Sleeping with Ambient Red Light

[tankasnowgod]

So, for the past three weeks, I have made a couple changes to the way I sleep. The biggest, and most noticeable results wise, was sleeping with Ambient Red Light. I have seen this idea floated a bit here and there, but haven't seen any studies done on it. Most of the studies I could find involve Red Light Therapy before bed, or it's effects on sleep. This is just having some red light on in the bedroom, and not a lot.

I started off using fairly weak LEDs that were battery powered I had lying around. The immediate effect was to find that it was easier to wake up in the morning, and having more energy. After a couple days, I got some 7w mini red light bulbs that I put in two Salt Lamps. I leave them on at night. The biggest effects seem to be-

1. Easier to wake up in the morning.
2. Waking up before my alarm during the week, and sleeping less on the weekend. 2-3 hours less, which is huge
3. More Energy Overall
4. Better drive and focus. I have been tackling projects and things I had been putting off for months (or even years) with a newfound vigor.

I have been doing Incline Bed Therapy for years now, so maybe the red light in the room is setting off some IBT benefits. Also, I recently added a focus to improve dopamine, by using Metergoline and the BCAA/Tyrosine combo. And, as another confounder, also started mouth taping at night. But, I had the dopamine focus for a few weeks before, and started the mouth taping about a week after using the Ambient Red Light. I'm also not sure I was mouth breathing all that much at night, previously. The energy, drive, and less sleep all started with using Ambient Red Light, and the benefits seem to have compounded since then.

I was actually thinking of titling this thread "The Sleep Improvement Trifecta." And, in order, listing-

1. Incline Bed Therapy
2. Ambient Red Light
3. Mouth Taping (or other CO2 strategies)

It could be a YMMV thing, and may vary a lot. I use blackout curtains as the outdoor lights are high blue "Energy Efficient" lights. So, if you're not sleeping in total darkness, you might not see any benefits.

What about Infrared?

Dan Wich had this thread a while back- Invisible Light While Sleeping

I tried it a few times, but it didn't make any difference that I noticed. The Ambient Red Light sure did. I have been using an IR illuminator too, but I think the main benefits come from some amount of visible light.

If anyone else tries this, or has a similar setup, I'd be interested in hearing the results.

 

[peter88]

Is there a preferred sleep position or is it mostly personal preference? I think I’ve seen some people on here say not to sleep on your back.

 

[joshquintanilla]

I have tried the blackout curtain, small red light, IBT combo for an extended time but didn't feel super great with it. The prolonged darkness that blackout curtains was too much for me I think, and would make me sleep in for way too long. The best solution I've come up with is ditching the blackout curtains and instead installing orange tinted film to the windows and just keeping normal curtains closed.

Something like this Amazon product ASIN B07GQL8WJ4View: https://www.amazon.com/HOHOFILM-Decorative-Blocking-Adhesive-Residential/dp/B07GQL8WJ4/ref=asc_df_B07GQL8WJ4/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=343181715984&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=3410071357690712621&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9031710&hvtargid=pla-902927640192&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=74738717691&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=343181715984&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=3410071357690712621&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9031710&hvtargid=pla-902927640192


This allows small amounts of non harmful ambient light in at night from outside but also does not leave you in the dark for hours after it becomes bright outside like blackout curtains can. The morning after installing window film I had the best sleep I've had in a long time. Really, it was probably best waking up experience I've ever had. As night ends and it starts getting brighter outside the orange light wakes you up in the gentlest way like a warm hug. Also, having orange light coming from your window during the day and pairing it with a super bright red light makes the room look awesome. (+ no blue/uv light)

 

[tankasnowgod]

I have tried the blackout curtain, small red light, IBT combo for an extended time but didn't feel super great with it. The prolonged darkness that blackout curtains was too much for me I think, and would make me sleep in for way too long. The best solution I've come up with is ditching the blackout curtains and instead installing orange tinted film to the windows and just keeping normal curtains closed.

