From today, Google Home users with Philips Hue lights will be able to use a new gentle sleep and wake feature designed to help you get more sleep and feel more rested.
Using the new feature, users can set a routine that gradually turns your Philips Hue smart lights on (wake) or off (sleep) over the course of 30 minutes, to mimic the sunrise or help you prepare for bed.
This gradual change of light helps improve the quality of your sleep. Just say, “Hey Google,” then:
- “Turn on Gentle Wake up” to have your daily morning alarms pair with gradual brightening. Make sure to enable Gentle Wake Up on the same Google Home device you’ll set your alarms on.
- “Wake up my lights.” You can also say, “Hey Google, wake up my lights in the bedroom at 6:30 a.m.” This will start to gradually brighten your Philips Hue lights at the time that you set and can be set up to 24 hours in advance.
- “Sleep my lights.” You can also say, “Hey Google, sleep the lights in the living room.” This will gradually start to dim your Philips Hue lights and can be programmed up to 24 hours in advance.
The Gentle Sleep & Wake feature is available in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, Singapore and India in English only.
For other ways to wind down at the end of the day, you can also tune out noises from street traffic or construction next door by saying, “Hey Google, play white noise.”
There’s some other great rest and relaxation options available too which you can try – OK Google, tell Headspace I’m ready for bed – try out some meditation or sleep exercises as well.
The announcements are part of Google’s “Spring into healthy habits” story, which (given the timing) coincides with the northern Spring, unlike us on the way into the southern Autumn (and almost winter).
