What Color of Light Helps You Sleep
Did you know that different light colors are a lot better than others for good sleep?
What many don't realize is the crucial role that light plays in our sleep cycle, and additionally, that some kinds of led light colors are better than others for good sleep.
What LED light color is best for your sleep?
A red light color is best for sleep because it has a low color temperature, far lower than regular sunlight. You can be immersed in red light at night without giving your body a jolt and altering your internal clock as blue light does. If you're having trouble sleeping and you're surrounding yourself with unnatural blue light every night, that's likely a big factor. Switching to natural red color light in the evenings can help your body ease into its sleep cycle more naturally.
Red LED Light Bulbs Are Best For Sleep
1. Sleep Aid Red LED Night Light Plugin
- Dusk to Dawn Auto Sensor
- Low Blue LED Promotes melatonin Production and Healthy Sleep
- ON-Off-Auto Toggle
- 2-Pack
With this nightlight you can set it and forget it. You will get a 30,000 hour lifespan of super energy saving and it will just cost you less than 10 cents a month.
This red light has long a wavelength led source that promotes sleep and it will not hinder the sleep hormone melatonin production.
You will get 7 LEDs that are built-in and it`s much brighter than standard red LED night light so it provides sufficient visibility yet comfortable for the bedroom.
The daylight sensor turns off the night light when the surrounding environment is lit.
I also like that the light d oes not block the use of the second plug on the wall outlet.
2. AmazonBasics 60 Watt Equivalent Red
- Non-Dimmable
- A19 LED Light Bulb
- Red
- 2-Pack
This bulb will last over 9 years if you are planning to use is for about 3 hours daily.
You can switch on one of these in the evening, especially if you want to do late work or reading and don`t want to get your sleep pattern disturbed.
3. JandCase C7 Red LED Bulb, E12 Candelabra Light Bulb
- Christmas Holiday Decorative Light
- Tiny Salt Lamp Bulb
- Porch
- 4 Pack
- Not dimmable
This red plastic C7 light bulb is really popular for its mini shape and fashion color. With its E12 base, you can install it on lamps. You can also use it for ceremonies, like Halloween, Christmas, Easter, or other festivals, creating a cheerful and funny atmosphere for your family or parties. The lifespan is 30000 hours!
4. Kasa Smart Light Bulb, LED Multicolor
This smart bulb has a wide range of red colors to choose from. It's also dimmable if you find the light output too bright.
If you are trying to avoid the harmful blue light later in the day, you can use the app and set the Kelvin range to 2700-3500, and by doing that you don't get any blue light at all. You should feel much more sleepy when you're going to bed if avoid blue light exposure during the evening.
I also like that you can set the bulb to circadian mode, by doing that the bulb will be bright white in the morning with no blue light filtering and as the day progresses, it will start to filter out the blue light.
Additional Useful Sleep Products for a Better Night's Rest
| Brand | Type | Check Price | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
Marpac Dohm Classic | The Original White Noise Machine. | $ | 4.6 |
YnM Weighted Blanket | YnM weighted blanket offers a natural way to help calm your body for a restful night of sleep. | $ | 4.6 |
InnoGear Essential Oil Diffuser | Diffuser for Essential Oils. Lavender Oil is a popular choice for better sleep. | $ | 4.5 |
The Stop Snoring And Sleep Apnea Program | The Stop Snoring And Sleep Apnea Exercise Program. | $ | n/a |
Health experts have known for some time that exposure to all kinds of light supports regulating the body's internal clock which regulates everything from appetite and metabolism to hormone levels, immune function and that's why humans get sleepy when it's dark outside and start to wake when it's light out.
Of course, this all developed way before humans figured out how to make light accessible at all hours of the day. We have unbelievable lighting technology now, but our bodies still respond to light like they always have.
Light plays a major role in your sleep cycle, more than most of us realize.
One interesting thing that research has found out is, that it may be more than light affecting our circadian rhythms, it may be the color of the light that actually makes a difference.
If you have to sleep with a night light on you might think that blue and white lights might create a calming sensation and help you sleep best. But, a new study shows that blue light has a great influence on mood, followed by white light. It means that we would not be relaxed or calm before sleeping if the light color is blue or white.
