Rise and Shine (Lumie Bodyclock Advanced)

Member Name: bluejules

Product:	Lumie Bodyclock Advanced
Date:	20/12/07 (274 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Helps me get up in the mornings

Disadvantages: Quite expenisve

I have trouble getting out of bed in dark mornings and I believe this was one of the triggers for the migraines I was getting last winter. I had read about this Lumie Bodyclock so I decided I would get one. I was saving up for one myself but my parents surprised me by buying me one for my birthday this year!
There are three Bodyclocks to suit different needs. I have the middle of the range one. This is the Bodyclock classic with radio. I haven't used the radio yet but I think I might in the future.

~ What is the Lumie Bodyclock? ~
The Bodyclock is an alarm clock, which stimulates natural sleep patterns by sunset and sunrise. The clock has a large cover, which sits over the bulb. It helps you have a regular sleep pattern by allowing your body to go to sleep during a 30-minute sunset and wake up during a 30-minute sunrise.
Despite being summer and light mornings, when I first got it, I decided to start using it so that I have a regular sleep pattern by the time the dark mornings arrived. As it was light outside in the mornings, I could hardly tell it was on, so I bought a black out blind for my room to get the full effect.

I have been using this for several months now, and I have felt a difference. I've never had trouble sleeping but I do use the sunset and find this helps to relax me. However, I don't always put it on full brightness at the start, as this tends to keep me awake. I put it on about half way and it just takes about 15minutes to sunset.

I've been getting up at 6.15am to get to university for 9am lectures and I honestly don't think I would have been able to get out of bed at this time in the dark, without my lumie bodyclock.
The clock is easy to set up, you just need to lift the globe cover off the clock and screw the bulb in. Once it is plugged in you are ready to go.

The instruction manual comes in 6 languages and is easy to follow (the English part that is!!) There are 10 sections including safety, getting started and setting the time and sunrise etc. There is a section on problem solving which has two common problems with solutions and a contact telephone number . One of the problems is that the light will not come on but the clock still works - the manual advices that you check the bulb is screwed correctly in the socket. The instructions only span 9 pages in English so there is not much reading involved.
The instruction manual also contains a section of sleep advice where it outlines 4 things which you can do to get a good night's sleep. There are; using a Bodyclock, having curtains which block out the light, not eating late at night and having a warm milky drink before going to bed.

The controls took a little bit of getting used to and I found that I had to keep adjusting the position of my Bodyclock each day before I got it somewhere I was properly satisfied with. As my bed is a cabin bed I found it was better if I stood my Bodyclock on top of the box it came in as it was higher up so appeared brighter.

~ What I like ~
* I like both the sunset and the sunrise options. However, the sunrise on its own is not enough to get me out of bed because I just turn over and face the wall so I can hardly see that the light is on.

* The clock face glows orange if you turn this on. I think this looks really nice but it is a bit bright so I don't leave it on all night.

* The hands on the clock glow in the dark when the light first goes out, this doesn't last all night though.

* I like the fact that when the light has come on via sunrise if I press the dim button, the light does dim right down but as soon as I remove my finger it goes straight back to full brightness unless I turn the alarm off first. This is good as I'm more likely to get out of bed, but when I'm still half-asleep and trying to dim the light I'm not so impressed! Lol

~ What I dislike ~
* The clock is analogue so it is difficult to set a precise time for the alarm, so I use my digital one as a back up.

* When I first got it I thought the clock ticked quite loud. It didn't really affect me though and I can honestly say I don't notice it at all now! This bodyclock is analogue though and you can get digital ones, which I presume wouldn't tick!

* The clock runs off electric so if you unplug the clock you need to set the time again when you plug it back in.

* The light from the Bodyclock is bright but it doesn't feel like natural sunlight. It just looks like the room is lamplit.

~ Would I recommend it? ~
Yes, I would definitely recommend this Bodyclock. Although, it hasn't worked miracles for me, I do feel I have more energy once I am up and about. I still found it really difficult to get out of bed when I first got it but it is much easier now. The Bodyclock definitely helps me get up.

The light on the clock actually turns itself off after an hour, so if you turned over and went back to sleep it would not still be on. I think this is good in case you forget to turn it off though, as it wouldn't be on all day (this is good as it gets quite hot) I think this really works when I know I have to get up but when I don't it is not as effective, as I know another 10 minutes in bed won't matter.

~ Where can I get one? ~
My parents got mine from Boots and I believe it costs around £80. If you buy online from Boots.com you get extra points on your advantage cards (1000 I think). I don't know which other Highstreet shops it is available from but its available from other Internet shops.
Thanks for reading! xx

Summary: Helps me get out of bed in dark mornings!!