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I purchased my Lumie Bodyclock Advanced about 6 weeks ago for £99.00 from Boots, which seems to be a fairly standard price, but some online retailers also include a free "Snore Free" gadget for that price - which I do not need myself - honest.
Lumie Bodyclocks are aimed at people who ... Read review
Advantages: simulated sunrise and sunset, security features, white noise Disadvantages: some may prefer a radio too.
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I purchased my Lumie Bodyclock Advanced about 6 weeks ago for £99.00 from Boots, which seems to be a fairly standard price, but some online retailers also include a free "Snore Free" gadget for that price - which I do not need myself - honest.
Lumie Bodyclocks are aimed at people who suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (or SAD). SAD does affect quite a number of the population and an even greater number have some ... ...The special bulbs for the lumie clock retail at £4.95. Also see Ciao links for other stockists. I have had to deal with customer services already as I had some damage (glass breakage) to the clock, and I got a replacement part within 24 hours, which I think is pretty exceptional.
(Note there is NO Radio on the Bodyclock Advanced, despite the classification on here..) ... more
I have been suffering for a long time from an irregular sleep pattern but over the last few months it seemed to be getting worse and worse. I was struggling to get up by lunchtimes, weekday or weekend and was feeling very tired even when i did get up..yet it was affecting me at night as I could then find I was up very late at night, until the early hours of the morning, and I wasn't really breaking the cycle.
I purchased my Lumie Bodyclock Advanced about 6 weeks ago for £99.00 from Boots, which seems to be a fairly standard price, but some online retailers also include a free "Snore Free" gadget for that price - which I do not need myself - honest.
Lumie Bodyclocks are aimed at people who suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (or SAD). SAD does affect quite a number of the population and an even greater number have some symptoms, or winter blues. One of the main symptoms is what I have described where even though someone is getting what might seem like an excessive amount of "sleep", it is not refreshing enough and sufferers need naps the next day. Other symptoms include everything being too much of an effort, depression and physical aches and pains.
The light treatment stimulates the production of seratonin, which helps beat the depression, and the light also drops the melatonin helping us to wake up.
My own circumstances were slightly different as it is not just SAD for me but a lot of the symptoms are the same and I felt there was nothing to lose by giving the clock a try. I was in the doctors in floods of tears less than six weeks ago as I felt I was sleeping up to 16 hours a day (and still feeling terrible) and I need to be able to study and live in the remainder of the waking time.
However to pay nearly £100 for an alarm clock sounds like an excessive amount, and it needs to be very good.
There are actually three Bodyclocks in the range with the cheapest model being around £60. My Dad actually came home with the most expensive one from Boots as I had some vouchers and I did wonder was it going to be worth the extra money (as even £60 for a clock sounds a lot of money). In actual fact the Advanced Bodyclock has quite a few more features compared to the other two models.
Simply put, to use a Bodyclock you set the alarm time for the time you want to wake up. Prior to that time the lamp starts to very gradually illuminate. By the time the beeper goes up, the idea is that the simulated natural daylight has allowed your body to wake gradually - instead of a great big shock. At night, the opposite is true and when you go to bed you have the lamp lit fully, and it will go dark gradually within the time period.
The Advanced allows you to vary the "sunrise" and "sunset" time from as little as 15 minutes to as much as 90 minutes. I have been sticking with the standard 30 minute sunrise and sunset options though.
The Bodyclock Advanced also has a "whitenoise" feature, which is fantastic. The other two do not have this. Basically when the alarm is set for "sunrise" white noise is emitted, which has the effect of blocking out all other sound - I am not sure of the science, but it definitely works. This is recommended for people who work nights, to block out noise in the day but I really like it for helping me to get to sleep at night too. The first time I opened the clock from the box I tried this in a darkened living room at 5pm and was quite impressed with how it had the ability to help relax, even not at bed time.
The Advanced also has a random security feature built in so that if used the light will come on randomly between 4pm and 11pm - which has been useful if say the house is going to be empty, especially given the brightness of the light. Finally there is a snooze option..in theory this shouldn't be needed, but I find I am just naturally lazy and I do like the beeper to sound and squeeze out my getting up time for as long as possible.
Some people might be disappointed that the £99 model does not even have an actual radio included. Personally I do not mind this as I would rather not have the noise of the radio in the mornings, but the midrange bodyclock classic does have a radio if that is essential.
Assembling the Bodyclock is very straightforward and takes a matter of seconds. It did take me a day or two to read and understand which of the four main buttons do what - but that is down to me not paying attention rather than it being particularly difficult to set the time, alarm time and to learn what buttons to press at night on going to bed, and how to turn the beeper off in the morning.
I find I do use the clock as a simple reading lamp as well. You can do this by just turning the brightness up fully and pressing the sunrise/sunset button once you are ready to go to sleep (which will then take 30 minutes to fade). You can set the initial brightness of the lamp and when it is quite low, it gives off a beautiful orange sunset glow, which is very attractive in the room and would work for inducing sleep, say after a relaxing bath with relaxing oils.
So how is it going so far? I am actually quite amazed at the difference in my sleep patterns over the last few weeks. I do not honestly know how much can be genuinely attributed to the clock itself. I did make a very conscious effort for the first few days to have a bath around 9pm or so, and be in bed before 10pm, with the intention of going straight to sleep. For the first week or so I found it very hard to sleep but now it is getting a lot easier. Sometimes I might read a magazine or something as well now, and I feel a lot happier that even if I read a bit later, I am able to fall asleep a lot better. I am definitely waking up a LOT more refreshed, and I am getting up at a much more sensible time so somehow I have achieved what I wanted to. Perhaps this might have happened, I do not know, but given I felt so bad about it a few weeks ago I think the clock and the determination to change my routine has really helped me overall, with my sleeping, and my energy on waking.
