HappyLight® Therapy Lamps, wake-up lights, and dawn simulators are often lumped into the same category because they all are light products related to the sleep cycle. But HappyLight® and these are other lights are not the same.
HappyLight® is a light therapy lamp. It uses an intense, bright light to enhance not only your sleep, but your mood, energy and focus as well. Light therapy lamps help with sleep by using a bright light that mimics sunlight to help your body recognize when it is morning and, as a result, reset your body's sleep/wake cycle (i.e., circadian rhythm) to its natural state. Many people will turn their HappyLight® on in the morning to help wake up with the bright light, but they are not technically a wake-up light or dawn simulator.
Wake-up lights and dawn simulators turn on while you are sleeping and emit a light gradually to wake you from your sleep. Typically, they do not provide the same intensity (10,000 lux) as light therapy lamps to reset your body clock or help with mood, energy and focus. They are better described as an alarm clock that uses light.