{"id":1371,"date":"2013-12-10T14:06:49","date_gmt":"2013-12-10T14:06:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/andyparkes.co.uk\/blog\/?p=1371"},"modified":"2013-12-10T14:06:53","modified_gmt":"2013-12-10T14:06:53","slug":"lumie-bodyclock-starter-30","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/andyparkes.co.uk\/blog\/index.php\/2013\/12\/10\/lumie-bodyclock-starter-30\/","title":{"rendered":"Lumie Bodyclock Starter 30"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Lumie<\/a><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve had my Lumie wake up light for a couple of weeks now and since I\u2019d tried to do as much research as I could before getting this I thought I\u2019d share my experience in case it\u2019s of use to anyone else. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

First up what<\/strong> is it? <\/p>\n

Quite simply it\u2019s an alarm clock with a light built-in. Half an hour before the alarm goes off the light very gradually comes on getting brighter and brighter. It\u2019s intended to simulate a sunrise. You can also have an audible alarm for the prescribed time. I\u2019ve got this option turned on as the light itself isn\u2019t enough for me. Thankfully the noise it makes isn\u2019t quite as jarring as with my \u201cregular\u201d alarm clock. <\/p>\n

Inside the box you get the alarm itself, a bulb and the instructions. <\/p>\n

\"lumie<\/a><\/p>\n

Initial setup is easy enough. Take the top off, screw the bulb in, put the top back on and plug it in. <\/p>\n

\"Lumie<\/a><\/p>\n

Using the clock is straight forward. <\/p>\n

The + and \u2013 buttons are used to increase and decrease the brightness. Pressing the middle button activates the alarm program. If you\u2019ve got the light on at the time it starts a 30 minute countdown and slowly lowers the brightness simulating a sunset.   <\/p>\n

When the light is turned on there are some slits in the back of the light cover to help simulate rays of sunshine. I\u2019ve got mine tucked into a corner so the effect isn\u2019t quite as dramatic as it could be if it was against a big empty wall. <\/p>\n

\"20131207_231824\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Changing the options is reasonably straight forward. You hold the middle button until the display flashes and you can then press the button again to cycle through. The + and \u2013 buttons change each option. <\/p>\n

It did take me a little while to realise you can\u2019t change the setting while the alarm program is on!<\/p>\n

Easy enough on the whole though.<\/p>\n

This is the entry level model. The more expensive models give you more options such as the ability to control the amount of time it takes to brighten instead of the default thirty minutes. I\u2019m happy enough with the model I\u2019ve got though.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the practical stuff out of the way. If that\u2019s all you were interested in thanks for reading \"Winking. <\/p>\n

You might be wondering why<\/em> I felt the need to get this? <\/p>\n

The first and most obvious reason is sleep<\/u>. <\/p>\n

Sleep is something I\u2019ve struggled with for years. Getting to sleep, staying asleep and waking up in the morning are all very<\/strong> difficult for me and have been for as long as I can remember. I\u2019ve tried various things down the years but it\u2019s just something I\u2019ve learnt to deal with. (which isn\u2019t without it\u2019s benefit, sleepless nights with two kids were just normal to me!)<\/p>\n

However, this year I actually realised that on the whole I\u2019d sleep pretty well during the summer. <\/p>\n

This brings me onto the second reason, winter. <\/p>\n

I really<\/em><\/strong> dislike the winter in the UK. The cold, wet and dark make me miserable and it was only this year I joined the dots to realise that my problems with sleep seem to be much worse once summer finishes.<\/p>\n

This lead me to look into Seasonal Affective Disorder<\/a> (sometimes called the Winter Blues) <\/p>\n

Looking down the list of symptoms<\/a> highlighted a lot of things that do seem to affect me that I\u2019d not really considered as part of something bigger. <\/p>\n

Now\u2026I\u2019m not normally one for self diagnosis after reading something on the Internet but I figured that getting the clock wouldn\u2019t do any harm just to see what happens. At the very worse it would mean I wouldn\u2019t have to turn the light on in the morning! <\/p>\n

A few weeks in I have a couple of things to report.<\/p>\n

It hasn\u2019t made all that much difference to how easy it is to get up. It\u2019s just not bright enough to wake me up on it\u2019s own. I\u2019ve had to use the audible alarm too. <\/p>\n

However there have been two noticeable differences. <\/p>\n

Firstly, I am actually sleeping better. I\u2019ll know a little bit more as the months go by but I\u2019m waking less in the night and significantly I\u2019m actually remembering dreams. This is hard to describe unless your really sleep deprived and have experienced it! Dreams are something that I\u2019m not usually aware of. I\u2019m not saying I never have them but I very rarely wake up knowing I\u2019ve had a dream. <\/p>\n

Last night I dreamt I\u2019d won a million pounds on a scratch card\u2026.<\/p>\n

The most important difference is how my mornings go. <\/p>\n

Until I started using the clock I\u2019d wake up with what I can only describe as low energy levels. It sets up an awful start for the day and comes with various problems around mood, and motivation. It\u2019s not something I can easily describe but it\u2019s more than just tiredness. <\/p>\n

Now I have a new found alertness when starting out. It doesn\u2019t mean I\u2019m suddenly not tired but the huge feeling of lethargy just doesn\u2019t seem to be there anymore.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m pleasantly surprised as I\u2019ll be honest I was a little sceptical about the whole SAD thing and wasn\u2019t sure if a light would make any difference.  <\/p>\n

I\u2019m going to give it until the new year and take a look at a proper light therapy lamp. Sunrise simulators are not specifically used to treat SAD. They can help with some of the sleep related symptoms but actual treatment is with a specific type of light. I\u2019ll likely talk to my doctor too.(you know, because of that whole self diagnosis thing!)<\/p>\n

I got my lamp from Amazon<\/a> but they are available from lots of different places. <\/p>\n

Further reading:<\/p>\n

The Seasonal Affective Disorder Association (SADA)<\/a> <\/p>\n

sad.org.uk<\/a> (has a list of various approved manufacturers) <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I\u2019ve had my Lumie wake up light for a couple of weeks now and since I\u2019d tried to do as much research as I could before getting this I thought I\u2019d share my experience in case it\u2019s of use to anyone else.           First up what is it? Quite simply it\u2019s<\/p>\n

<\/span>Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[113,31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1371","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-gadgets","category-personal"],"yoast_head":"\nLumie Bodyclock Starter 30 - Andy's Techie Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/andyparkes.co.uk\/blog\/index.php\/2013\/12\/10\/lumie-bodyclock-starter-30\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Lumie Bodyclock Starter 30 - Andy's Techie Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I\u2019ve had my Lumie wake up light for a couple of weeks now and since I\u2019d tried to do as much research as I could before getting this I thought I\u2019d share my experience in case it\u2019s of use to anyone else.           First up what is it? 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