Something like this Amazon product ASIN B07GQL8WJ4View: https://www.amazon.com/HOHOFILM-Decorative-Blocking-Adhesive-Residential/dp/B07GQL8WJ4/ref=asc_df_B07GQL8WJ4/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=343181715984&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=3410071357690712621&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9031710&hvtargid=pla-902927640192&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=74738717691&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=343181715984&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=3410071357690712621&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9031710&hvtargid=pla-902927640192


This allows small amounts of non harmful ambient light in at night from outside but also does not leave you in the dark for hours after it becomes bright outside like blackout curtains can. The morning after installing window film I had the best sleep I've had in a long time. Really, it was probably best waking up experience I've ever had. As night ends and it starts getting brighter outside the orange light wakes you up in the gentlest way like a warm hug. Also, having orange light coming from your window during the day and pairing it with a super bright red light makes the room look awesome. (+ no blue/uv light)

I like the Yellow tint idea too, but can't do it in my current place. I find the two salt lamps working well.

What kind of small red light did you use?

 

[charlie]

So, for the past three weeks, I have made a couple changes to the way I sleep. The biggest, and most noticeable results wise, was sleeping with Ambient Red Light. I have seen this idea floated a bit here and there, but haven't seen any studies done on it. Most of the studies I could find involve Red Light Therapy before bed, or it's effects on sleep. This is just having some red light on in the bedroom, and not a lot.

I started off using fairly weak LEDs that were battery powered I had lying around. The immediate effect was to find that it was easier to wake up in the morning, and having more energy. After a couple days, I got some 7w mini red light bulbs that I put in two Salt Lamps. I leave them on at night. The biggest effects seem to be-

1. Easier to wake up in the morning.
2. Waking up before my alarm during the week, and sleeping less on the weekend. 2-3 hours less, which is huge
3. More Energy Overall
4. Better drive and focus. I have been tackling projects and things I had been putting off for months (or even years) with a newfound vigor.

I have been doing Incline Bed Therapy for years now, so maybe the red light in the room is setting off some IBT benefits. Also, I recently added a focus to improve dopamine, by using Metergoline and the BCAA/Tyrosine combo. And, as another confounder, also started mouth taping at night. But, I had the dopamine focus for a few weeks before, and started the mouth taping about a week after using the Ambient Red Light. I'm also not sure I was mouth breathing all that much at night, previously. The energy, drive, and less sleep all started with using Ambient Red Light, and the benefits seem to have compounded since then.

I was actually thinking of titling this thread "The Sleep Improvement Trifecta." And, in order, listing-

1. Incline Bed Therapy
2. Ambient Red Light
3. Mouth Taping (or other CO2 strategies)

It could be a YMMV thing, and may vary a lot. I use blackout curtains as the outdoor lights are high blue "Energy Efficient" lights. So, if you're not sleeping in total darkness, you might not see any benefits.

What about Infrared?

Dan Wich had this thread a while back- Invisible Light While Sleeping

I tried it a few times, but it didn't make any difference that I noticed. The Ambient Red Light sure did. I have been using an IR illuminator too, but I think the main benefits come from some amount of visible light.

If anyone else tries this, or has a similar setup, I'd be interested in hearing the results.

Fantastic, gonna give the red light at night a shot.

by using Metergoline and the BCAA/Tyrosine combo

Go you go a bit into the dosages you are using for the Metergoloine along with the BCAA and Tyrosine combo?

 

[Ben.]

I realy like the idea. Thus far i've only used/tried the red light man combo 620 ◦ 670 ◦ 760 ◦ 830 nm device. Holding it close to my body (especially neck/face) calms me down so well and leads to muscle relaxation to where i concentrate the light.
It is to loud tho to use for sleeping. So i cant replicate this yet. (maybe with ear plugs? The device would get to hot running for that long)

Also i'm trying to figure out how to build a light device for oral health ( i guess i'll make a seperate thread for that). There are devices on the market but they all cost 200-800 dollars. I've never built something before but i can imagine it wouldn't be to hard to build that at 1/5 the commercial cost.

