White is a soothing color that promotes relaxation. However, it can look cold in some spaces. A tunable or color-changing light bulb allows you to adjust the color temperature and create a warmer glow.
The best colors for bedroom lights vary depending on how you want to relax in the space. Blue light reduces sleep cycles and suppresses melatonin production, so it’s not ideal for the bedroom.
Red Light Bulbs
Red light bulbs can make a big difference in your sleep. They offer protection from blue light and give off a sunset-like deep orange-to-red glow. They are ideal for reading lamps, bedroom lights, and anywhere you wind down in the hours before bedtime. These bulbs are the perfect replacement for traditional bluish-white LED light bulbs and are an affordable way to upgrade your sleep experience.
If you do any kind of pre-sleep ritual, such as guided breathing, white noise exercises, or meditation, red light may help set the mood for your restful sleep. Red light is also ideal for people who struggle to fall asleep due to mental health conditions like depression and anxiety. For these individuals, it is important to avoid stimulating colors, such as bright yellow and intense red hues, that can trigger anxiety or nervousness.
Excessive exposure to warm and dark colors before sleeping can be overwhelming or distracting even for those with no physical or psychological issues. This can lead to difficulty falling asleep and poor quality of sleep. Similarly, pink is an attractive color, but it is recommended to keep this limited to accent walls or use it in bedding and other decorative elements. Research has shown that this color promotes subconscious feelings of depression and can cause restlessness at night.
The color of your bedroom should reflect the main function of this space — sleeping. Avoid using artificial lights without blue light-blocking protection in the bedroom. This prevents unwanted health complications, insomnia, and other sleep-related problems.
For the best possible sleep, use low-color temperatures red light bulbs like our Twilight Red Light Bulb or Sweet Dreams Sleep Lights Bulb. These specialized bulbs remove 100% of the blue light and emit a relaxing amber glow that is ideal for your bedroom. These bulbs are an affordable upgrade that will dramatically improve your sleep quality. Swap out your standard 40w or 60w incandescent or fluorescent bulbs with these red LED bulb alternatives to ensure a good night’s rest! The warm amber hue will signal your body to produce melatonin and prepare for sleep.
Amber Light Bulbs
When looking at the best light bulbs for sleeping, choosing a warm color that helps you wind down before bed is important. Studies have shown that blue and white light can stimulate the brain to stay awake and delay sleepiness, so limiting this type of lighting before bed is beneficial. The most recommended option for this is to use a red or amber-colored light bulb, as it has been proven to help you fall asleep and have a better night’s rest.
Amber and red light bulbs have a warm tone similar to the sunlight’s color as it sets. This helps recreate the trigger for your body to increase melatonin and encourage more restful sleep. Additionally, they also help block out any blue light which may be emitted from your electronic devices or television screens.
We recommend choosing a dimmable LED light bulb in these colors for bedrooms, as it will give you the most control over your environment. The ability to adjust the brightness of the LED bulb is an ideal way to ensure your bedroom is well-lit as you wind down before bed.
If you want to use overhead lighting, we recommend using a recessed ceiling light fixture that utilizes a BR or GU10 lamp. This allows you to focus the overhead lighting on a specific area of your room while maintaining a high level of blue light-blocking protection.
A small plug-in red night light is also a good option to have on hand so you can avoid any blue light exposure before bedtime. These lights are typically set to a lower glow, which helps you sleep more comfortably and can be easily controlled from your mobile device or smart home system.
Purple is another color that is a great choice for the bedroom. However, avoiding the bright bluish shades usually seen in offices and living rooms is important as this can be too stimulating. Instead, look for softer tones like lavender that have cooler undertones and will help the walls fade into the background of your bedroom.
Blue Light Bulbs
While white light is the best for working and reading, bluish-white lights are better for relaxing and sleeping. These bulbs are ideal for table and floor lamps because they produce a warm, inviting glow that encourages melatonin production and sleep. You’ll want to avoid using blue light bulbs for any electronic devices that you use in the bedroom, including phones, laptops, and tablets, as these can interfere with melatonin production.
These bulbs are available in a wide range of brightness and color temperature options. You can find them at online retailers specializing in sleep products, like Miracle LED. For the best results, select a bulb with a warmer color tone and a lower wattage to prevent overheating and flickering. The lower wattage and warm color tone also help reduce the amount of blue light your eyes are exposed to.
While pink lighting may seem too bright for a bedroom, you can find soft and natural shades. These colors range from rosy red to pale pink, which almost looks white. Choose a shade that matches your decor and the type of lighting you have in your bedroom.
A bedroom should be a calm and restful space, but too much pink can stimulate the brain, which can hinder your ability to fall asleep. If you like the look of pink, consider painting an accent wall to provide a focal point that isn’t overwhelming.
If you have overhead lights in your bedroom, try selecting a blue light-blocking amber bulb. These bulbs eliminate the blue and green light wavelengths known to suppress melatonin production. You can also use a red nightlight in your child’s room, as these bulbs are the most effective at helping kids get to sleep and stay asleep.
If you do not want to replace your overhead lighting, try using a dimmer switch and an orange or amber-colored light shade. This will ensure you have a dark bedroom for slumber, but it won’t disrupt the production of melatonin and your natural sleep cycle.
White Light Bulbs
The color of the bulbs you use in your home can have a big impact on how well you sleep. It may be surprising to learn that the kind of colors you would think are calming actually stop your body from winding down to get a restful night’s sleep. This is because our bodies follow what’s called a Circadian Rhythm that follows the sun’s cycles. But this natural rhythm can be disrupted with artificial lights that mimic daylight, cool blues, and bright whites causing our brains to become alert.
If you want a good night’s sleep, your bedroom should be calm and soothing. While a lot of people like the idea of a bright orange or yellow bedroom, these colors can be too stimulating to help you relax and fall asleep. The best option is a soft white shade that has warm undertones.
White light bulbs that produce a soft white shade of around 2,700 to 3,000 Kelvin give off a golden-yellow glow that is ideal for bedrooms and living rooms. This is the same kind of light that you will find in traditional incandescent bulbs. However, other spaces in your house, such as bathrooms and kitchens, should be lit with brighter bulbs closer to true white at 5,000 to 6,500 Kelvin.
Blue light is a no-go for bedroom lighting, as it can be extremely disruptive to your sleep. Exposure to blue light at bedtime suppresses the production of melatonin, which is needed for sleep. It can also interfere with the natural circadian rhythm and cause your body to feel agitated and stressed when it should be relaxed and ready for sleep.
Green is another color that should not be used for bedroom lighting as it’s too stimulating and can make you feel anxious or tense. While it is a great color for bathroom and office spaces, a bedroom should be relaxing and calm.
