With this thought in mind, I started using shrill and loud sounds like my alarm tone thinking it will jolt me out of my sleep. I soon realized it was having a negative effect and turning me into an unpleasant guy. So, this time I decided to find some gentle sounds to wake me up instead and found some really cool apps in the process. Check them out.
1. Gentle Wakeup
First up is Gentle Wakeup which will simulate sunrise by increasing the brightness of your phone’s screen with birds chirping in the background. A pretty good way to wake up. The screen will dim down and turn crimson red in the evening. You will receive your daily weather forecasts with some decent animation effects. The alarm tones are soft and natural with a gentle feeling to them. Other features include timer, multiple snoozes with vibration, clock mode, and power nap. The pro version is steeply-priced at $38.99 and offers more sounds like owls and waterfall and future updates and features. Let’s see if we can find something, err, less expensive! Download Gentle Wakeup
2. Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock
Sleep cycle is the concept of monitoring your movements during sleep to determine how well you slept during the night. Using this information, Sleep Cycle app will determine the best time to wake you up. Ideally, the deeper the sleeping phase is, the less your body will move. Waking up is then easier if the alarm goes off when you are in a light sleep phase, and when you are moving more. Welcome to the smart new world of AI. Every time I moved in my bed, the vertical lines in the screenshot above moved in tandem. The app will use this info with a 30-minute window to wake you up with a soft and gentle alarm tone which should help you get up and going in no time. Note that you will have to charge your phone overnight as the app will be working all night. The pro version, priced at $29.99/yr, will offer more nature sounds, advanced statistics, cloud storage, and sleep aid. The last one will play soft tunes to help you fall asleep faster. Sleep Cycle is also available on iTunes. Download Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock
3. Mornify
Instead of relying on alarm tunes offered by alarm apps, Mornify wants you to take charge of the situation. You can choose your favorite music or song as your wake-up call and rise listening to your favorite music. Powered by yesteryear music streaming service Napster, Mornify has a couple of genres and moods to choose from. You also have the freedom to create a playlist and add songs to it or just add songs to your favorite list so you can quickly find them later. There is a search bar at the top to find a song that you may have on your mind too. I wish it could also connect with Spotify or YouTube Music. And oh, it works offline. The free version works just fine but certain advanced features like sort and TTS will cost $2.49 one-time. Download Mornify
4. Woodland Alarm Clock
The first thing you will notice is the dated UI which is not pleasant at all. The app was recently updated though so the dev team is still active it seems. Woodland Alarm Clock lists nature sounds and tunes for you to choose from. In fact, you can also choose a natural wallpaper for the app. Advanced features that we saw in some of the above apps are missing but that was expected viewing how the UI has been left for dead. The app works flawlessly though. Woodland Alarm Clock is free to use but ad-supported. There is no way to remove ads with an in-app purchase though. Download Wood Alarm Clock
5. Progressive Alarm Clock
Ever heard the beautiful sound of the Tibetan singing bowls? It’s out of this world. While most gentle alarm clock apps have nature sounds to offer, Progressive Alarm Clock will play the Tibetan singing bowls music that will slowly increase in both volume and frequency. There are five different patterns to choose from, each with its own schedule and frequency. There are more ways to explore this unique experience in the app with overtones. The app has a backup feature where it will play a loud and shrill sound, you know when you fail to wake up gently. Other than that the app is simple and doesn’t have much to offer. Regular features like snooze and dock mode are available. The app is ad-free and will cost just $0.99 in the App Store. Download Progressive Alarm Clock
Rise and Shine
Alarm clocks have long been part of our lives. I still have the classic table alarm clock with the round dial. Rising early in the morning can really help you stay more productive and get more stuff done. Plus, it’s good for your health. Next up: Do you have Philips Hue lights installed? Below is a simple guide to automatically turn them on when you wake up.
