What is The Best Nightlight Color? How Can It Affect Your Sleep?

Disclaimer – Nothing on this website is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment… Read More Here.

Written by Jill Zwarensteyn, Editor

Our Research Process

Here at Sleep Advisor, our editorial team utilizes reputable sources and expert feedback to provide well-researched sleep health content. For more details, read our full editorial policy.

In This Article

From white to red to green, we’re covering a host of nightlight colors and which hue is best for you.

»

Waking up in the middle of the night can feel frustrating when you’re hoping for a solid night of sleep.

Laying in bed, suddenly realizing your brain has flicked the metaphorical lights back on at 2 am can be discouraging.

If you experience this issue regularly, it might be time to look into what you can change for better zzz’s. Shifting something as simple as choosing the best nightlight color may sound trivial, but small tweaks can make a world of difference.

The color of the light you see when you wake up in the middle of the night time can have a large effect on your internal clock, and we’ll discuss why below.

Which Is the Best Light Color for Inducing Sleep?

Many night lights come with bright white or light-hued bulbs that might wake you up more than you want them to. However, if you’re going to expose your eyes to light during the night, certain colors help more than others.

Red Light and Sleep

Red light is by far the superior choice when choosing a nightlight that won’t disrupt your circadian rhythm. Naturally, waking up in the middle of the night isn’t ideal regardless, however, exposing your eyes to red light will be better than blue or green.

Our retinas hold special photosensitive cells known as ipRGC’s, which power our body’s internal clock. These cells are sensitive to different wavelengths or colors, which send signals to our brain. According to a study at Ohio State University, it seems this function is most sensitive to blue-green light, telling our brain it’s daytime.

While complete darkness will always be best for snoozing, if you wake up often and need to see, keep a red-orange hued nightlight, as your eyes will be least sensitive to this color.

Are Blue and White Sleep Colors, too?

While yes you can choose a standard white nightlight, or blue, or green, we don’t recommend it. The functioning in your retinas will be most sensitive to these colors.