GUYS. This may seem like such a simple post – but this one decision has been a GAMECHANGER in my life and marriage.
We’ve been using a natural light alarm clock for over 3 years now, and I can honestly say it’s one of the best decisions we’ve made for our home and our relationship.
Here’s why we decided to switch from using our phones to using a natural light alarm clock!
Our Rule: No Phones in the Bedroom
Shortly into our marriage, we decided we wanted to implement a new “No Phones in the Bedroom” rule.
We had been talking about it for a while – we knew how bad it was to be scrolling on our phones first thing in the morning or last thing at night. But like many great ideas, we talked about it for a few months… and never did much about it (cue the head smack).
Finally, some things started getting my attention and making me realize that this wasn’t just a good idea… it was a change that NEEDED to happen.
There are a few reasons we chose a natural alarm clock, but it really comes back to the simple decision to STOP bringing our phones into the bedroom and needing a more analog alarm clock instead.
But first, here are the 4 biggest reasons we decided to implement the “no phones in the bedroom rule” – and why I hiiiiighly recommend you try it out too!
1. Having phones in the bedroom was unhealthy for our marriage
Sounds a little overdramatic right? Wrong.
I can talk about all of the health and mental reasons we stopped bringing phones into our bedroom in a minute, but the REAL BIG reason was the most important to us: our marriage.
I can’t stress enough how much of an impact this change has had on our marriage – and how badly we needed to make the change!
At the time, we Pete and I were spending almost 24/7 together, living and working out of our RV as we traveled across the country. And although we may have been physically together a lot, the reality is that we weren’t making much time for “us.” That is, romance time.
And guys – that time is IMPORTANT. It’s sacred.
Most days, the times when it’s just Pete and I together is first thing in the morning and last thing at night.
It’s time for just us – but only if we’re intentional about it.
Otherwise it’s ridiculously easy (and scary) how fast things like work, to do lists, stress, social media, and #allofthethings sneak on into that “us” time.
After working on our computer screens all day, you’d think we’d be pretty tired of screens by bedtime…
But there was just something about scrolling through feeds aimlessly that felt a bit relaxing. We didn’t need to think, and it was a good way to catch up on what our friends and family have been up to.
Oh, and it’s a wonderful way to just keep yourself distracted.
Maybe you’ve been there?
We started realizing that we were going to bed with our phones, not each other.
We weren’t talking. We weren’t snuggling. We were simply laying in bed next to each other attached to our screens.
And so while there are a bunch of other reasons why we decided to try a natural light alarm clock, the heart of the matter is – we care about our marriage.
We actually WANT to spend time with each other, and our phones were very much getting in the way of that.
2. Our phone screens are horrible for our eyes
We’ve all heard the news, and we all know the truth: all of our devices are horrible for our eyesight, especially at night.
But it’s so darn easy to brush all of those facts off… until you physically start to notice a difference.
Maybe it’s because we’re on screens for a majority of our day with work, but I can honestly say that since I started college, I have noticed a drastic different in my eyesight.
College was the first time that I really started using social media more routinely (Instagram wasn’t even a thing until then) and was on my computer all of the time for classes and homework.
After college, I took a job as a management consultant, which meant I started staring at computer screens for 12+ hours every day (the joy!).
Now, we run our own business – that is almost entirely online.
And while we really do love what we do… we really DON’T love what being on our screens is doing to our eyes.
I went from having 20/20 vision going into college, to routinely getting a slightly stronger prescription for my glasses.
Now at the end of a long work day, I can physically notice a difference in not just the blurriness of my sight, but also how tired I become and how sensitive my eyes become to light.
Add that to the fact that in bed you’re usually scrolling in the dark, staring at a bright screen – and it just makes the effects so. much. worse.
As much as I love rocking my Warby Parker frames, I’m not trying to totally destroy my eyesight. And since we’re not stopping our business anytime soon (God willing!), reducing our screen time at night is one of the few ways I can cut down.
3. Using your phone at night leads to worse sleep
According to a CNN article, using your cell phone at night can lead to poor sleeping habits.
Poor sleep – including both low quality and low quantity – can increase your risk for serious issues like obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and depression.
Um, what?! NO THANK YOU!
I already have a tough time falling asleep and am an extremely light sleeper. Plus, I have two wild pups, a toddler, and a baby on the way.
Whatever I can to do get MORE and BETTER sleep – I’m in. Even if that means avoiding my phone before bed.
It’s actually recommended that we stop using our phones for at least 30 minutes before we go to bed, as the artificial light can stimulate and mislead our brains into thinking it needs stay awake.
According to an article by Business Insider, the blue light emitted by our cell phones trick our brains into thinking it’s still daytime. This signals to our brain to stop producing melatonin, which is the hormone that helps our body recognize it’s time to go to sleep.
If you want to read some more scary things that our cell phone blue lights are doing to our bodies + brains, you can read the full article here. Be warned, it’s no bueno!
4. Staying unplugged first thing in the morning
As bad as it can be to use our phones at night before bed, it’s not great to use them first thing in the morning either.
Think about it – for all of the same reasons that your phone harms you and distracts you at night, it’ll do the same thing in the morning.
It’s so easy and – scarily, almost a natural reaction – to reach for our phones first thing.
Personally, I’d rather reach for and snuggle up with my hubby! Or whichever pup has decided to hop into bed 🙂
Diving first thing into our social media or our emails is NOT a healthy way to start our day – no surprise there.
By keeping our phones outside of the bedroom, we get to wake up screen free.
Our natural light alarm clock simulates a sunrise and gets brighter the 30 minutes before our alarm is set to go off (I totally LOVE this feature! Most of the time, it helps me wake up naturally before my alarm).
It forces us to get out of bed and go into the kitchen to get our phones. For me, this is a huge win just to get out of bed and stop snoozing.
I do use my YouVersion Bible App for my devotional most of the time, so I’ll start using my phone then. But I always start with prayer and my Kairos Journal before even using the Bible app on my phone.
I also like to keep it in airplane mode during my time with the Lord. That way, I’m not getting sucked into every distraction or notification that comes my way, and I can just dive into His Word and prayer.
Where to Find a Natural Light Alarm Clock
If you’re ready to give your phone the boot from the bedroom too, I couldn’t recommend our natural light alarm clock more!
I’ll have to write another post about how much it’s already changed my morning routine (consistently waking up before my alarm is a HUGE win for me!), but it really has made an enormous difference.
I wasn’t sure which one to get when we made the decision to try a standard alarm clock, but my business coach had recommended one with a “natural light” ability over your standard analog alarm clock.
After some Amazon searching and review stalking, we decided on the Mosche Sunrise Alarm Clock for a few reasons:
- It’s one of the more affordable natural light alarm clocks (some of those babies cost $100-200! This one’s under $30 – way more budget-friendly)
- It has a bunch of options for colors (we just use the natural-looking one), sounds, and even the radio
- We love the minimalist look and feel
- Multiple charging methods (we can use batteries if we’re ever RVing without hookups!)
- Sunrise/Sunset Simulation (by FAR my favorite feature! It gently starts getting brighter and brighter before your alarm goes off, which has been a huge help to start waking up before our alarm feeling more rested)
There are a bunch of options out there, but I definitely think we have the best bang for our buck with this one.
You can find the exact alarm clock we have on Amazon here!
Now I’d love to hear from you!
Does anyone else use a regular alarm clock? A natural light one?
Anyone else struggling with unplugging at night or first thing in the morning?
Leave a comment below! I’d love to hear your thoughts or answer any questions you have 🙂
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