LIGHT vs THE (EVIL) ALARM CLOCK

Kam Dhatt
Jan 6
8 min read

Updated: 5 days ago

Waking Up to Our Inner Clock – How Understanding Chronobiology Changed My Mornings...

I remember the first time I truly questioned my morning routine. I was in a management team training session, and we were asked about the things we found hardest about the job, . I remember clearly saying, “I hate waking up to my alarm clock,” and getting the mick taken out of me. However, I was lucky to be working for a company that was quite respectful of my need for a slightly later start than others. They probably recognised how miserable I could be first thing in the morning, but also how much more productive I was later in the day, and how willing I was to make up the time after everyone else had gone home.

For years, my mornings felt like a personal battle against that dreaded device that sat on my bedside table. Why was I finding it so hard to wake up when the alarm told me to? Was I just being lazy, or was there something deeper at play?

It always started rather humorously, though it didn’t feel funny at the time. I would set my alarm for 7:00 AM, convinced I’d have a fresh start, maybe even go to the gym before work or get some productive tasks done early. This was, of course, after getting into bed around 11:30 PM, having watched countless YouTube videos on how to become an early riser, then struggling to fall asleep for another hour or two. Instead, I’d stagger out of bed half-lucid, wondering if I was still dreaming. On several occasions, I caught myself moaning the alarm clock like it was alive and listening to me... meanwhile, the clock just beeped mercilessly. Eventually, I realised that no amount of snooze-button slamming fixed the underlying issue. I simply wasn’t ready to wake up at 7:00 AM, and there had to be a reason why.

Lazy or not?

Why was it so hard to peel myself out of bed? Was I just lazy? After all, we’ve all been told that if you don’t jump out of bed with a cheerful grin, you’re simply not disciplined enough. The truth, however, is far more fascinating. I only came to understand it after years of struggling with mornings and, quite crucially, after experiencing the unexpected difference a camping trip made to how easily I fell asleep and how refreshed I felt when I woke up.

This frustration led me down a rabbit hole of research. An excellent science article in Scientific American (Out of Sync: How Modern Lifestyles Scramble the Body's Rhythms, Volume 26, Issue 5 September 2015), and a few good books later, I discovered an entire area of biological science called chronobiology: the study of our body’s internal clock and its effect on our biology. The word chrono derives from the Greek chrónos, meaning “time” (note its use as a prefix in familiar words such as chronology, chronometer, and now chronobiology). This is the scientific field in which circadian rhythms sit. I also realised how closely sleep aligns with my own profession, with two key ingredients at play: light and timing.

Another major fascination was learning about chronotypes. The reason some people, like me, are not morning people is actually grounded in science and genetics. This brought a great deal of relief, but also the realisation that many of us may be doing more harm than good by forcing ourselves to wake against the body clock we were born with. I also realised I wasn’t helping my body clock with my inconsistent daily habits and poor sleep environment.

It’s believed that around one-third of the human population are naturally late risers (often called night owls), with the remainder being early risers (early larks). We effectively have a diverse range of chronotypes. The “Sentinel Hypothesis” suggests this variation evolved so that, within early human groups, a smaller number of individuals would naturally stay awake later to keep watch for danger while others slept. That proportion, roughly one third being late sleepers and risers, still carries through today, not because of survival needs, but through our genes. The difference is that our modern environment is far less suited to the hunter-gatherer conditions these genes evolved to operate in.

This helps explain why some of us naturally fall asleep late, wake late, and struggle in a world rigidly structured around a nine-to-five work and study routine. In many ways it’s even tougher for children, who often have to start school earlier than their natural rhythms would prefer. Some people assume this is exactly what an alarm clock is for. The simple solution we seem to have invented to get humans out of bed on time is, of course, the alarm clock.

Evil Alarm Clocks

The adjustable alarm clock, widely available today, really began to appear in the mid-1800s. At the time, it seemed like a great invention: a timed mechanism designed to disturb sleep enough to force awakening. In effect, it was a device intended to counter a natural process shaped by millions of years of evolution. Today, waking up to a ringing or beeping alarm feels entirely normal.

But what if you were told that waking up to an alarm sound may actually be damaging to the brain? The mechanism for waking up to sound daily is simply not healthy. Sleep specialists often stress how important it is for the mind and body to feel safe in order to achieve quality sleep. While we are asleep and no longer conscious, possibly deep in dreamland, the body still maintains sensory awareness to prepare for danger. This includes sensitivity to touch and sound.

A sudden noise during sleep triggers an alert response. Biologically and neurologically, this involves a rapid rise in cortisol, an increase in heart rate, and an abrupt interruption of brain activity while sleep hormones are still circulating. This is where alarm clocks have the greatest impact, particularly for late risers who may only just have reached a deep or restorative sleep stage. The groggy discomfort is real. It comes from important brain and body processes being cut short halfway through, at a point when your biology simply was not prepared to wake.

To truly understand the impact of alarm clocks, we first need to remind ourselves of the natural sleep phases required for restorative sleep.

