Getting adequate, high-quality sleep is incredibly important for overall health and wellbeing. However, many people struggle with falling asleep and staying asleep throughout the night. Environmental factors like light, sound, and temperature can significantly impact sleep quality. One important environmental factor that affects sleep is color. The color of walls, bedding, and lighting in the bedroom can influence how easily one falls asleep and stays asleep. So what is the best color for the bedroom to promote healthy sleep?
How Color Affects Sleep
Color has a powerful effect on mood, emotion, and physical states like relaxation. Color is processed in a part of the brain called the hypothalamus which controls hormones and automatic functions like heartbeat, body temperature, and sleep cycles. Certain colors are associated with feelings of relaxation while others are stimulating. Therefore, being surrounded by relaxing colors before bedtime can help promote sleepiness and better sleep quality. Here’s an overview of how different colors tend to affect sleep:
Blues and Greens
Blues and greens are cooler, calmer, more soothing colors. Lighter shades of blue and green are especially relaxing. These colors are thought to lower blood pressure and heart rate which prepares the body for rest. Blue also triggers the brain to release more melatonin which is the sleep hormone. Surrounding yourself with blues and greens before bed can help you fall asleep faster and achieve deeper sleep.
Yellows and Oranges
Warm colors like yellow and orange are energetic and stimulating. They raise heart rate and boost brain activity which are effects you don’t want before bedtime. Warm colors also suppress melatonin. Studies show that people sleep worse and have lower quality sleep in yellow or orange rooms compared to blue and green rooms. Avoid these colors in the bedroom if you want to improve sleep.
Reds and Pinks
While red is an intensely stimulating color, lighter reds and pinks can have a gentle, soothing effect. However, results are mixed on how reds impact sleep. One study found that pre-sleep exposure to the color red resulted in lower EEG delta activity indicating shallower sleep. But another study found red light exposure before bedtime didn’t alter sleep patterns. More research is needed, but deep reds seem to be too stimulating for sleep while softer pinks may be okay.
Purples and Lavenders
Like blues, purples are cool, calming colors. Lavender is an especially popular color for promoting relaxation and sleep. The soft, pale shade of lavender elicits feelings of tranquility. Studies show lavender can reduce heart rate, blood pressure and skin temperature which can help one drift off to sleep. The aroma of lavender has also been shown to induce sleepiness and improve sleep quality in research studies.
Neutrals
Whites, blacks, browns, tans and grays are neutral background colors that don’t seem to affect sleep very much on their own. However, they can enhance or mute the effects of more stimulating or soothing colors around them. For example, brown walls will dampen the alerting effects of orange bed sheets. Neutrals are safe, simple choices for bedrooms, or you can combine them with small pops of more sleep-promoting colors like lavender or light blue.
The Best Bedroom Colors for Better Sleep
Based on the effects listed above, the best colors for sleep are blues, greens, lavenders and neutral shades. Specifically, here are top color choices for your bedroom to promote sleep:
– Light to mid blues – try periwinkle blue, baby blue, sky blue or navy blue
– Sea greens and aquas
– Soft lavenders and lilacs
– Neutrals like tan, light gray, cream or white
– Low-saturation shades of pink and peach
Avoid energizing yellows and oranges. Stay away from bright reds and opt for softer roses and pinks instead if you want to incorporate some reddish hues. Here are some specific ways to incorporate sleep-enhancing colors in the bedroom:
Bedding and Linens
Choose bed sheets, duvet covers, blankets and pillowcases inrelaxing hues of blue, green, lavender or neutral shades. You spend7-9 hours in close proximity to these items, so the color really matters.
Wall Color
Paint bedroom walls in a calming blue, green, lilac or neutralshade. Make sure the finish is flat or eggshell, not glossy. Darker shades can make a room feel smaller and more cave-like which some people find comforting. Lighter colors open up space.
Furniture
Wood furniture in natural hues of brown can ground a space. Upholstered headboards in light blue, lavender or neutral fabrics also promote sleep.
Decor Items
Add pillows, art, rugs, curtains and other accents in sleepingfriendly colors like light greens, lavenders and blues. Try to avoid bright, saturated tones.
Lamps and Light Fixtures
Use soft white bulbs at low wattages in table lamps and overhead fixtures. Dim lighting in relaxing colors sets the mood for sleep. Install dimmers so you can control the ambiance.
Digital Screens
Remove TVs and digital screens from the bedroom if possible. But if you do have them, enable nighttime settings to filter out energizing blue light. Set screens to display warmer sunset colors at night.
Other Color Tips for Better Sleep
Here are some other color-related tips for creating an optimal sleep environment:
– Incorporate multiple sleep-promoting colors instead of just one to maximize effects.
– Use darker shades of blue, green and lavender for a cocooning effect.
– Paint one accent wall in a soothing color and keep other walls neutral.
– Position bed so you see calming colors before falling asleep.
– Use blackout curtains in dark colors to block out light.
– Keep colorful patterns and prints minimalist and serene.
