DEREKANTOSIEK
Best amber
Koze Sleep 1600K A15
At 1600K, this bulb is the same color as a soothing campfire and has almost no flicker. Perfect for later in the night or for those looking for a more relaxing warmer vibe.
See the lab results
- 1590K
- Color temp
Spectrum
Spectrum chart. Koze Sleep 1600K A15, 1590K, melanopic DER 0.11.
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Best red
Hooga Red Sleep 1000K A15
These are perfect for use late at night when you don't want to risk becoming alert or awake. We use these in our bathrooms and bedrooms.
See the lab results
- 640K
- Color temp
Spectrum
Spectrum chart. Hooga Red Sleep 1000K A15, 640K, melanopic DER 0.01.
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Best adjustable
Block Blue Light Bio Light 1800-4000K A21
These allow you to flip your light switch to change from a full spectrum 4000K light to a much warmer 2200K or 1800K.
See the lab results
1850K
- 1834K
- Color temp
Spectrum
Spectrum chart. Block Blue Light Bio Light 1800-4000K A21, 1834K, melanopic DER 0.15.
Looking for the best colors for sleep? You want a light that will make you sleepy and promote relaxation and melatonin production.
I’ve done the hard work of testing and sorting through every light on the market to find the best ones for you!
In this short guide, we’ll go over precisely which colors you want to use, when you should use them, and which ones are best to buy for your home.
Which Colors Are Best for Sleep?
What we want in our sleep lighting is low amounts of blue and green light, and higher amounts of yellow, orange, and red.
This is because both blue and green light falls squarely within the melanopic bell curve.
Inside your eyes is a special cell called an ipRGC or intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cell. These cells detect the blue-green light seen above and tell the body that it’s daytime and to stop producing melatonin.
This can, of course, have drastic consequences on our sleep quality, such as insomnia.
So it’s essential that we choose lighting colors that are warm.
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The Circadian Blueprint covers setting your body clock with light — the timing, the doses, and which products actually deliver them. Every number came off my own spectrometer.
Amber or Orange Light
Amber light is usually anything between 1600-1700K and is a very relaxing warm orange light that gives off a hue similar to the light from a fire. Amber is a good all-around color for most people.
As you can see, amber light still emits some green light. It’s the lack of blue light that gives this color its warmer hue.
Is Amber Light Good For Sleep?
Amber light is the best all-rounder color for sleep and relaxation.
If you have sleeping problems, or trouble relaxing at night, but aren’t ready to pull the trigger on a pure red light, amber is the way to go!
Pros:
- Color rendering is still good due to the presence of some green light.
- More relaxing and melatonin-friendly than yellow light.
Cons:
- Color rending isn’t as good as yellow light.
- The remaining green light can still cause alertness in some.
Red Light
Red light is about 1000K and contains no blue or green light at all. Its color is quite unique and doesn’t activate the circadian system whatsoever.
As you can see, there’s some green light still being emitted from a warm yellow light. The lack of blue light gives this color its warmer hue.
Is Red Light Good For Sleep?
Red light is the best color for anyone with sleep disorders like insomnia since it doesn’t contain any melanopic light.
This is also the ideal light for biohackers and health enthusiasts seeking to maximize their sleep quality.
A red light is also very useful if you need to get up in the middle of the night and want to preserve your night vision afterward.
Pros:
- No melanopic light, excellent for melatonin production at night.
- Useful for seeing when you wake up in the middle of the night.
- Excellent for sleep disorders.
Cons:
- Terrible color rendering, colors will look red or black.
- It can be off-putting for guests or roommates who aren’t on board.
The Best Lights for Sleeping
We’ve tested tons of light bulbs here at Optimize Your Biology, so the lights below are currently, to our knowledge, the best choices on the market for their respective categories.
Check out our Light Bulb Database to explore more on your own!
The Best Red Lights
We’ve reviewed all the best red LED lights on the market and we’ve come to the conclusion that Hooga makes the best flicker-free red LEDs.
Hooga Red Sleep 1000K A15
40 lm · 1000K · 1 W · A15
These are the dimmest red LED bulbs you can get, which we use in our bedroom and bathroom late at night. They give off a perfect, dim red glow.
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See the lab results
- 640K
- Color temp
Spectrum
Spectrum chart. Hooga Red Sleep 1000K A15, 640K, melanopic DER 0.01.
