Tired of your alarm clock? Try these alternatives from Loftie, Fitbit, Philips and more

Mornings don’t have to begin with a dreadful beep, beep, beep. As it turns out, waking with a loud alarm clock can literally put your day off to a bad start. 

Sure, alarm clocks have their time and place, but there’s lots of new wake-you-up products you could try, too. If you’re soured on an old alarm clock that jolts you awake, you should consider these alternatives—take it from me, Reviewed's senior sleep writer, who's tried it all.

1. A vibrating wearable that wakes you up—not your bed partner

I’m not the easiest to rouse come morning—my family likes to joke that I could sleep on a clothesline. All that’s to say: I was skeptical about whether a small, buzzing device strapped to my wrist would do anything to get me out of bed. 

My Fitbit Versa rose to the occasion, even though the vibration is gentle. I swear by the fitness tracker when I’m traveling with others, especially my sister—a teenager who chronically sleeps in but is also easily disturbed. The buzzing makes for a personalized, pleasant alarm experience that won’t disrupt those around you. 

Apple Watches have the same feature, as do Garmin wearables. So no matter which wearable you prefer, you’ll be covered. If you don’t have a wearable yet, but want to try buying one to replace your alarm clock that also offers sleep tracking overnight, we like the Fitbit Charge and Fitbit Versa, as well as the Vivosmart 4 from Garmin. 

• Get the Garmin Vivosmart 4 from Amazon for $99.75
• Get the Fitbit Charge 5 from Amazon for $119.25
• Get the Fitbit Versa 3 from Amazon for $188.99
• Get the Apple Watch Series 7 from Amazon for $449 

2. A device that wakes you with light

A sunrise alarm may change the way you think about a morning wakeup call. There are a number we’ve tried and loved, but none stood out to our tester quite like the Philips SmartSleep Wake-up Light. The device comes with 20 light intensities, and our tester found its sunrise simulations were realistic and effective. What’s more, you can use the light in conjunction with “five different natural wake-up sounds.” 

The Hatch Restore is another great, versatile alarm clock with a sunrise feature. It also encourages good nighttime habits by allowing you to create a custom routine that pairs light with audio cues. My sister swears by her Hatch Restore, which she programmed for bedtime to start with a subtle, blush light, followed by crickets chirping with a fainter pink, then finally a white noise track to help her doze off. 

• Get the Philips SmartSleep Wake-up Light from Amazon for $99.99 
• Get the Hatch Restore from Hatch for $129.99  

3. An alarm clock that wakes you softly

OK, I know. You’re looking at this and thinking, “This is an alarm clock, what’s it doing here in an anti-alarm manifesto?”

Yes, the Loftie is an alarm clock—but it’s not just any alarm clock. In fact, I promise it’s nothing like others you’ve experienced. After my first night with the Loftie, I woke up and immediately thought, “This is what waking up should be.” And I’m not the only Reviewed staffer who can’t imagine an evening (or morning) without it—senior editor Sarah Hagman has owned her Loftie for nearly a year and also loves it. 

The Loftie uses a two-pronged approach: First, it plays a “wake-up sound.” It might be soft music that includes chirping birds or waves crashing against a shore. If that doesn’t rouse you, an equally pleasant tone chimes nine minutes later. The preset sound is soothing—a bit like a cross between a gong and a bell.

Beyond that, it’s got loads of features you won’t find on a traditional alarm clock, such as sound baths, bedtime stories, white noise tracks and more.

Get the Loftie alarm clock from Tuft & Needle for $149 

4. A bed shaker that lightly jostles you awake

While we haven’t tested bed shakers, vibrating alarm clocks are popular on Amazon—especially by the Deaf or hard-of-hearing community. Some people swear by alarms that also come with bed shakers, like the Sonic Bomb. After our tester (who's hearing) gave it a go, we don’t recommend it for a variety of reasons, including its painfully loud and obnoxious alarm tone. 

Another that could be worth trying: iLuv’s Bluetooth bed shaker, which wakes you by, well, gently shaking the underside of your pillow. (The company suggests placing it below your pillow even though it’s called a bed shaker.) The device has five vibration strengths to accommodate light and heavy sleepers, and it's managed via Bluetooth and an app. You can program three alarms, which will work even if you turn off your phone. 

This particular product has 4.2 out of 5 stars on Amazon, according to 450 reviews. One customer wrote: “Finally, an alarm that actually works for hard-of-hearing or deaf people. I am deaf at night when I take off my Cochlears and worry about waking up late. Took this on my latest trip and it worked great.”

Get the iLuv SmartShaker 3 from Amazon for $59.99

5. Set a timer on a white noise machine

Reviewed’s editor in chief, Dave Kender, has a unique approach to waking up: He swears that programming his sound machine to turn off when he wants to wake up creates a sudden lack of sound that causes him to stir.

There aren’t many devices with timers sufficiently long to create this sort of reverse noise option for waking up. One that fills the bill: The Soundcenter White Noise Machine offers an 8-hour timer (most others cap out at 90 or 120 minutes). This setting will allow you to doze off in peace and still meet the recommended minimum of seven hours of sleep for adults. 

One reviewer particularly loves the timer function (though we can't say that they've used it to wake up to a lack of noise): “[I’ve] been using the Yogasleep travel sound machine for several months, but bought [the Soundcenter] as it has a timer,” they write. “I love that I can keep it permanently plugged in and the timer is great.”

Get the Yogasleep Soundcenter from Bed Bath and Beyond for $24.99 

6. Get yourself on a regular sleep schedule

If you truly hate all alarms, you can try to program yourself to wake up around the same time everyday. This requires patience and consistency (and the luxury of not needing to be somewhere at an exact time as you acclimate). But if you want to ditch an alarm for good, taking a crack at this method could improve your morning routine. 

To work with your own biology, try to go to sleep around the same time each night, and wake up at the same time in the mornings, too. Again, the key is consistency. Even if you go to bed late for a few nights, try to wake up around the same time the following morning. Eventually your body will learn the patterns, and you may be able to get away without an alarm. (Though we’d suggest setting one for at least a while, just in case.)  

For folks who are prone to waking up in the evenings, and seem to have later-shifted circadian rhythms, getting sunlight in the morning may be the key. Sunlight exposure within an hour or so after first waking up (especially in the morning) helps push your circadian rhythm earlier in the day, and makes it easier to go to bed not too late.