My sleep routine just might be the death of me. I lie awake for hours, analyzing every conversation I had that day and wondering if I turned off the oven. Ultimately, I resort to my phone (it’s 1:25 a.m. as I’m writing this), completely obliterating my circadian rhythm (or so my Oura ring tells me), before clunking out in total exhaustion. Mornings are worse. I descend from my sweetest dreams to a dastardly noise—my iPhone’s factory alarm jingle, Radar—that causes my heart to stop as I jolt awake in a hysterical panic. There has to be a better way, I thought.
So when I heard that Hatch was releasing the third rendition of their Restore alarm clock, I was seriously interested. The Hatch Restore 3 is a smart alarm clock, sunrise alarm clock, and noise machine all rolled into one. It’s linked to an app but once set up, can be controlled on the device. It has an optional Hatch+ subscription ($4.99 a month or $49.99 a year) with access to a library of content, which includes guided meditations, relaxation exercises, and cool features like sleep tracking, smart home integration, and customizable sleep soundscapes and morning routines.
The Restore has three components to its sleep routine—unwind, sleep, and wake—which can be personalized through guided meditations, relaxation exercises, and cool features like sleep tracking, smart home integration, and customizable sleep soundscapes and morning routines (a large portion of its content requires a Hatch+ subscription at $4.99 a month or $49.99 a year). But also, it’s pretty.
The clock looked fabulous on my nightstand, with its chic linen face, invisible touch sensors, and sleek curved shape (I went with the color Putty, a beige tone)—but will it help me sleep? I set up a night routine and proceeded to use it for a week.
Here’s how it went: A cue to unwind kicks off at 9:30 p.m., with ethereal background music and a golden sunset color that casts my room in a calming glow. This signals that it’s time to wind down and put down my electronics. Once in bed, I push a button and my sleep routine commences. First, there’s a five-minute in-bed stretch routine. Then, I listen to a podcast by Sophia Wilson Pelton who scrolls the internet with quippy commentary. After that, I descend into a short meditation with breathing prompts against a blue glow, before sounds of the Malibu beach take over and the light turns off.
In the morning, a gradual light that mimics the sun brightens before a happy song plays. I do a few guided breathing exercises and begin getting ready while listening to a “rise and slay” pep talk from Jaida Essence Hall of RuPaul’s Drag Race fame.
At $170, I was skeptical that the Restore 3 alarm clock would live up to Hatch’s promises, but, if my Oura ring’s sleep data is any arbiter of truth, I haven’t slept this well since I was a baby.
Rachel Silva is the associate digital editor at ELLE DECOR, where she covers all things design, architecture, and lifestyle. She also oversees the publication’s feature article coverage, and is, at any moment, knee-deep in an investigation on everything from the best spa gifts to the best faux florals on the internet right now. She has more than 16 years of experience in editorial, working as a photo assignment editor at Time and acting as the president of Women in Media in NYC. She went to Columbia Journalism School, and her work has been nominated for awards from ASME, the Society of Publication Designers, and World Press Photo.
