photo credit: flickr/jeffhill
I’ve already written about how paint colors can impact mood, but did you know that bedroom colors can affect your sleep, too? A study published in the Daily Mail says it’s true. If you wake up tired every morning, a new color scheme may be the answer to your problems.
The study looked at 2,000 homes across Great Britain and 10 different bedroom colors.
Here’s how the colors were ranked from one to 10, with one being the best color for sleep.
- Blue
- Yellow
- Green
- Silver
- Orange
- Red
- Gold
- Gray
- Brown
- Purple
The study found that those who sleep in a blue room get an average of seven hours and 52 minutes of sleep, while those who are surrounded by purple get just five hours and 56 minutes. It makes sense that blue would be the best color for sleep, as it is known to calm and slow the heart rate. I was, however, surprised that purple was ranked the worst. I assumed red or orange would be the most stimulating colors, but in fact purple is – to the unconscious mind, at least.
Suzzy Chiazzari, a Color Therapy and Holistic Interior Design consultant, was quoted in the Daily Mail’s article as having said, “Purple has a strong connection with the more artistic community being a color reported to stimulate creativity and the unconscious mind. Therefore sleeping in a purple room is more likely to promote vivid dreams or even nightmares; resulting in your feeling tired in the morning.”
While this was just one study, it certainly makes you rethink color choices in the bedroom and how you can improve sleep. If your bedroom’s dominate color is purple, brown, gray or gold, consider making a change to see if a difference in paint color can really make a difference in sleep. A blue, green or soft yellow bedroom with brighter accent colors may be your best solution.
What do you think? Has your sleep ever been affected by a room’s color? Send a comment and let us know!