So what is the best color for night lights?
Stare at a bright, somewhat bluish light, like the one from your smartphone, tablet, or television, and your body sends a signal to your brain to stop producing melatonin, a strong hormone that helps you fall asleep.
Sadly for many of us, waking in the middle of the night, either because of a child or because our bodies can't seem to unwind, is an all too familiar occurrence, and the resulting consequences can have a permanent effect on the whole day.
Many people who have trouble falling back asleep all make the same blunder when they get up in the middle of the night, they turn on a bright light bulb.
We've recognized for some time that blue light can mess with our bodies' internal clocks. A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that our light-emitting e-readers were disturbing our sleep by suppressing the melatonin production in our bodies and increasing a feeling of wakefulness. The study had people read from iPads and from regular books and discovered that those who read from iPads had a much harder time falling asleep and had less REM sleep when they finally fell asleep.
Did you know that medical research is confirming improved sleep from red light therapy in a host of clinical trials?
Recent 2018 research out of Brazil evaluated the effects of red light therapy and other treatments on patients who suffer from migraine headaches. Researchers found that not only did red light therapy decrease the number of headaches, it also was the only treatment that improved patients' sleep disorders.
Red light therapy has been studied closely and found to improve sleep quality as well. In one study performed among elite women basketball players, the participants tried 14-30 minute light therapy sessions once a night for 14 nights. The short-term results showed improved sleep and the researchers found red light therapy to be a nonpharmacologic and non-invasive therapy for treating sleep disorders.
How does light help you with sleep?
If you've had difficulty sleeping, you might have tried or heard about melatonin. It's a naturally-occurring hormone that controls sleep and wakefulness. Exposure to light after dark hinders the body's ability to release melatonin, increasing the time it takes you to fall asleep and stopping you from staying asleep. If you're in red light before bed, you'll create more melatonin than if you're surrounded by synthetic blue light, and that can assist you to fall and stay asleep.
Restless sleepers and sleep-deprived parents know better than anyone the valuable commodity known as a good night's sleep. It's no secret that bad sleep and the resulting tiredness makes us less healthy and less productive in the short and long term.
What fewer people realize is that the light we've exposed to plays a tremendous role in our capacity to sleep. Red light therapy has been found in many clinical studies to support better sleep, and there's a large base of research showing that 7-8 hours a night for adults is not just a luxury, but a must for people seeking optimal performance and recovery.
A lot of people are used to sleeping with the lights on at night and always choose a blue or white light color. Because many of us think that blue and white lights might make us feel relaxed and will help us sleep better.
On a very fundamental level, simply reducing your exposure to blue light before sleep should help. The Harvard summary states that avoiding looking at bright screens two to three hours before bed can make a difference, so that means minimizing your phone, tablet, and TV time before hitting the sack.
If that doesn't work, a study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health found that when young people under the age of 20 wore orange-tinted glasses at night while looking at the screens, they seemed more sleepy than those who wore nothing or their normal, clear-lens glasses.
The Harvard summary backs that up, suggesting wearing blue-blocking glasses if you work a night shift or need to use electronics frequently at night.
Blue Light Blocking Glasses
Your eyes and sleep
There are some specific light-sensitive cells called ipRGC's located in the retina of our eyes. Any light can be detected by these cells which is helpful for our brain to regulate the body's clocks. In simple terms, they help to determine when people feel sleepy and awake. These ipRGC cells are most receptive to blue light wavelengths and least sensitive to red light.
Other light colors that help you sleep better
If you don't have a red light, you can use other light colors instead, such as light yellow, pink or other colors leaning to red, but total darkness is also a good option if you don't need to have the lights on.
But if you are afraid of darkness and must have the lights on when sleeping, it may be better to have one that gives off a reddish light rather than white light.
Why not give it a try at home and experiment on how the shift in color makes you feel.
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What Color of Light Helps You Sleep
Source: https://www.mydimmerswitch.com/how-tos/what-color-led-light-helps-you-sleep-full-guide/