If i buy bulbs for that i will also try to replicate the ambient light for sleeping. Very intrigued, thanks for mentioning it.

 

[tankasnowgod]

Go you go a bit into the dosages you are using for the Metergoloine along with the BCAA and Tyrosine combo?

For Metergoline, I am doing about 2.5 in the morning. It's supposed to roughly equivalent for Dopamine Agonism to Bromocriptine in similar doses, from what I read in the Metergoline thread. Bromo always gave me nasty side effects (maybe due to the Serotonin Receptor Agonism?), but no issues with Metergoline.

I use 5 grams BCAA with 2 grams Tyrosine, and do this once, maybe twice, a day, usually earlier in the day. I have the aminos for the Modified MAP, and have been Tyrosine instead of Phenylalanine there, too. I have been getting more positive effects from Tyrosine than Phenylalanine. I know Phenylketonuria is a "genetic" condition that prevents use of Phenylalanine, but I'm wondering if there is a similar condition or low grade version that can affect people. Maybe use of lots of aspertame could cause impaired Phenylalanine metabolism.

 

[tankasnowgod]

I realy like the idea. Thus far i've only used/tried the red light man combo 620 ◦ 670 ◦ 760 ◦ 830 nm device. Holding it close to my body (especially neck/face) calms me down so well and leads to muscle relaxation to where i concentrate the light.
It is to loud tho to use for sleeping. So i cant replicate this yet. (maybe with ear plugs? The device would get to hot running for that long)

Yeah, those devices are great for Red Light Therapy, but would be far too bright and too loud for using during sleep. Maybe too hot, too. Plus...... you would jack up your electric bill quickly.

If i buy bulbs for that i will also try to replicate the ambient light for sleeping. Very intrigued, thanks for mentioning it.

One other thing to note, I have them on the floor. I think having them "above" you could be too bright for consistent sleep. This is more indirect light, so very different from Red Light Therapy. It might be similar to having a fire in a fireplace to keep warm, or the glow of something like 19th century heater that depended on fire.

 

[joshquintanilla]

I like the Yellow tint idea too, but can't do it in my current place. I find the two salt lamps working well.

What kind of small red light did you use?

Amazon product ASIN B07YYK35QYView: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YYK35QY/ref=cm_sw_r_oth_api_glt_fabc_FJ8MZEHS64RVJ8YG0085?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Old Irenaeus]

I have these: Amazon product ASIN B01M8IAUC3View: https://www.amazon.com/Sunlite-A19-3W-LED-3PK/dp/B01M8IAUC3

I wonder if that would do the trick of if it's not red light. It produces a warm, reddish glow that I like to use before going to bed.

 

[Lejeboca]

I've been sleeping with red light at least part of the night for about two years along with IBT (~4.5 degrees of incline). I prefer "standard" red LED light (3W bulb) to the orange-red from salt lamps, perhaps, b/c the former lights the room in red more uniformly.
I typically fall asleep without light but if I wake up at night, I will turn on the light and sleep well till the morning. If I cannot fall asleep in the dark, I will put the light on and fall asleep easily. My theory is that red light helps against rising cortisol in the latter part of the night and in the morning, which I've inferred from the paper I've posted earlier on RPF and some other bits about red light I've pieced for myself from the forum.

Declining Eyesight Improved By Looking At Deep Red Light

Staring at a deep red light for three minutes a day can significantly improve declining eyesight, finds a new study, the first of its kind in humans. Declining eyesight improved by looking at deep red light

raypeatforum.com

See also discussions in

Sleeping Under Red Light

I is wondering if anyone has experimented with sleeping through the night under red light. In the summer time I get plenty of exposure to the sun. In the winter though I get mostly an hour of sun before the blue lights of work time followed by the early darkness. I was just looking at...

raypeatforum.com

Also when I am sick, I sleep with red light through the entire night remembering Ray saying that darkness increases all the stress hormones, sleeping well and being well mitigate the darkness of course.
N.B. I recall him saying that he doesn't uses red lamp at light because it is bothersome for the eyes and he uses red light to shine on his shins taped to his legs. So I've inferred that if the red light doesn't bother my eyes, it is beneficial, as in red lamp, during the night.

