If you’ve painted your bedroom walls with a blazing neon orange color, it might help wake you up when you open your eyes as it simulates the look of the morning sun. On the other hand, that glaring orange hue will likely be the last thing you see before you turn out your lights to go to bed. As such, it could subconsciously impede your ability to fall asleep.

As with any residential paint, color is a personal choice. If you want to paint your home’s interior with vibrant neons or psychedelic swirls, have at it. Likewise, if you’re going to follow the Rolling Stones’ directive to “paint it black.” However, with over 30 years of interior painting experience in Naples and Southwest Florida, the professionals at FCI Painters advise clients to carefully consider the potential impacts of color when it comes to bedroom paint.

Psychologists believe that colors can inherently influence mood, emotions, and energy, which in turn can affect the quality of sleep. While some colors have a calming influence, promote positive emotions, and relax energy levels, others can excite the senses, provoke negative emotions, and enhance energy levels. With this in mind, why wouldn’t you want to paint your bedroom with colors likely to help deliver the best in a good night’s precious sleep? So, let’s take a closer look at the best and worst bedroom paint colors for promoting quality sleep.

The Best Paint Colors for Sleep

To short form it, psychologists and sleep experts believe that blue, green, and white are the best paint colors for promoting a good night’s sleep. Here’s why:

Blue—with its positive association with clear skies, clean water, and tranquility, blue has a calming effect that relaxes the mind and body. According to sleep specialist Dr. Michael Breus, blue—especially lighter shades—is one of the best colors for promoting a quality night’s sleep. Before turning out the lights, seeing blue can help the brain produce more sleep-inducing melatonin and less energy-promoting cortisol.

Green—Like blue, green’s natural color promotes calmness and relaxation. Its association with nature and plants helps reduce stress and fosters a comforting environment for sleep.

White—Along with increasing a sense of spaciousness, the neutrality of white hues helps minimize distractions and sets the stage for relaxation and sleep. To add a splash of color to your bedroom, consider using white for the ceiling and paint the walls with another calming color. Or create an accent wall with another sleep-inducing color.

The Worst Paint Colors for Sleep

And here is why red, black, and brown are the worst bedroom paint colors for promoting a good night’s sleep:

Red—Psychologists and sleep researchers believe red is the worst paint color for inducing quality sleep. As a warm color with the longest wavelength on the visible light spectrum, red can stimulate fear, anger, excitement, and aggression and increase pulse rates and blood pressure.

Black—You might think that black helps people sleep by absorbing wavelengths of visible light. However, the color can also induce negative emotions like depression, sadness, and fear, which may make it harder for someone to fall asleep. Additionally, black creates a darkened room in the morning, which may cause lethargy when a person needs to start rising and shining.

Brown—Like black, brown can induce negative emotions detrimental to falling asleep. Psychologists also believe that darker shades of brown can cause restlessness. That said, lighter beige shades may convey a sense of warmth and simplicity that can promote quality sleep.

Other Color Considerations with Your Sleep-Inducing Paint Choices

Whatever color you choose for your bedroom, softer, lighter shades work best for creating an atmosphere conducive to sleep. Neutral pastel shades and matte finishes help reduce the stimulating brightness of a color, which may let some colors work for creating a sleep-inducing bedroom. For example, a bright orange will likely not be conducive for sleep, but a softer warmer tone in your orange may create warmth and coziness without the stimulation. Likewise, a soft, lighter pink can induce tranquility, but brighter pinks can induce sleep-hindering stimulation similar to red.

Consult with Naples-Based FCI Painting on Your Bedroom Paint Colors

Choosing the perfect bedroom paint colors for your Southwest Florida-based home can be challenging. FCI painting has helped thousands of homeowners choose their interior paint colors in Naples. With over 30 years of helping Naples-area homeowners beautify their interiors, contact FCI Painting today at (239) 435-1001.