This article is for you if you have recently purchased new LED strips for your bedroom but are unsure which colors are the best to use when sleeping with LED strips. The color and intensity of light that you expose yourself to impact your ability to fall asleep directly. As a result, it is critical that you select the appropriate colors to get a good night's sleep.

Light can stimulate the mind and body at the appropriate time, resulting in alertness, or it can cause sleeplessness if it is misused.

Not only that, but did you also know that we can control how much it affects us simply by altering the color of light we are exposed to and the time of day we are told to it?

Having light so conveniently placed at the tip of our fingers and activated with the flick of a switch is no longer an issue. It's no surprise that we don't pay much attention to how it can impact our well-being.

However, we must pay attention, particularly in light of the increasing number of cases of insomnia and depression linked to a lack of sleep, as well as the prevalence of digital devices and screens that emit light.

It is preferable to go to sleep with the strip lights turned down. Despite this, specific colors of light on the spectrum can affect the body and disrupt the sleeping cycle if exposed to them for an extended time. Because red color strips are the most similar in hue to the natural sunset color, they can be relaxing and aid in sleep induction.

What are the best colors to use with LED strips to help sleep?

While sleeping in a dark room with no light is the best way to sleep, some people require a small amount of light to fall asleep. In the electromagnetic spectrum, there are numerous colors, some of which have minimal effects on sleep and others that significantly impact your sleep cycle.

Here are some examples of those who are suitable for sleeping with:

Red

 Red is the best color to sleep within general because it is the most relaxing. Usually, when our eyes detect low light or a lack of light, they signal to the brain, which causes us to fall asleep or change our mood. Red LED strips are used because our retina is the least sensitive to this color when it is turned on.

There is, therefore, no interference with the release of melatonin, which is the sleep hormone, as a result of this. When exposed to red light, you can experience deep, rejuvenating sleep. This also explains why this low-energy color is recommended for therapeutic purposes.

In addition to improving the quality of sleep, studies have shown that red light can increase athletes' endurance during physical activities the following day. The fact that a red light does not interfere with your night vision is yet another advantage of using one.

How to Determine if Red Light Has an Impact on Night Vision?

1. Invest in an LED strip that can emit both white and red light simultaneously.
2. Enter a dimly lit room.
3. Set the LED to flash red for seconds, then turn it off. 4. Examine your perception of the dim room.
4. Repeat with a white light source.

You'll notice that even after flashing the red light and turning it off, your night vision remains unaffected from before. When exposed to white light, you will experience a brief period of complete darkness before regaining vision.

Has it happened to you that you've woken up in the middle of the night and gone to the bathroom, only to be blinded when you turn on the lights? That is most often the case when using white light. Because red light does not affect your night vision, you can comfortably wake up in the middle of the night, go to the bathroom, and then return to sleep in a seamless transition to wakefulness.

Orange

At sunset, the sun emits orange-red rays that provide warmth and calmness to the atmosphere. One of the best colors to use before and during sleep is orange, which allows you to get the most exposure to natural light possible. It promotes a peaceful state of mind, which aids in the relaxation of the body.

Orange has no adverse effects on melatonin production, which is a hormone that regulates sleep. The exposure does not suppress sleep or cause cycles to change due to this. If you cannot sleep in a red-lit or darkroom, using orange LED strips to help you fall asleep is a viable alternative.

Orange single-color LED strips are available for purchase on the market. On the other hand, if you already have the RGB strips, you won't need to purchase another. It is possible to achieve a warm orange color by balancing red, green, and blue.

How to Turn an RGB LED Strip into an Orange Strip?

An RGB strip is a light source that can simultaneously produce red, green, and blue light. Given that these are the primary colors, you can alter their intensities to create an almost infinite number of different colors. Working with strips that have a remote control should be taken into consideration. Fortunately, most of the RGB brands that are currently available do.

This is the quickest and most straightforward method of achieving the same results as commercially produced orange strips. Orange is a color that is a combination of green and red. In practice, combining two-thirds red with one-third green creates orange hues when mixed. Following the secure installation of the LED strips, complete the following steps:

1. Press the button for the red color approximately eight times.

Press the green color button approximately four times. As desired, press either the red or green color button to intensify or dim the orange hue.

All of your LED strips will be orange in color when you are finished.

Amber

Amber is a color that lies halfway between orange and yellow on the color spectrum. It has a low energy level, similar to red and orange. You can achieve an amber hue in the same way that you can accomplish an orange hue by adjusting the intensities of the green and red colors.

In a study conducted by Columbia University Medical Center, participants who had been diagnosed with insomnia were subjected to an amber light test. According to the findings of this study, amber helps people sleep better. When the participants wore amber-tinted lenses, they could sleep for approximately 30 minutes longer.

Even better, according to a 2017 study, amber is beneficial in lowering blood pressure. Dr. Shechter, the leader of the Columbia University team that conducted the study, recommends that you use the amber setting on your devices during the night-time hours. This demonstrates that amber is an excellent choice of LED strip color.

What colors should you avoid using LED strips when you're going to sleep?

To what extent are all LED strip colors recommended for use at night? No, avoid any color near the end of the spectrum containing high-energy blue light. According to a study published in 2011, white light and blue light both promote wakefulness and alertness. They harm sleep because they suppress the production of melatonin.

Blue

Another study conducted by the University of Oxford discovered that exposure to bright blue light causes an increase in corticosterone levels. The adrenal gland produces this stress hormone, which is responsible for maintaining alertness. The onset of sleep takes approximately 16 to 19 minutes, whereas the period for a green light is exponentially shorter, taking only 1 to 3 minutes.

Even though the test subjects are rats, which are nocturnal, we believe the situation is likely to be the same in humans. The retina of your eye is susceptible to blue light. Even if you're already asleep, exposure to it can cause your mind to trick you into thinking you're awake.

Patients with insomnia will find that using a blue light will only exacerbate their condition.

White

There is no such thing as true white light. Red, blue, and green must be balanced at their highest intensities for the eye to perceive this color. Grey is created by balancing the three colors' intensities in the middle. This light, like blue light, is highly disruptive to the body's natural sleep cycle.

The two colors affect the quality and the length of sleep. Because of this, our sleeping in white light increases the risk of developing diseases such as diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease.

Conclusion

If you're looking for the best colors to sleep with LED strips, take a look at any of our top three suggestions and think about how they might affect your sleep cycle. Sleep is critical for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Finally, make an effort to get the most out of your night by ensuring that you get quality, sound sleep.

References

Best colors to go to sleep with LED strips. (2021, December 23). LED Light Ideas. https://ledlightideas.com/best-colors-sleep-led-strips/

Can you sleep with LED strip lights on? (2020, June 26). LED & Lighting Info - Useful Tips To Improve Design. https://ledlightinginfo.com/sleep-with-led-strip-lights

What is the best led light color to sleep with? Sleep tight with the best color light! (2021, April 7). Best Light For. https://bestlightfor.com/led-light/what-is-the-best-led-light-color-to-sleep-with/