 

[tankasnowgod]

I've been sleeping with red light at least part of the night for about two years along with IBT (~4.5 degrees of incline). I prefer "standard" red LED light (3W bulb) to the orange-red from salt lamps, perhaps, b/c the former lights the room in red more uniformly.

I didn't like the Salt Lamps with Regular Lights, but I'm using Red Light Bulbs in them now. No real orange, just red-

I typically fall asleep without light but if I wake up at night, I will turn on the light and sleep well till the morning. If I cannot fall asleep in the dark, I will put the light on and fall asleep easily. My theory is that red light helps against rising cortisol in the latter part of the night and in the morning, which I've inferred from the paper I've posted earlier on RPF and some other bits about red light I've pieced for myself from the forum.

Also when I am sick, I sleep with red light through the entire night remembering Ray saying that darkness increases all the stress hormones, sleeping well and being well mitigate the darkness of course.
N.B. I recall him saying that he doesn't uses red lamp at light because it is bothersome for the eyes and he uses red light to shine on his shins taped to his legs. So I've inferred that if the red light doesn't bother my eyes, it is beneficial, as in red lamp, during the night.

Yeah, the mitigation of stress hormones was a big reason why I added it. I think IBT and Red Light do a great job together. I know Andrew Fletcher said IBT prevented the drop in body temperature in the middle of the night, and that Peat said darkness itself is stressful.

 

[Green Dot]

Tried to do this as well but I've read of users going into ketosis as a result of sleeping with redlight on, I think they slept with the light pointing directly at them though.

Peat mentioned that redlight directed at one's feet and legs overnight is ok.

 

[Riesensackteil]

I used to sleep with red light bulb for several weeks. It seems to have disrupted my 'circadian rythm' a bit but felt relieving nonetheless

 

[Lejeboca]

I didn't like the Salt Lamps with Regular Lights, but I'm using Red Light Bulbs in them now. No real orange, just red-

Your setup looks, as I'd like mine to look. Could you tell me which red-light bulb can fit in a salt lamp? ( think my lamps are of similar size to yours.) I didn't see small red-light bulbs sold separately. Thanks.

I agree that IBT+red light is a nice combo for stress hormone reduction at night.

 

[tankasnowgod]

Your setup looks, as I'd like mine to look. Could you tell me which red-light bulb can fit in a salt lamp? ( think my lamps are of similar size to yours.) I didn't see small red-light bulbs sold separately. Thanks.

I agree that IBT+red light is a nice combo for stress hormone reduction at night.

I got these-

Amazon product ASIN B00E7UHZH0View: https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Hobbies-Candelabra-Decorative-Christmas/dp/B00E7UHZH0/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=red+light+bulbs+7w&qid=1634355998&sr=8-4

 

[Dolomite]

I put red light bulbs in our nightlights recently. I used to sleep in total darkness but now have a red nightlight in the bedroom. It puts out plenty of light and it is across the room. The first few nights I would wake up and notice it. Like tankasnow observed for himself, I wake up a few minutes before the alarm. I sometimes wake up and have to go to the bathroom but I fall back to sleep without trouble. I hated the white nightlight in the bathroom so this change in bulbs has been great.

 

[Lejeboca]

Another reason why sleeping w red light might be beneficial is that red/infrared light combats depression and improves cognitive abilities as haidut has posted here:
Infrared/red light applied to the skull can treat Alzheimer's/dementia...
and where I've put a couple of references as to the red light (low level light therapy) effects. Fascinating!

As haidut noted in that thread: It is important to be well-fed for the red light application. Especially it is for the entire night. That's why I do better if I drink orange juice or milk just before bedtime and if wake grab a sweet candy or a gummy bear to fall asleep again.
Hence for me a trifecta is inclined bed, red light, sweets in/before bed.