Red Lights for Better Sleep
When it comes to sleep–I’m all about the sleep quality versus how many hours I’m actually in bed. I can sleep for 8 hours straight, but I have a really hard time falling into what’s known as the REM cycle of sleep. This part of your sleep cycle is when you dream, process emotions and solidify certain memories–it’s very important for brain function.
I could literally go months without having a single dream and after doing a bit of research on sleep cycles, I realized that these dreamless sleeps could mean that I’m not reaching my body’s full potential for brain function and recovery.
While researching what I could do to help my body sleep better, I found a lot of interesting studies on how different colored lights can affect our circadian rhythms (aka sleep quality, mood, brain function). Blue light and white light (coming from our electronics) has the strongest effect on us and should be avoided during our sensitive period (before bed), as it can make it really hard for your body to sleep deeply (lol @ me scrolling through my IG feed at 1 AM).
Studies are showing that red light has no effect on the circadian clock, so using a dim red light at night can help calm you down and get your mind ready for bed so that you can go to sleep and stay asleep.
Naturally after consuming all of this newfound information about the effect colored lights have on our bodies, my happy ass ran right to the Amazon app and ordered 2 red light bulbs to replace the lamps in my room. Just like that I cut the white light and said SEE YA NEVER!
So, here is what all the blogs that also wrote about the benefits of red lights didn’t disclose. Even though I ordered the dim lights, my neighbors 100% think I’m into some weird shit as my lamps light up the entire courtyard like a commercial grade Christmas light show, lol–think Deck the Halls vibes to give you a visual.
Between me yelling Pilates cues, blasting Da Baby at 9 AM, and now a red light display every night–my neighbors definitely want to cancel me and probably have a hard time deciphering whether I’m just delusional or certifiably insane, HA. BUT, the sleep quality is worth neighbors thinking you are possibly conforming your apartment into a sex dungen on a nightly basis.
The best part is that I’m actually just reading my self-help books in Skims kozy knit pajamas with my red night light and sleepy time tea just to get a good night’s sleep–the drastic measures we take for good f-ing siesta, HA.
Get the bulbs and thank me later. I’m very in love with my kozy-knit- kim-k-pajama-sex-dungeon vibey night time situation. Let me know your thoughts and if you guys notice a difference in your sleep quality, I’d love to hear from you!
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