Why winter mornings feel so grim (and why it isn't you)
6:45am in November. The sun is still more than an hour away.
By December it's dark until after 8. Here's what's really going on, and the simple way to bring the light back in.
The alarm goes off in the dark. You lie there, heavy and foggy, and it takes everything you've got to put a foot on the cold floor. By 10am you're fine. By 4pm it's dark again.
Plenty of women describe the same thing.
"Personally I dread the dark nights and short days."
A Gransnet member, "Coping with the dark Winter days"
Be honest. How many of these have crept in since September?
- You've stopped opening the curtains first thing. What's the point?
- The big light goes on at quarter to seven and everyone squints.
- Your phone alarm has two back-ups, and you still snooze all three.
- You've shouted up the stairs more than once before half seven.
- On Sunday night you're already dreading Monday's alarm.
Most of us blame ourselves. We're getting older, we're tired, we're "just not morning people any more".
Here's the part nobody tells you.
In every summer of your life, the sun did half the work of waking you up. Light builds slowly through the curtains for an hour or more before you open your eyes. By the time you're up, the room is already light.
In a UK winter that never happens. Across the UK the sun doesn't rise until about 8:15am in late December (around 8am in London, closer to 8:45 in Glasgow). You wake in darkness, get ready under a ceiling light, and often see no real daylight until you're well into your day. In Manchester this winter, the sun won't be up before 8am on about 60 mornings. In Glasgow it's about 80.
We call it the missing dawn. It's why mornings that were easy in July feel impossible in November.
In June the room is light before the alarm. In December it's pitch black. Same you, different light.
What most of us try first
- A louder alarm. Still a shock, still pitch black.
- The phone across the room. You're up, but squinting at a screen in the dark.
- Earlier nights. A good habit, but in December the sun still rises after 8.
- Another coffee. It helps a bit. The kitchen is still gloomy.
Every one of those asks more of you. None of them puts the light back.
You can't change the sunrise. You can bring the light indoors.
There are two simple ways people do this, and they work best together.
A sunrise clock
Brightens your bedroom gradually before the alarm, from a dim warm glow to bright morning light. You wake to a light room instead of a buzzer in the dark.
A daylight lamp
A bright white LED lamp you switch on at the breakfast table or your desk, while it's still dark outside.
You can buy the clock on its own for £59. We also put both in one box for £89 and called it the Winter Light Kit.
See the sets and prices"They just make it a bit less grim getting up when it's still dark."
A Mumsnet member on sunrise clocks, "Are those sunlight alarm clocks any good?"
What it's like to use
- The bedroom starts to glow. No buzzer yet.
- The room is light. The alarm is a gentle sound, not a shock. You get up.
- Kettle on, daylight lamp on, breakfast next to it.
- Out the door, having started the day in bright light instead of a dim kitchen.
If you've got teenagers
You'll know the 7am routine. Shouting up the stairs, then again, then a third time. Teenagers' body clocks naturally run later than ours, so a school-day alarm really does land in the middle of their night. It's biology, not laziness.
A sunrise clock in their room lights it up before the alarm, so the first thing that wakes them is a bright room, not you. And because it needs no app, the phone can charge downstairs.
7:00 on a school day. The room does the waking.
Two clocks for £99: one for you, one for themWhat the first customers say
4.5 out of 5 from 20 reviews. Our first 20 are friends and family who bought one before launch.
"Mornings were pure chaos with kids and a loud phone. This has calmed things down a bit – light wakes me first so I’m less grumpy. Sound options could be better though."
Sarah J, Stockport
"I used to lie there scrolling for ages after the alarm went off. With this the light does the job and I’m up before the sound most days. Only thing is it takes a bit of getting used to the gradual light – first few mornings I still felt surprised."
Ellie M, Brighton
"Before this I was pure snooze button chaos. Alarm goes off, I hate the world for 20 minutes, then stumble about like a zombie. Now the light comes up slowly and I actually feel half human by the time I get up. Only thing is the highest brightness is a bit much for me, so I keep it lower."
Jess T, Nottingham
One honest note. 7 of the 20 said they'd like more or louder sound options. The sound is gentle on purpose: light first, sound second. If you sleep through everything, keep your phone alarm as a back-up for the first week.
What it won't do
It won't make the sun rise earlier, and it won't fix a late night. It isn't a treatment for anything. If you're struggling with low mood, talk to your GP.
What it does is make dark mornings easier: you wake to light, and you have breakfast in it.
Why buy it from us?
Fair question. You've probably never heard of Morrow. Here's the honest answer.
- Two lights, one price.The sunrise clock and the daylight lamp together for £89. Most sunrise clocks are sold on their own.
- 60 nights, not 30.Most sunrise clocks give you 30 to 45 days to decide. You get 60 nights from delivery, long enough to try it on proper December mornings.
- Nothing to download.No app, no Wi-Fi, no subscription. You set it on the clock and that's it.
- A real person in Manchester.Email us and you'll get a reply from a person, usually within one working day.
Choose your set
Every set comes with free tracked UK delivery and 60 nights to try it.
Launch price until 30 November. £109 from 1 December.
- Free tracked UK delivery, with your tracking link by email
- 60 nights to decide. Still fighting the alarm by night 60? Free returns and a full refund
- UK plug included, and a real person answers every email
Want the kit plus a clock for the teenager's room? Family Mornings, £129
The clocks go back on Sunday 25 October.