The best colors to paint your bedroom for a better night’s sleep

Ideally your bedroom should feel like a safe haven you can go to unwind, relax and charge when you need it most. Spend as much time as you can chasing the best comfortable mattress, pillow, sleep trackers and other upgrades for your bedroom, there is another factor that also affects your sleep quality: the color of your walls.

If you live in a rental home or apartment, chances are you had no control over the paint colors for your home. But if you do have to choose, colors that help promote relaxation and tranquility can be conducive to a better night’s sleep, said Jamie Gold, a wellness design consultant and the author of Wellness by Design: A Room-by-Room Guide to Optimizing Your Home for Health, Fitness and Happiness.

Creating a more serene environment in your bedroom can make a difference in how well you sleep. For some people, using specific colors can help create that ideal sleeping environment. If you’re curious about the relationship between colors and sleep, keep reading for Gold’s insights on how to select colors that sleep better.

What colors are best for sleeping?

When I chose the colors for my bedroom, I selected colors based on my personal preference and style. But you can be even more strategic with your bedroom, because “some colors stimulate your senses, while others help you relax,” says Gold.

There is nothing wrong with selecting colors for your home that you just like. But if you’re looking for ways to connect color with wellness, you can be even more conscious when you choose. “Comfort and pleasure is one of my five facets of wellness design, and incorporating your favorite color into your home can certainly enhance that. You do want to be strategic about it, though, and understanding color attributes can help,” says Gold.

Again, you want to pick colors for your walls and decor or bedding that you really like, but “according to color scientists, conducive colors that invite calm into your bedroom include: light blue, purple, soft peach, soft green, pink or apricot. Neutral colors such as beige, brown and taupe can work too, ”says Gold.

If you can’t paint your walls, apply calming colors with decorations, such as bedding, rugs, art, and curtains.

Colors to avoid in your bedroom

You may want to think twice about using bright, bold colors in your bedroom and save them for other rooms, such as an office where you want to feel energized. “I painted my office brick red for its creative, stimulating qualities as well as because the room opens onto a private patio with brick-red walls and I wanted the visual connection inside-outside,” says Gold.

“I wouldn’t have put that color in my bedroom, even if it opened onto the patio too. That room is painted in soft, deep plums, which I find relaxing; and it reminds me of my favorite wine country trips for happy memories,” he explains.

Again, the colors that you ultimately find comforting or stimulating may vary based on your own personal experiences. But in general, you want to “avoid stimulating colors like red, orange, and bright yellow. These are known to generate energy, so you want to keep them out of a room where switching back to sleep is the goal,” Gold says.

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The information in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health care practitioner if you have any questions about a medical condition or health goals.