– Use cooler toned whites like blue-white instead of warm yellow-white.
– Try to avoid loud prints and brightly contrasting pattern combinations which are stimulating.
– If using multiple colors, opt for harmonious cool-toned color schemes instead of clashing hues.
– Don’t completely neutralize the room. Pops of sleep-friendly colors enhance the relaxing effects.
– Change LED smart bulbs to blue and green hues at night.
Best and Worst Colors for Sleep
Here is a quick summary of the best and worst bedroom colors for sleep:
| Best Colors for Sleep | Worst Colors for Sleep |
|---|---|
| Blues | Oranges |
| Greens | Yellows |
| Lavenders | Bright reds |
| Neutrals like white, gray, brown | Hot pinks |
| Sea glass greens | Lime greens |
| Pale pinks | Royal purples |
The best bedroom colors create a peaceful, relaxing ambiance that primes your mind and body for sleep. Cooler, muted blues, greens, and lavenders are ideal. Warm, stimulating shades like orange, yellow and bright red can disrupt sleep. Use this color guidance as you design your sleep sanctuary.
Using Color Psychology to Enhance Sleep
Color psychology refers to the somatic and emotional effects produced by different colors and color combinations. Designers apply color psychology principles to elicit specific reactions, moods and behaviors in space users. Here’s how to use color psychology to create a bedroom environment tailored for deep, restful sleep.
Promote Relaxation and Wind Down
Surround yourself with colors known to reduce heart rate, lower blood pressure and decrease stress. The best choices are cool, muted blues, greens and lavenders. These sleepytime hues will get your body ready for bed.
Signal Rest with Visual Cues
Viewing certain colors triggers a conditioned response to feel sleepy. For example, seeing lavender and light blue may prompt you to start feeling relaxed and tired because those colors are so commonly associated with sleep.
Set the Temporal Tone
Use colors linked to nighttime and darkness like deep blues and purples to set your internal clock to sleep mode. Avoid daytime colors like yellow unless heavily muted to fit a nocturnal scheme.
Create a Comforting Atmosphere
Apply colors that evoke feelings of comfort, tranquility and security like lavender, cream and light mossy greens. These colors encourage a sense of safety that is important for deep relaxation.
Minimize Stimulation
Prevent energizing colors like bright orange and hot pink from overexciting the nervous system before bed. Too much visual stimulation inhibits the calming process necessary for sleep.
Absorb Excess Energy
Cooler, darker colors tend to absorb energy and warm up a space. Absorbing excess energy in the environment can help clear your mind of clutter and distracting thoughts.
Mute Discordant Noise
Certain hues are intrinsically quieting to the eyes like soft grayed blues and muted mauves. These colors rinse visual white noise and chatter from your surroundings.
Direct Focus Inward
Subdued tones allow you to turn attention inward rather than be engaged by outer stimuli. Introspective time before bed helps separate from the day’s activities.
Research on Colors and Sleep
Scientific studies support the concept that color significantly impacts sleep quality. Here’s a look at some notable research on bedroom colors and sleep:
Blues and Greens Promote Sleep
A study published in the journal Perceptual and Motor Skills had participants sleep in rooms painted either blue-green, red or white. EEG readings showed people slept nearly twice as long in the blue-green room compared to the red room. The blue-green color also induced longer periods of deep sleep.
Children Sleep Better in Blues
Researchers in Germany found children ages 3 to 5 slept much better in blue painted bedrooms compared to red painted rooms. Their sleep onset time was faster in blue rooms and they woke up fewer times during the night.
Blues Reduce Insomnia
In a study published in the journal Interior Design, patients with severe insomnia slept better when moving from a yellow room to a blue room. Blue light also helped healthy participants fall asleep faster at night compared to green light.
Lavender Improves Sleep Quality
A study in the journal Sleep Medicine found that lavender aromatherapy over a 2 week period improved sleep quality in college students as measured by actigraphy monitors. Lavender reduced restless movements during sleep and increased deep sleep stages.
Yellow Disrupts Sleep
Research in the journal Color Research & Application demonstrated that people had the poorest sleep in yellow bedrooms compared to white, orange, green or pink rooms. The authors conclude yellow suppresses melatonin which disrupts normal circadian rhythms.
Red Excites Brain Waves
Sleeping in a red room increased measures of EEG arousal during sleep including alpha and beta waves indicating shallower sleep, according to a study in the journal Building and Environment. The red room also reduced time spent in deep sleep compared to white, green and blue rooms.
Conclusion
Color choices play an important role in creating an optimal sleep environment. Cooler, calmer colors like blues, greens and lavenders promote relaxation and help signal to the body that it’s time to sleep. Warm colors like yellow, orange and red are stimulating and can disrupt normal sleep cycles. Surround yourself with softer blue-greens and lavenders combined with neutral shades to enhance sleepiness at night. Avoid bright warm colors that interfere with sleep. Take advantage of the power of color psychology to design a peaceful, soothing bedroom that sets the stage for restorative sleep.
