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. However, a new study involving hamsters suggests that blue light had worst effects on mood, followed closely by white light. So what is the best color for night lights? The answer will surprise you!
RED!
The hamsters exposed to red light at night had significantly less evidence of depressive-like symptoms and changes in the brain linked to depression, compared to those that experienced blue or white light. However, total darkness at bedtime is still best for sleep.
So why is the color red a better light for at night?
Specialized photosensitive cells called ipRGC’s are located in the retina of our eyes. These cells are able to detect any light and send messages to a part of the brain that helps regulate the body’s circadian clock. This is the body’s master clock that helps determine when people feel sleepy and awake. These ipRGC cells are most sensitive to blue wavelengths of light and least sensitive to red wavelengths.
In nearly every measure of this study, the hamsters exposed to blue light were the worst off, followed by those exposed to white light. While total darkness was best, red light was not nearly as bad as the other wavelengths studied.
In Conclusion
So if you need a night light in the bathroom or bedroom, it may be better to have one that gives off red light rather than white light! Why not give it a try at home and experiment on how the change in color makes you feel! Also, make sure to download an app on your wireless devices to emit red light a few hours before bedtime. A few examples of apps you can download are Twilight (android), Flux (iOS, Mac).
Check Out this Informative Video:
Sources:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/12/nightlight-color-better-sleep_n_6142098.html
i have experienced it myself.. that red light makes my mind more calm.n ready fot tye sleep where as blue light makes u less ready for sleep
Honestly i disagree and agree. Red is the color of death, and puts me on high alert.
I find blue light extremely calming but my favourite light to sleep under is all the colours switching through
So this actually helped me, I just searched this before I went to sleep because today I had got led lights for my room. And I am going to see if it is true
This is a brilliant post, thank you for sharing about this color light is best for sleep- the color will surprise you. We always tend to change something or the other in our house, thanks for this great advice.
I find green and yellow the most calming. Whenever I have red on, I almost never get a good night of sleep
I find green to be the most calming for meditation before sleep, but I always sleep the best with red.
I think green and blue are the appropriate colours for inducing sleep so generally bedrooms are painted in these colours (light or dark) because of the same reason
Idk what colors I would chose but red definitely doesn’t help me… gives off a creepy vibe tbh
I have smart lights, I set them to deep red at night for this reason. I’ve actually known for decades about this as I’ve kept snakes in captivity. They can’t close their eyes, and using a red infrared light at night doesn’t disturb their sleep but keeps them warm.
Yes, red colors have a calming effect on our brains which helps us to sleep faster and better. And By mean red light, I don’t mean the red colored bulb. Get a light that emits RED-hued light.