If you’re looking for a step up in power, for larger rooms I have recommendations in 3, 5, and 7w varieties.
Sunlite Red 1000K A19
See the lab results
- 1948K
- Color temp
Spectrum
Spectrum chart. Sunlite Red 1000K A19, 1948K, melanopic DER 0.03.
TCP Red 1000K A15
See the lab results
- 628K
- Color temp
Spectrum
Spectrum chart. TCP Red 1000K A15, 628K, melanopic DER 0.00.
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Hooga Red Sleep 1000K A21
180 lm · 1000K · 7 W · A19
The 7W is great for filling up larger rooms with a warm red glow at night.
See the lab results
- 580K
- Color temp
Spectrum
Spectrum chart. Hooga Red Sleep 1000K A21, 580K, melanopic DER 0.01.
The Best Amber Lights
We’ve selected three options here at various wattage levels so you can find the right one. These are the best of the best!
Hooga Amber Sleep 1700K A15
80 lm · 1650K · 1 W · A15
If you're looking for a dim flicker-free amber light that's melatonin-friendly but still has good color rendering, this is it!
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See the lab results
- 1662K
- Color temp
Spectrum
Spectrum chart. Hooga Amber Sleep 1700K A15, 1662K, melanopic DER 0.12.
Koze Sleep 1600K A15
300 lm · 1600K · 3.5 W · A15
This amber light from Koze has just a bit more lumens to it, making it a great option for reading and chores after dark.
DEREKANTOSIEK
See the lab results
- 1590K
- Color temp
Spectrum
Spectrum chart. Koze Sleep 1600K A15, 1590K, melanopic DER 0.11.
Harth Sleep Shift 1600K A19
600 lm · 1600K · 7 W · A19
This is the amber bulb to buy if you need to light up a large room at night with melatonin-friendly light, but need to make out still which colors are which.
See the lab results
- 1600K
- Color temp
Spectrum
Spectrum chart. Harth Sleep Shift 1600K A19, 1600K, melanopic DER 0.11.
The Best Adjustable Night Light
The only decent adjustable light suitable for evening use is the BioLight series from Block Blue Light.
By flipping your light switch, you can change them from 4000k to 2100k to 1800k.
BioLight Adjustable Full Spectrum
600 lm · 4300K/2200K/1800K · 7 W · A19/BR30/GU10/Downlight
If you're looking for a do-it-all light to wind down and relax at night, this is the one!
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See the lab results
1850K
- 1834K
- Color temp
Spectrum
Spectrum chart. BioLight Adjustable Full Spectrum, 1834K, melanopic DER 0.15.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Yellow Light Make You Sleepy?
Yellow light does in fact help to make you sleepy.
Yellow lights are just white lights with much of the blue portion removed. What you’re left with is some green, yellow, orange, and red. And this creates a yellow-looking light.
Since blue light is the main signal to the brain that it’s daytime, removing it tells the brain that the day is ending. This helps to trigger a cascade of events where the brain begins to wind down, produce melatonin, and prepare for sleep.
What's the Best Color Light to Sleep With?
If you absolutely must sleep with a light on it should be a dim red light. The thing is, red light can still excite the nervous system, even though it doesn’t directly impact the circadian clock or melatonin production.
In this study, researchers subjected 14 participants to 10 or 40 lux of the blue or red LED light.
It was noted that 40 lux of red light increased alertness via alpha brain waves and heart rate increased as well.
This may not be a concern for many, but if you have trouble sleeping, you’ll want to be careful to avoid things that can induce alertness at night, even red light!
Amber vs Red Night Light
Which is the best night light for sleeping? My recommendation would be to use red night lights if they’ll be used while sleeping.
Red will disturb your night vision for less when you get up in the middle of the night and need to see. And it has far less of an impact on your circadian system than amber light does.
When Should You Use a Sleep Light?
I recommend turning on your sleep lights about two to three hours before your bedtime.
So if you want to be asleep by 10, turn on your dim warm lighting at around 7 or 8. This will help you wind down and produce the melatonin you need for a good night’s sleep.
Conclusion
Grab yourself a few lights from the above recommendations, they’re the best out there! And start using them a couple of hours before bed, if you aren’t already doing this, I promise the improvement in the quality of your sleep and the following day will be worth it!
