.The Lumie Iris Bodyclock — A Review
I was offered one of these amazing gadgets as part of my Valentine’s Gift guide and loved it so much that I have decided to do a whole review on it because, well, because it could be life changing.
It landed on my doorstep at a time when I didn’t know which way was up. The tail end of last year had been its usual busy self with work being insane, starting my own company, Christmas and family staying for a week, a trip looming large with Comic Relief and then a weekend in Scotland straight after it. By the time we got back from Edinburgh I felt at best like I hadn’t slept properly for a month and at worst like I had actually been awake for all of it.
At one point I had been awake for 40 hours, had done two overnight flights with a four hour lay over in the middle, and well, just well…. I was wrecked. No time to sit and read the paper in between it was back to daily 6am alarms, chasing my tail with work, teens, running a house and generally trying to be a reasonably social human being.
When all I wanted to do at the beginning of February was die. Or crawl into a corner and rock. Seriously, I was in a real fug. Sleep was eluding me and it was all I could think about. So the idea of a bodyclock was hugely attractive and I had high hopes for it to help sort me out.
The idea is very simple as the clock is a light simulator and it wakes you up gradually with an increasing amount of light. Your very own sunrise.
The light cues your body to set a healthy sleep cycle, get up, beat winter blues, and to feel alert, refreshed and energetic all day.
At bedtime the fading sunset is a natural cue to unwind
This is a signal for your body to step up production of the sleep hormone melatonin so you’re ready for bed
It took some getting used to the first couple of nights but now a couple of weeks in I can’t imagine going to sleep without it. Or indeed waking up without it. Setting it up was the simplest thing and I can set it to wake up at different times each day of the week, or the same time on weekdays and later at the weekends. Once you have set it up you don’t need to touch it again. Though if you do want to change anything it couldn’t be more simple.
The model I was sent also has two aromatherapy chambers, one for sunrise and one for sunset. So in the morning I wake to the smell of fresh lemon, and in the evening I drift off with the smell of fresh lavender. It’s truly heaven.
The full spec of the model I have is here (The IRIS 500):
- 5, 20, 30, 45, 60 or 90-minute sunset to wind down ready for bed
- 15, 20, 30, 45, 60 or 90-minute sunrise to wake you naturally
- Two removeable aromatherapy chambers for sunset and sunrise oils (oils not included)
- Continuous or intermittent diffusion
- Sunset, sunrise and aromatherapy have a range of options (intensity, duration, 7-day programming) that can be used together or independently
- Dimmable for use as a bedside light
- Nightlight feature
- Snooze feature
- Remote control
- Security option to turn on the light randomly while you’re away
- Back-ups: optional alarm beep, power failure back-up
This one retails around £160 but what price a good night’s sleep and feeling awake the following day?
There are other models available from £60 all available online from various retailers, or you can get them from Lumie direct
I cannot recommend this light highly enough. If you have anybody in your family who complains about a general feeling of lethargy or an inability to sleep this might just be the lifesaver they need