Review: This smart alarm clock will help you hack your beauty sleep
Break up with your phone and invite Hatch to bed instead…
We all know that creating healthy routines are basic building blocks of a healthy life. Time and time again, we hear “no blue light before bed”, so we purchase blue-light glasses. We hear “don’t bring your laptop into the bedroom”, so we buy an iPad instead. But can we actually not bring our smart phone into the bedroom? (Especially when most of us use our mobiles as alarm clocks?) Sounds ludicrous, but the Hatch, which calls itself the “smart sleep assistant” makes this totally possible, and honestly, enjoyable.
The Hatch alarm clock. Courtesy: Hatch
Falling into the habit of checking my phone as soon as my alarm went off in the morning was becoming a “not so healthy” obsession. Opening one quick email led to checking all of my emails, and then texts, and then social media, etc. The thought of using Hatch to wake me up in the morning instead of my phone was intriguing and sounded a little more relaxing.
Influencer Marie Zoumanigui using the Hatch restore alarm clock
When the Hatch arrived, I quickly opened the box and set it up on my nightstand. Its white and grey minimalist look matched my room perfectly, so I was already a fan. I followed the setup guide via the Hatch App that you’re asked to download. All in all, the whole process took maybe 5 minutes and was extremely simple.
Courtesy: Hatch
The Hatch App can be customized to your own sleep routine. This can include 30 minutes of a reading light before bed, 20 minutes of meditation with the sound of ocean waves, or even a bedtime story from the Hatch Library. I chose to start with a 30-minute reading light, followed by 20 minutes of ‘light rain’, and then silence for the remainder of the night. You’re able to choose from different soundscapes in their library to play all night or just for a short period of time.
The first morning was… not ideal. I did not realize that your “morning light”, imitating the sun rising, would begin 30 minutes before my actual alarm went off. I understood you’re supposed to slowly “hatch” from sleeping and ease into the day, but this caused me to wake up at 5:30 am instead of 6:00 am… and I was not happy. I quickly realized that you can customize the timing of everything via the App, so I was able to make the sunrise start only 5 minutes before my alarm the next morning.
The only other “issue” I ran into was the clock light. The light emitted from the clock the first night bothered me a tad bit. But again, upon exploring the App, I found you can customize a specific time in the night for the clock to turn off, and also when to turn back on.
Just one week in, I can honestly say the Hatch is amazing and worth every penny. I read at night with the most perfect dim light and fall asleep to the sound of rain. I then wake up to a soft glow being emitted into my room and the sounds of birds chirping. My phone remains charging in the living room all night and my mind feels much calmer and clear this way. For me, this customizable alarm clock has made going to sleep and waking up a truly restful experience, and that’s priceless (actually….it’s $129.99).
The Hatch smart sleep assistant
Try the Hatch and let us know what you think.