Waking up is hard to do. That’s how that song goes, right? Whatever. It’s still true, you know. Nobody enjoys being roused out of a deep sleep by an alarm. It’s shocking. It’s obnoxious. There’s a better way to wake up, and it doesn’t have to cost a ton of money.

The Jall Wake Up Light sells for a downright cheap $33. It doesn’t have the most features of other sunrise alarms, but it’s a solid choice if you’re just looking for the basics of a machine that’ll wake you up in a way that doesn’t scream “heart attack.”

selling sunsets… for cheap

Our bodies weren’t built for the obnoxious blaring of a smartphone alarm going off on the nightstand every morning. They were built to wake up to the rhythms of the sun rising as it spreads its gradually brightening light that shifts from dull orange to yellow to bright white-blue.

That’s what signals us to begin the slow and gradual (but more pleasant) of waking up. Not everybody has a schedule that allows for that. Sunrise alarms use built-in lamps to simulate sunrises to wake you up gradually in the morning.

The Jall’s 20 selectable brightness levels offer an acceptable level of light for an average-sized bedroom. It had no trouble lighting up my bedroom. It was a relief, as cheap, too-dim sunrise alarms sometimes just don’t have the oomph to convincingly pull off a fake sunrise.

There are also seven built-in sleep sounds, such as birds chirping, although I wouldn’t buy the Jall based on those. They sound pretty cheap coming through the Jall’s tinny speaker. If you want sleep sounds to help lull you from wide awake to sleepy head, then I recommend you buy a purpose-built white noise machine or sound machine.

If you’re looking for something a bit more premium, with a sunset feature that works in reverse, clever gesture-based controls, or better-sounding sleep sounds, then check out our guide to the Best Sunrise Alarms for more recommendations.