I have blackout blinds/curtains as well and this will help in the summer months to maintain a decent sleeping routine even though the early mornings can also disturb sleep. The manufacturers do recommend blackout blinds as a suggestion for summer.
I am delighted with my Bodyclock Advanced, I never expected I could feel more refreshed so quickly after purchasing it and it has certainly exceeded my expectations.
Www.lumie.com
Outside In (Cambridge) Ltd 3 The Links, Trafalgar Way Bar Hill, Cambridge CB3 8UD tel: 01954 780500
The special bulbs for the lumie clock retail at £4.95. Also see Ciao links for other stockists. I have had to deal with customer services already as I had some damage (glass breakage) to the clock, and I got a replacement part within 24 hours, which I think is pretty exceptional.
(Note there is NO Radio on the Bodyclock Advanced, despite the classification on here..)
Advantages: Wakes you up naturally. Disadvantages: None.
...am a fan of the Lumie Bodyclocks having owned 3 which I will explain in a moment. I bought my first one about 3 years ago and I wrote a review on the Lumie sunrise bodyclock in December 2006. You are welcome to read this review and will notice that the reviews are completely different. Although the principle of the clocks are the same, there are different styles with slightly different functions and I have not copied and pasted any of the reviews. ... ...absolutely delighted with my orignal Lumie bodyclock. It really helped me through the cold dark winter. I used it all year round even though it was more beneficial in winter. One morning I was quite tired. I could hear my son downstairs and my clock read 5.30. I thought to myself for a few moments and decided that if he was up at that time he would have to stay up. If I had got up I would never have got back to sleep again and I was really enjoying ...
spottydog2 08.08.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Lumie Bodyclock Classic Sunrise Alarm Clock
Advantages: Makes me feel less like hibernating. Disadvantages: A bit difficult to set time initially (or can`t I follow instructions?).
I am one of these people who would be quite happy to hibernate in winter. I am not lazy, I pack a lot into my day, but come 9.30, I am ready for bed and boy, do I have trouble getting out of it. Funnily enough, when I have to get up at 5am for work, my inbuilt alarm clock wakes me up before the pneumatic drill sounding alarm. The problem is though, I am often awake every hour! The trouble I have is mainly when I have to get up at 7am to get my little ... ...I switch the pneumatic drill off at 7am and for some reason, I can`t switch on the lamp at the same time. I don`t want to get up because it is dark, 10 minutes later I am still there. I try to prooramme my brain to reach accross and turn on the lamp which is on the bedside table, right next to me. I don`t seem to be able to. This results in me getting up at 7.30 or even worse, 7.40, giving me little time to do everything, thus inducing far more stress ...
spottydog2 30.12.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Lumie Bodyclock Classic Sunrise Alarm Clock
...I had read about this Lumie Bodyclock so I decided I would get one. I was saving up for one myself but my parents surprised me by buying me one for my 18th birthday!
There are three Bodyclocks to suit different needs. I have the middle of the range one. This is the Bodyclock classic with radio. I haven’t used the radio yet but I think I might in the future.
~ What is the Lumie Bodyclock? ~
The Bodyclock is an alarm clock, which stimulates natural ... ...large cover, which sits over the bulb. It helps you have a regular sleep pattern by allowing your body to go to sleep during a 30-minute sunset and wake up during a 30-minute sunrise. Despite being summer and light mornings, I decided to start using it so that I have a regular sleep pattern by the time the dark mornings arrive. As it is light outside in the mornings, I could hardly tell it was on, so I bought a black out blind for my room to get ...
bluejules 22.06.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Lumie Bodyclock Classic Sunrise Alarm Clock
Advantages: natural light, easy to use Disadvantages: poor reception quality on radio
...so glad it did. The Lumie bodyclock simulates dawn, so that, even in the depths of winter you are woken to what really does feel like bright sunlight. The light quality is quite natural, due to the white shade that covers it, which has strategically placed holes in the back, enhancing the sunbeam effect. Excellent.
How does it do it? Well, the clock comes with a light, which takes a small forty watt lamp. Before you go to sleep you set the light ... ...But that's not all...
My Lumie bodyclock also includes a radio, which will also wake me at the pre-determined time- this is very important for me, as I am a deep sleeper and theight alone is not always sufficient to wake me. The radio will also stay on for an hour, unless turned off. Disappointingly, the sound quality on the radio is not great, and I have rarely been able to listen to it without some static also being audible. If that's going to ...
Popalee 29.07.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Lumie Bodyclock Classic Sunrise Alarm Clock
Advantages: Natural waking, easy to use, more restful sleep Disadvantages: No snooze button, potential difficulty in getting replacement bulbs
Lumie Bodyclock 100
I have had a clock radio with buzzer for years, but lately have found the intrusive nature of the radio and buzzer annoying. It's not a great happy mood generator in the morning at the best of times, but in deep mid winter it's lousey! So I looked around at the products designed to combat S.A.D (Seasonal Affective Disorder) and came across the Lumie Bodyclock 100. This is a natural awakening alarm clock. According to general ... ...alarm, because light regulates the hormones which control our waking, thus waking with light we feel energised and in a better mood. I was definitely up for that and purchased one as quick as possible!
So let me talk the product. It has a plastic silver base and an opaque white globe. The time is displayed in a green digital display. The time maybe shown in either 12 or 24 hour clock. It has 4 buttons; A Small round one marked ''P" which if used ...
pinky_2005 03.01.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Lumie Bodyclock Classic Sunrise Alarm Clock
The Lumie Bodyclock Classic imitates a sunrise effect, gently waking you the way nature intended. The Classic features a FM radio and a traditional clock face.
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