What Color Makes You Sleepy?
As you are probably already aware, sleep is important. It helps with the functioning of your body such as the heart, and without it, like those who suffer with sleep disorders, it has been linked with an increased risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and kidney disease, amongst other things.
There are ways that you can combat a sleepless night, and this could be all to do with what is in your bedroom environment. There is research that has been done to show that colors can either disrupt sleep, or help you to sleep.
A study was done comparing how mood is affected by a living room’s color. As you can probably imagine, cooler colors like blue were seen as more restful, whilst red was related to excitement.
If you are wondering what colors will help you sleep, well then you have come to the right place, but first, let us look at what sleep is and why it happens.
What Is Sleep?
The majority of us as adults love that moment when our head hits the pillow and we reach that moment of zzzz. A good sleep can promote restfulness the next day and can help with a full day of work.
Sleep is mainly controlled by the hormone melatonin, and this helps with our natural sleep-wake cycles. In our eyes are special photoreceptors that send information to the brain which in turn produces melatonin and tells us it is time to sleep.
As we have all been told, do not use a phone, laptop or watch TV before bed. There is truth into why using these devices may disturb your sleep. The blue light is sensitive to melatonin and can disrupt it, causing you to not be able to sleep. So no more scrolling through Instagram in bed!
Even so, there is a small amount of research that suggests that colors can, in fact, improve sleep.
Can Color Help You Sleep?
Even though there is only limited research when it comes to color and sleep (it was performed on rodents who are color blind - go figure), color can play a role in relaxation. There has been extra research done on humans, with red light coming up on top as the color that may help a person to doze off - though this was done using an LED light, not paint in a room.
To counteract that research, red has been seen to promote the worst in people, as we see red as more of a dangerous color, rather than relaxing.
However, color could also come down to preference. If you do not like a color, it may annoy you more than relax you. With all this in mind, let us take a look at the colors individually.
Green
It is said that green is the best color to help you to sleep. Because it relates to nature, it is seen as calming and will have a good effect on the mood. Think about how walking through trees and taking that time out amongst nature can really lift your mood during the day. Use that same idea for sleep and hopefully you will feel the benefits.
Blue
Even though blue light from a device is a no-no, blue as a general color is a yes-yes. There has been a lot of research into why blue sends us into a drowsy state, but nobody really knows why it has such an effect. It could be similar to the green where we associate it with nature, like a tranquil water scene and a beautiful blue sky.
Which Colors Will Not Help You Sleep
Whilst there is very little in the way of colors to help you sleep, there are also colors that will likely disturb your sleep.
Purple
According to UK-based Travelodge, those who slept within a purple room had less than six hours of sleep a night on average. It is said to promote productivity and creativity, which likely means you will not be able to relax. It has also been said to cause nightmares, and that can only mean a bad night of sleep. So, maybe it is best to avoid the purple!
Brown and Gray
Gray is a popular color when it comes to aesthetic reasons, but research has shown it can cause a sleepless night, with Travelodge noting that those who slept in brown or gray rooms only received around six hours of sleep a night.
Red
Already you can probably tell how unrelaxing the color red is. It is a color associated with danger and the fight-or-flight mentality. If you are thinking about that, how can you sleep?
Ways to Bring Colors Into Your Room
Painting the walls of your bedroom is not always the way to go. It is a dramatic change after all, and it may not work. Instead, think about adding green plants. Not only will they look nice, but it will bring peaceful green nature into the bedroom.
If you do not want to paint the walls blue either, try sleeping within a blue duvet or having a blue blanket draped across you.
Even though these are not sure fire ways of sending you to sleep, they may help in doing so - just give it time.
What Colors May Impact a Child’s Sleep?
If you are worried about your little one getting enough sleep, then you will be happy to know that warmer colors are recommended to help them sleep. You can easily paint the walls or have a blanket or toys that represent a certain color - but also never underestimate their favorite color, even if it is red!
Final Words
When it comes to our sleeping routine, we all want to get the recommended eight hours, though due to lifestyle choice and daily habits, it is not always possible.
With a few tweaks, whether changing the color of your bedroom, adding in a few plants or limiting screen time, you will be snuggled up in bed and asleep in no time.
