Light sometimes significantly hinders our night’s sleep. For example, think of the light on your phone. Yet there is also a kind of light that helps you sleep. Red light is said to be very good for your sleep. This is how it works.
Sleeping with red light
If you want to see if red light helps you sleep better, there are a few things you need to know first. For example, it is not helpful to only turn on a red-tinted lamp. You need a lamp that emits wavelengths of red light. A red light bulb is good for your mood, but it is not necessarily helpful for your sleep rhythm. Lamps that emit red wavelengths help your body produce the substance melatonin. This substance makes you sleepy. It is a hormone that our body produces on its own, your body will normally do this when it gets dark. Are you not a morning person? Then sleeping with red light also helps. The red light also makes you wake up feeling more rested.
Types of light to avoid
We now know that red light makes you sleep better, but there are also types of light that actually hinder our night’s sleep. They disrupt the natural rhythm that your body maintains. Your body produces melatonin in the absence of light, so if you come into contact with bright light a lot in the evening, this will prevent you from falling asleep. One type of light that has this effect is the blue light that your phone emits. The same applies to other electronic screens such as your laptop, tablet or television. We therefore recommend that you put your screens away and turn them off before you want to sleep. This makes it easier for you to fall asleep over time. Other types of light can also disrupt your sleep rhythm. For example, we are talking about LED lighting and fluorescent lamps. If you have these types of lamps in your home, we recommend dimming them before you go to sleep. And this doesn’t necessarily have to be a lot of time. For example, half an hour before you want to crawl under the covers is enough.
