As the old adage goes, you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone. When you’ve slept well your whole life, you likely don’t appreciate how much something as simple as your bedroom’s decor could impact your sleep quality. However, if you’ve struggled with insomnia or just a handful of sleepless nights here and there, reassessing how your bedroom is decorated could be worth your time.
Does Color Affect Sleep Quality?
Once your eyes are closed, the only colors that can affect your sleep are those inside of your eyelids and whatever your imagination draws up. Before that, though, your mood is very easily influenced by the colors around you. The mood you’re in before you try to sleep can definitely affect how well you sleep, so creating a soothing environment for your bedroom makes a huge difference.
Lighting can also affect your sleep, so good curtains in a soothing color can go a long way. Invest in light-blocking or blackout curtains for your windows for a truly darkened room.
What are the Best Colors for Restful Sleep?
Below are some of the colors most likely to put you in a relaxed, restful mood—ideal for bedtime.
Blue
Blue is a classic choice for cultivating a relaxing, welcoming bedroom. Depending on the shade you use, it can be a playful, creative color like robin’s egg blue or, as with navy, a more traditional, serious choice. Accordingly, it can have a lot of different perceptions for different people.
Green
The color of nature, green is the essence of living well—it’s why you’ll see it often in spas and medical facilities. Deeper greens like hunter green translate well to a more traditional space, with lighter pops of green like mint working well for modern bedrooms.
Light Pink
Blush pink has made a comeback from the nursery to mainstay rooms like your bedroom in recent years. It’s soft enough to play well with most colors but still a playful choice. In bedrooms, you can use it to emphasize warmth and calm.
White
Pure and clean like snow, white brings to mind a clean slate. This is obviously a great choice for bedrooms, since it’s a color all about slowing down and appreciating the quiet. Want the simplicity of white with a little more color? Choose a fabric headboard in the complementary color of your choice (and white isn’t picky, so there’s plenty) and go with all-white bedding and pillowcases.
Beige
A natural match for white, beige is a similarly restful color on the eyes. It’s a comforting color that warms up other neutral shades that may be too cool alone. This is a very trendy color right now, so there’s plenty of variations, from warm oatmeal to near-white bone out there. Mixing and matching differing shades of beige could add depth while still embracing this peaceful color.
What Colors are Worst for Restful Sleep?
Unlike the colors above, these colors are likely best left to other rooms of your home. What works well in your kitchen or living room may not be a good choice in your bedroom.
Red
Red excites like no other color. There’s a reason it’s associated with high emotions. When you’re trying to get to sleep, a color as powerful as red likely isn’t a great choice for your background. It’s perfect for your living or dining room, especially in deeper shades like burgundy or wine red if bright red is a little too strong for your taste.
Dark Purple
This color may be surprising to find on this list, but dark, moody colors aren’t necessarily good for promoting restful sleep. Dark purple can be associated with frustration as well, which won’t help you wind down at the end of a long day.
Dark Brown
Dark brown is a stable, earthy color, but one that can be a little sad. Much like the other darker colors listed here, a very dark shade of brown won’t help you sleep easier. It’s best to leave it for use in other rooms or in very small touches.
Black
As the opposite of white, black is the result of every color mixed together. It’s too dark and intense a color to be used in more than sparing touches in a bedroom. Like the others, leave intensity outside your bedroom door.
Orange
Orange is the most energetic color on our visual spectrum. It’s a great color to wake up to, but a terrible one when you’re trying to rest. Use shades of orange in your kitchen or home office, not in your bedroom.
How Can You Cultivate a Comfortable Sleeping Environment?
Beyond a soothing color scheme, how else can you create an ideal sleeping environment?
Your bedroom should be an oasis away from the rest of your life. Avoid reading or watching tv in bed to help your brain associate it exclusively with sleep. Keep temperatures cool at night and the room dark, removing or blocking out light sources. Consider a sound machine if complete silence is impossible or unnerving for you. These small changes can all add up to a much healthier sleep cycle!
Color Your Life Your Way
Once you’re all rested up, you’ll be ready to tackle whatever life throws at you. A good night’s sleep is important for overall health and well-being, and your energy levels will thank you! Now that your bedroom’s in good shape with a restful color scheme, consider upgrading your home’s exterior. Our replacement windows, doors and vinyl siding all come in plenty of colors to style your home exactly how you like! Get in touch to learn more.