Look, I get it.
You find it hard to fall asleep in dark. But that doesn’t mean you have to spend half of your sleep time tossing and turning and staring blankly at the ceiling.
As someone who can’t snooze in dark, I have learned a thing or two over the years about how light impacts sleep. And in this post, I’ll share with you the best color lighting for sleep.
Let’s dive right in.
How Blue Light Keeps You Awake At Night?
Each one of us has a natural, daily sleep/wake cycle (aka the circadian rhythm). It synchronizes with our environment, so that we are alert during the day and sleepy in night.
However, artificial light can disrupt this cycle — big time. That said, not all artificial light is the same.
Contrary to what many believe, the black light is far from optimum for bed time. The same is true for white light. However, it’s the blue light — yeah, the same one that your smartphone, computer, television screen emanates — that’s most detrimental to sleep.
Surprised? Don’t be. Research back up this claim.
According to a study published by the University of Haifa, the blue screen light reduces sleep time by 16 minutes. The researchers noted that exposure to blue light slows down the production of the sleep hormone (aka melatonin).
So if you are having trouble sleeping, and you usually surround yourself with artificial blue light before bedtime, switch to a light color that is conducive to sleep.
Which color is that?
Believe it or not, red light helps you sleep better.
Red light is perfect for evenings, thanks to its low color temperature. Research shows red light produces a very similar level of melatonin as complete darkness and doesn’t eff up your sleep cycle like other lights.
The long and short of this is — install red LED bulbs in your bedroom (including the reading lamps) if you are having trouble falling sleep. Also, minimize the exposure to artificial blue light before bedtime.