To put it simply, the Hatch alarm clock is an overpriced alarm clock that retails for $129. Is it worth it? According to the Hatch website, it helps you unwind with ease, stay asleep longer, and wake up feeling restored.
I bought the Hatch alarm clock in July 2023 and have been consistently using it since then. I purchased it on Amazon during the Prime Day deals, so I was able to buy it for about $100. I work in retail, so some of my shifts start as early as 5 a.m., and I really struggled with my iPhone’s harsh wake-up call. My purchase decision was driven by having an alarm clock that gradually woke me up with light rather than having a sound to officially wake me up.
How it works
Sunrise alarm
The alarm clock is controlled through the Hatch app on your mobile device where you can set the time you want to wake up, the frequency the alarm goes off, and the sunrise and sound you want to wake up to. According to Hatch.co, the sunrise alarm functions “by gently waking you up with light instead of sound, the Restore 1 Sunrise Alarm mimics a natural dawn, moving from red to orange to white before your chosen alarm sounds. This gradual exposure to light prompts your brain to release cortisol, the hormone that cues your body to wake naturally and gently.”
Wind-down routine
The alarm clock also has a “wind down” feature that lets users use it as a sound machine and pick a color from the library. To access more content like curated music playlists, guided rest exercises, sleep stories, and more. Users can purchase Hatch+ for $4.99/month or $49.99/year. I didn’t purchase Hatch+ and don’t use the free wind-down features. I don’t use the sound machine because I have a fan in my room, and I prefer my fan to the Hatch’s fan sound. I sometimes use the light feature, but it’s not bright enough to use as a reading light so I prefer my lamp. I use it in addition to my lamp.
The Review
Initially, I thought it wasn’t worth it because my phone does the exact same thing as the alarm clock and was going to return it. As the school year started and then we moved into fall and winter, I have appreciated the clock more.
I typically set my alarm for 7:30 a.m. so my sunrise starts at 7 a.m. Some mornings I wake up at 7:30 when I set my alarm, but most mornings the sunrise wakes me up. It gives me time to lie in bed and wake up before I have to be up. Because it’s still dark at 7:30, the sunrise feature is more effective of waking me up in the winter than the summer. My dog sleeps in my room and she knows when the alarm clock starts to light up it’s almost time to wake up, so she’ll get into bed and lie right next to me to wait until I wake up and feed her. On the weekends I set the sunrise alarm without a sound so I can sleep in, but if I wake up and see that my alarm clock is lit up, it’s time to get up.
You don’t only need to take my word for it, other people like it.
“I love my hatch sunrise alarm clock! It has changed waking up in the morning for me. As someone who stresses about missing my alarm and pressing snooze too many times, it has seriously helped me out. I love the light feature for all-day use since I don’t like overhead lighting. I love that it’s also a sound machine. While I love it, it was a gift, so I didn’t have to pay for it. I don’t think I could justify spending over $100 on an alarm clock if I didn’t receive it as a gift” (Jacqueline Raque, FaceTime interview).
“I absolutely love the hatch alarm clock, although it is pricey, it is such a better way to wake up. It’s proven to help lower cortisol levels because of the natural way it wakes you up. I like that you have so many settings to customize like you able to choose the type of sound you wake up to, how bright the hatch is when your alarm goes on, and you can pick the type of sunrise on the clock for your alarm. You are able to choose the amount of time before your alarm actually goes off using the “sunrise” features. Mine starts mimicking a sunrise 30 minutes before my alarm actually goes off and I wake up to birds chirping. There are so many features for winding down at night time too that research has shown contributes to a better nights sleep” (Olivia Sass, phone interview).
Pros | Cons |
Sunrise makes it easier to wake up in the morning | Expensive
|
Extra features: sound machine, lighting | Hatch+ to access full wind down routine |
Alarm clock sounds are soothing | Unable to save previous alarm times, unless you have it repeating. |
Keep the phone out of the bedroom | You can’t travel with it |
I think $129 is expensive for an alarm clock, but it makes waking up early easier.
There are cheaper sunrise alarm clocks on Amazon. I believe I am getting my use out of it because I use it almost every day to wake up. I do think purchasing a cheaper sunrise alarm clock is worth it because the light will gradually wake you up, so it makes it easier to wake up. Since I have been using it for over six months, and I would find it difficult going back to using my phone as my alarm clock.
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