I have to mention my sunrise simulator that I got on eBay. I completely love it, it's a total sanity-saver for most of the year when you're getting up before the sun. Both models are devices that you plug into the wall and then plug a standard lamp into it.
I have model 205, it's really simple, you plug a lamp into it and 8 hours later it starts simulating sunrise by gradually brightening. It takes 30 minutes to complete the process for the light to be fully on. For the weekend, I ensure the lamp is turned off since we sleep later those days. The only thing is that you have to remember to turn the lamp back on if you turn it off. I typically wake up before it's fully on and then I turn the lamp off so Husband Jeff can keep sleeping. So each evening (or after Jeff is up) I need to make sure to turn the lamp back on so it will come on the next day.
There's also model 308, which is a little fancier. Looks like it's programmable by day of the week. Oh, and has a battery backup, which is nice since mine resets if the power goes out and you'll find that it now doesn't wake you at the proper time.
But I still recommend a standard alarm as a backup… and getting enough sleep in the first place. :)
A blog about healthy and lower-calorie cooking, recipes, and food. Inspired by all of the other healthy resources I read including other blogs, cookbooks, magazines, and websites.