11 best alarm clocks to get you out of bed on cold, dark mornings

A nationwide hunt for bedside alarm clocks which are sleek and minimalist – but which give even deep sleepers a weekday wake-up call – has begun. Why? Pre-kip exposure to blue light has been proven to reduce the quality of our sleep and throw our circadian rhythms off kilter, so many of us are leaving our smartphones firmly outside the bedroom. What’s more, recent research has shown that waking up to a melody (read: not Apple’s jarring alarm bleeps) can leave you in a better mood for the rest of the day. In short: ditching your phone and choosing to be woken up by an actual alarm clock is much better for your mood, quality of sleep and sleep schedule.

Of course, there are countless alarm clocks on the market, so it can be tricky to know which to go for. A wake up light alarm clock with sunrise simulation to wake you up gradually? A smart alarm clock which wakes you up to the sounds of your favourite radio station and charges your phone at the same time? An Amazon Alexa? A loud alarm that can wake up even the heaviest of sleepers?

Here, we’ve whittled it down to the very best alarm clocks to help you wind down and wake up – for every kind of sleeper and budget.

Best alarm clocks: our top picks

• GLAMOUR’s alarm clock best buy: Lumie Bodyclock Luxe 750DAB Wake up to Daylight Table Lamp, £229, John Lewis
• Best alarm clock for heavy sleepers: Geemarc Sonic Bomb, £41.99, Amazon
• Best alarm clock for snoozers: Clocky Alarm Clock on Wheels, £39.99, Amazon
• Best sunrise alarm clock: Lumie Bodyclock Glow 150 Wake up to Daylight Table Lamp, £119, John Lewis
• Best alarm clock radio: Roberts Zen Plus DAB/DAB+/FM Bluetooth Bedside Clock Radio, £99.99, John Lewis

How we selected the best alarm clocks

GLAMOUR editors have used a handful of the alarm clocks selected below to help them wake up for at least a month – scoring on their ability to get them out of bed, their ease of set-up, design credentials and features like dimmable lights, USB charging, FM radio, Bluetooth connectivity. For the alarm clocks we’ve not personally tested, we’ve scoured customer reviews and chatted to retailers to find out which offerings actually do the job.

After more sleep content? Shop the best mattresses, best mattress protectors and the best silk bedding.

Scroll for GLAMOUR’s full edit of the best alarm clocks to help you seize the day.