What Is The Best Color Light For Sleep?

Nick Durante
by Nick Durante

It is understandably hard for countless homeowners to get a good night’s sleep. A loud home or the stresses of daily life can easily keep anyone awake at night and seek out a simple solution. Many homeowners in this position ask themselves; what is the best color light for sleep?

Red is the best color light for sleep because it doesn’t inhibit melatonin production. Colors like blue, yellow, and violet can inhibit melatonin production and make it difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep. Traditional purple and some shades of pink can make you feel sleepy because they don’t negatively affect your melatonin.

Sleep studies often have different results, but red and purple are often clear winners. With that said, red and purple lights may not work for you if you simply don’t like them as everyone is different. Follow along as we explore the best color lights for sleep?

What Colors Make You Sleepy?

Red lights make you the most sleepy because it doesn’t affect melatonin production. Melatonin occurs naturally in all people and it is necessary to get restful sleep. Colors like yellow and blue are known to inhibit melatonin production which can make it much harder to get restful sleep.

The mild wavelengths that red lights put out don’t stimulate the brain too much. Overstimulation is one of the key factors that drive problems with unhealthy sleep patterns. Red night lights are quite popular, affordable, and easy to find online and in stores.

Many people with persistent sleep troubles even opt for red light sleep therapy which has become quite popular. Otherwise, you can try out a red night light and the sleep therapy may not even be necessary. You can also try a pink night light because it is a combination of red and purple that is conducive to healthy sleep.

Is Purple Light Good for Sleep?

Purple light is known to be good for sleep, but it possibly varies based on the shade. Research is limited and varied when it comes to sleep studies, but many of them show that purple light is great for sleep. Some studies show that violet can make it take longer to fall asleep, however.

Violet is much lighter than purple and that could explain why it is less effective for falling asleep. However, sleep studies often stipulate that personal preference plays a huge role in how color affects you. That means that purple or even red may not make everyone sleepy if they don’t like that color.

Pink is a combination of red and purple which should be the perfect recipe for a good night’s sleep. While pink night lights are effective for many people, they may not work for everyone. You can’t go wrong with trying a purple light because most studies indicate that it helps their research subjects.

Is Green Light Good for Sleep?

Green light is good for sleep much like red and purple. Research suggests that green light is calming the brain which is a key factor in falling asleep. Green light therapy is a common practice now at sleep clinics throughout the United States.

Avoid shades of green light that feature too many blue hues because they could cancel out the positive effects. Shades of blue mixed with green light may make the wavelengths too stimulating for your eyes and brain. Sage is considered the best shade of green light for sleep.

Does Orange Light Help You Sleep?

Orange light can help you sleep, particularly if you have a dim bulb. Warm colors like red and orange are warm, comforting, and have no impact on melatonin for the average person. The dimmer the bulb, the better as it will be less stimulating than if it’s a vibrant, deep orange.

Best Color to Wake up to

Yellow is the best color light to wake up to because of how it is commonly perceived. It affects most people similar to the sun which can naturally make people wake up. You can’t help but think of the sunrise when you see yellow light in the morning.

One option is to set the timer on a yellow light so that it turns on in the morning. That way you won’t need to worry about the yellow light staying up all night and disrupting your sleep. Brands like Phillips produce wake-up lights that turn on at a specific time.

They can cost up to $170 or more depending on the brand and model. You can find great wake-up lights for as little as $30, however, so you don’t need to break your bank. Wake-up lights are a healthy way to start your day alert and ready for work.

Best Night Light for a Sleeping Baby

Red and purple are the best night lights for a sleeping baby. These colors allow for healthy melatonin production which is key to a good night’s sleep. Restful sleep is incredibly important for a baby, so it’s important to choose the right night light.

You can experiment with both red and purple night lights to see which is the best one for your baby. Amber lights work as well if your baby has trouble sleeping with a red or purple night light. They won’t inhibit melatonin production and will be less visually bold than red or purple.

Green night lights can also help a baby fall asleep in some cases, and it’s worth a try. Some night lights come with various color options and it may take some experimentation. It won’t take long for you to find the right color night light for your baby, but you may want to start with red.

Worst Color Light for Sleep

Blue is considered the worst light for sleep because won’t let your body produce melatonin as it should. Melatonin disruption will make it hard to stay asleep or fall asleep in the first place. It can be tempting to sleep with blue light because they are visually appealing, however.

The pros don’t outweigh the cons in this case, and blue light is sure to keep you awake. Blue light is fine during the day when you don’t necessarily want to boost your melatonin production. Other colors like gray and brown lights are known to disrupt healthy sleep as well.

Yellow lights are bad for falling asleep despite their warmth. Sure, red is a warm color, but it doesn’t disrupt sleep as yellow does. Yellow is too close to the color of morning sunlight to make the average person comfortably fall asleep.

Summing it Up

Red is the best light color for sleeping in for babies, children, and adults alike. Red, purple, and orange don’t interrupt melatonin production so it won’t be difficult to fall asleep. Colors like yellow and blue are the worst for falling asleep because of the way they affect the brain.

Many people use yellow lights to wake up in the morning because they cause alertness and stimulate the brain. That is the last thing that you want when you are trying to fall asleep at night, and blue is even worse. Blue can directly limit melatonin production which can make it take longer to fall asleep and stay asleep for most people.

With that said, studies show that there is no ironclad, definitive color that helps you sleep the best. A color like red may help many people sleep, but that won’t always work for people that dislike red. It may take several night light colors before you find the one that promotes the healthiest sleep for you.

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Nick Durante
Nick Durante

Nick Durante is a professional writer with a primary focus on home improvement. When he is not writing about home improvement or taking on projects around the house, he likes to read and create art. He is always looking towards the newest trends in home improvement.

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