Sleep Phases: The Stages Your Body Must Pass Through

Sleep isn’t a flat line of unconsciousness. It’s a sequence of stages that cycle throughout the night.

Light Sleep (Stages 1 and 2)

This is transitional sleep. If you’re woken here, you may feel a little off, but it’s manageable. Body temperature drops slightly, heart rate slows, and you drift in and out of dreams.

Deep Sleep (Stage 3, also known as slow-wave sleep)

This is where physical recovery happens. Muscles repair, tissues regenerate, and the immune system strengthens. Waking from deep sleep can feel brutal, like being dragged out of quicksand.

REM Sleep (Rapid Eye Movement)

This is the primary dreaming stage. During REM, the brain consolidates memories, processes emotions, and clears mental clutter. REM sleep is essential for learning, cognition, and emotional health. REM periods lengthen toward the morning, which is why waking abruptly during REM often leaves you disoriented and groggy.

In an ideal world, external stressors such as noise, excessive light, or alarm clocks wouldn’t interrupt deep or REM sleep. In reality, our 24/7 society often forces us to wake before these cycles are complete, leaving us feeling that something just isn’t right.

Nature’s Way: The Power of Gradual Light

Before artificial lighting and alarm clocks, humans woke with the rising sun. The gradual increase in morning light stimulated the eyes, signalling to the brain that morning was approaching. Blood pressure and cortisol levels rose slowly, melatonin levels dropped, and the body gently transitioned from deep sleep into lighter sleep before waking. This natural phasing-out of sleep makes waking feel far more comfortable and intuitive.

This is likely why I experienced such a dramatic improvement while camping. Being forced to sleep and wake by nature’s own alarm clock, I was surprised by how well I slept, even in a sleeping bag with minimal cushioning, especially after full days outdoors. Exposure to strong natural daylight during the day, followed by true darkness at night, helped my circadian rhythm reset.

The Damage of Constant Alarm Wake-Ups

Waking to a sudden alarm day after day places stress on both the brain and body. Worse is its effect on a person who is REM sleep phase, a critical stage where brain neurons are being wired and memories consolidated, and then suddenly has to halt in progress! Instead of gentle hormonal transitions, the alarm forces an immediate shift. Over time, this can affect the nervous system, cardiovascular health, and mental well-being. It’s not just about feeling grumpy in the morning; the cumulative impact matters.

Poor quality and disrupted sleep over time is a key area of research in relation to the development of Dementia and other mental health conditions that are becoming increasingly higher in numbers in the developed world.

Circadian Rhythms

Circadian rhythms are roughly 24-hour cycles governing many physiological processes, including body temperature, hormone release, and sleep-wake timing. These rhythms are regulated by external cues, known as zeitgebers, such as light, temperature, and meal timing. For most of human history, the sun was the primary timekeeper.

Modern Solutions: Artificial Sunrise and Lighting Controls

Today, we can replicate the natural sunrise effect using dawn simulators, smart bulbs, and integrated lighting control systems. By gradually increasing light levels over 20 to 30 minutes before waking, the body is encouraged to transition naturally. Even simple plug-in solutions can make a noticeable difference.

Since starting Kazzar Lighting and offering true circadian lighting solutions, this morning-wake benefit has become one of the most popular reasons clients adopt tunable white lighting with smart controls.

Light alone isn’t a magic bullet, but it can significantly improve alignment with your biology. Over time, consistent light cues can even encourage earlier sleep onset the night before.

Temperature also plays an important role. Cooler evenings and warmer daytime conditions help reinforce natural circadian signalling. Combining light and temperature control further supports healthy sleep-wake cycles.

The Other Side of Light: Evening Overexposure

Modern life exposes us to bright, blue-enriched light late into the evening through phones, laptops, and LED lighting. This delays melatonin release and pushes sleep onset later. While morning light is beneficial, evening light should be reduced. Dimming lights 90 minutes before bed and using warmer colour temperatures can help.

A Good Day Starts with a Good Night

Sleep coach Nick Littlehales once said, “A good sleep starts with a good pre-sleep routine.” Before artificial lighting, that routine was built into nature. Today, it requires intention. Use light intelligently: dim it in the evening, and introduce it gently in the morning.

It took many groggy mornings and a fair amount of research for me to understand this. I’m not perfect, but I wake feeling far more human than I used to.

If you struggle with mornings, try aligning your environment with your biology. Understand your chronotype, adjust your light exposure, and remember: it’s not laziness. It’s timing.

References

Czeisler, C.A. & Gooley, J.J. (2007). Sleep and circadian rhythms in humans. Cold Spring Harbor Symposia on Quantitative Biology, 72, 579–597.

Roenneberg, T., Wirz-Justice, A. & Merrow, M. (2003). Life between clocks: daily temporal patterns of human chronotypes. Journal of Biological Rhythms, 18(1), 80–90.

Samson, D.R., Crittenden, A.N., Mabulla, I.A., Mabulla, A.Z.P. & Nunn, C.L. (2017).Chronotype variation drives night-time sentinel-like behaviour in hunter-gatherers. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 284(1867). https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5524507/