and higher energy level. Clinical research was conducted by an independent science facility. Their findings proved the effects of the wake-up light was similar to waking up naturally. It’s designed to aid the body’s internal clock, and simulate when the sun rises, to improve the overall sleep experience.
Apparently 92% of Users Agree That it is Easier to Get Out of Bed with a LED Wake-up Light
Who is Philips?
Philips has been around for 100+ years of lighting and healthcare experience.
Since Philips designed its first light bulb more than 120 years ago, they have gone on as a pioneer of the basic cheap light globe, as well as incorporating natural light into their alarm clocks. They are pioneers in delivering new healthcare and lighting technologies. To this day, the company remains a global leader in lighting and healthcare, driven by the will to improve people’s lives around the world. They are creating innovations and amazing products like the Smart Home Lighting Philips Hue range.
Check out the Philips Wake Up lamp in action.
Philips Natural Light Alarm Clock Tips and Tricks
- If you often wake up too early or with a headache, reduce the light intensity level and/or the sunrise simulation time.
- Place the Wake-up Light 16-20in or 40-50cm from your head, for example on a bedside table.
- You will have to set the clock time again when there is a power failure.
- Audio feedback on the buttons is set by default, well mine was. If you want to disable the click sounds for the button presses just, press and hold the FM button for 5 seconds to switch off the audio feedback. You will hear one click as a confirmation. To activate the click sound again just press and hold the FM button again. You will hear two clicks to confirm that the audio feedback is activated again.
- If the natural light wakes me too early what should I do? Perhaps the light intensity level you have set is not appropriate for you. Try a lower light intensity level if you wake up too early. If light intensity 1 is not low enough, move the appliance further away from the bed.
- What to do is the light wakes me up too late? Make sure the awake light is positioned at a height at which the light is not blocked by your bed or another object. Also, make sure the light alarm clock is facing you directly.
- Set some natural sounds to help with meditation and relaxation.
Setting your wake-up profile
When you are setting up this sun lamp you will first have to set the time and your wake-up profile. This means you set the wake-up time, the light intensity, and the sound level, you want to wake up to. You have the ability to set two different wake-up times, which is a really cool feature. For example, if you want to wake up at 6 am on a weekday but 9 am on the weekend you have this ability. Just set it once and forget. More information on settings and features can be found in the user manual.
Philips Wake Up Light HF3520 user manual pdf
Best SAD wake-up lamp
Some of you may have been diagnosed with Seasonal Affective Disorder is also known as (SAD). Winter Blues, Winter Depression, and Season Gloom. A common trick to get your mind to feel better is to use a SAD Light. These are always a bright white or Blue lamp that is designed to simulate the sun and stimulate the brain.
Getting your blast of light first thing in the morning has helped thousands overcome this debilitating disorder. At times when you just can’t be bothered getting out of bed in the morning, especially during winter. You may well indeed just need a SAD wake-up lamp.
I have found that without the Philips natural light alarm clock, I’m just really down in spirit during the winter months. Since using this lamp I seem to feel more energized. Don’t get me wrong it’s not a magic fix if you have a late-night and are still hungover.
You will still feel the pain in the morning. But for waking up feeling great during the winter, this light alarm clock has been a lifesaver. It really helped me.
I am a qualified Industrial Electrician for the past 20 years and I love to share my knowledge on home repair and maintenance jobs.
I love fast toys like Motorcycles, Cars, Jetskis, Boats, and Computers so writing about them is easy. Working on them is fun.
To keeps costs down I do all my own mods, repairs, and servicing. These skills I want to share with everyone. DIY is a skill everyone can learn.
