Skip to main content

What color light helps you sleep? Here’s why you should invest in some red lights for your bedroom

How to choose the right color lighting for your every mood

Color psychology tells us many things about how we’re influenced by what we see. Aside from cultural significance, most colors trigger similar psychological reactions in people. Some colors agitate or excite and others calm and pacify, putting you in a relaxed mindset.

You can use relaxing colors in several ways to help you design a room or aesthetic and alter the ambiance, depending on your mood. For example, even if you don’t choose a specific color, certain bulbs like incandescents or fluorescents have their own warm or cold light. These dramatically change the way a room feels.

If you want to achieve a certain look with color, here is some insight into which to choose if you want calm zen before you hit the hay each night or a wake-up call before you leave for work in the morning.

Red light in bedroom

What LED light colors help you sleep?

The number one way to help you sleep at night is no lights at all. Blackout curtains are the definitive sleep solution, next to white noise. You’ll find that any light source isn’t ideal for fully restful sleep, but this may not be an option for you.

If you can’t sleep without light or are looking for the best night light to add to a room, you need to know which colors to avoid and which to invest in. First, don’t use blue lights for any bedroom lighting. If you use fluorescent bulbs, make sure you choose a warm setting. Cold daylight bulbs signal your brain to release serotonin and dopamine, waking your brain. Warmer lights like conventional incandescent or warm fluorescents signal melatonin production instead.

Red light and sleep

Red light wavelengths encourage your brain to produce melatonin. This naturally occurring hormone tells your body it’s time to sleep. The darker it gets, the more your body releases to put you into REM and circadian rhythm.

One study found that red light therapy helped improve sleep quality. The participants had a deeper sleep and fell asleep faster, too. If you need lights in your room at night, red LEDs or bulbs are the way to go.

Blue light and sleep

Blue lights are well known for keeping people alert by suppressing melatonin production. Blue or cool-toned lighting negatively impacts your sleep and is found in many places we may not even realize. For example, your phone, TV, and other devices produce blue light. Blue light filtering glasses can counteract the fatigue it causes.

You should unplug 30 to 60 minutes before bedtime to give your body time to replenish its melatonin stores. You can also activate warm filters or night lights to mitigate late-night working or scrolling in bed.

Red lightbulb

What are the most relaxing light colors?

The most relaxing light colors depend on how you plan to relax. Different colors are better for waking up, falling asleep, or entering a meditative trance state. Relaxing in the morning is different than attempting to fall asleep, so let’s take a deeper look at a few different light colors and their effect on your mental state.

Red

As discussed above, red lighting is ideal if you need a light at night. For example, your pre-sleep ritual might involve guided breathing, a white noise exercise, meditation, and so on. If you do bedtime yoga to relax, you obviously can’t do this in the dark. Instead, a red light will put you in the right headspace.

Pink

Consider pink lighting if you need light to wake up in the morning (as most people do), and sunrise is too early. Pink lights are a good color for infant and young children’s rooms. Not only do they add a fairy tale feel to a room, but they’re also calming. If you want a new way to spruce up your yoga spot or favorite napping space, pink lighting can set a relaxing tone, too.

Blue

Blue lighting is good for certain moods. Although it’s not ideal for resting, blue is a calming color in and of itself. Different LED devices use blue for relaxing light shows. If you like a galaxy or starry sky, blue lighting might put you in the perfect mood for a chill hangout experience.

Green

Green is a calming color known to improve wakefulness. Many professional gamers use green to help them focus during intensive streaming sessions and important competitions. Green pierces through darkness better than other colors, making it ideal for dark work settings that require energy and attentiveness. If you’re looking at shifting from blue or white light to another focusing color, green may be your go-to.

After reviewing these different color options, you can make the best decision for your needs. For example, a better night’s sleep may start with covering up or unplugging those blue- and green-lit appliances. Or, perhaps you’ll switch to red lighting when you wind down for the evening. With a bit of trial and error, you’ll be on your way to those important Zzzzzzz’s in no time! 

Editors' Recommendations

Amanda Hoyer
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Degreed in Psychology and English, Amanda fell into copywriting and blogging when she discovered an innate gift for narrative…
Modernize your oak wood decor with these gorgeous paint colors
These colors can give oak wood a modern, refreshing look
Oak wood flooring in living room

Whether you’ve just installed your favorite oak kitchen cabinets or you’ve decided on a stunning oak wood floor for your home, it can be difficult to find a modern color palette that looks seamless alongside these warm wood tones. While oak wood is stunning with traditional design, modernists who favor its classic appeal might find blending this tone with their existing palette frustrating.

Oak wood has a tendency to look outdated or overly traditional in a home's design. This happens for several reasons. For example, a dark or brown color palette makes oak look a bit drab in spaces where modernists prefer light or airy tones.

Read more
Time for a new bedroom accent color? These are our 4 favorites for fall
You will love these bedroom accent wall colors
Woman painting with paint roller

Fall is well on its way, and if you're anything like us, you're already planning all your home remodeling projects for the season. If you're looking to redecorate one or many rooms, consider transforming the bedrooms with a new coat of paint. Though many remodeling projects focus on the common areas, updating appliances, decor, and furnishings to better cater care to your guests, it's always good to use a fraction of your renovation budget on yourself. Your bedroom is meant to be an escape from the day — a place to rest, reenergize, and get some much-needed peace from the outside world.

There are some inviting and fun colors that are on-trend for the season, and these hues are sure to revamp the space, whether you paint the whole room or just a single accent wall. These bedroom accent wall colors are bold but versatile, so they can work with most decor as long as you know what you're doing.

Read more
Should you power wash your house in the fall? Here are 5 things to wash at the end of the season
Power wash your house in the fall - you'll be happy with the results
Man spraying roof with power washer

The fall season is a prime time to check some of those pesky household chores off your to-do list. With the kids back in school, autumn is a time to wrap up all things summer and prepare for winter. This includes fall floor-to-ceiling cleaning, which is tedious but necessary work. Take solace knowing there's at least one quick task, and maybe even a little fun: power washing your home's exterior. With just five quick power washing projects, you can have your house sparkling clean and prepared to survive the winter.

With end-of-season projects in mind, check out the five most important power washing projects you should undertake to keep your home clean, protected, and ready for winter. You'll be surprised how satisfying power washing your house in the fall can be, and we promise you'll love the results.

Read more