Figuring out a color for your bedroom walls can be tough. This space is really personal for a lot of us, and it’s important to choose colors that not only reflect our personalities, but also make us happy.
That’s mainly because it’s the room in your home you might spend the majority of your time in. And even if you don’t, at night you’ll want a paint color that helps you feel calm and de-stressed. After all, it’s better to choose comforting elements to create a restful environment.
Living side-by-side with the shades we choose can have a great impact on our wellbeing. In fact, bedroom hues actually have a lot of influence on just how well you fall—and stay—asleep. In fact, color analysis consultant, color expert and personal stylist Ali Lees says that, in addition to the temperature of the room, noise and exposure to light, color can play a huge factor in our sleep patterns.
“Atmosphere created by color can influence a person’s readiness for sleep,” she tells Parade.
Although it’s a subtle aspect, considering how the hues in your own room might be affecting your quality of sleep and the ability to make you more rested is crucial.
If you’re curious whether the colors in your room are interfering with how well you sleep, check out Lees’ advice on the five colors to avoid in the bedroom—plus other color recommendations.
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How Paint Color Impacts Sleep and Nervous System Psychology
Although color seems to be such a simple factor in our bedrooms, what you choose to paint the walls impacts not only your sleep, but your nervous system.
Lees suggests that lighter colors can have a hand in creating a calmer atmosphere: “Lighter, more muted colors help to create a calmer visual environment, which can prompt a greater feeling of relaxation,” she states.
Furthermore, she points to a study done in 2018; she interpreted the results from that research to show that some soft and desaturated shades “used within lower-contrast color schemes” can play a part in “activating the parasympathetic ‘rest and digest’ response, as well as lowering heart rate.”
But if you stray away from those, she points out that vivid shades along with colors that clash have been shown to impact mental stimulation, causing it to heighten. When you focus your room around these kinds of colors, it can then be harder to relax for the night.
“In particular, highly saturated warm colors like neons, reds and oranges can increase alertness, arouse areas of the brain associated with higher stress and increase the heart rate, making it harder to wind down,” she explains.
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The 5 Bedroom Paint Colors You Should Avoid at All Costs
Here are some colors you’ll want to avoid if you want a good night of rest, according to Lees.
1. Crimson red
Red is the perfect shade for a new purse or a fresh set of nails—but it can be a pretty bold (and disruptive) color to paint a bedroom.
Crimson red, in particular, is not the best option, says Lees. It’s full of emotions that you don’t really want to bring inside a room where relaxation should be top priority.
“Red is linked to perceptions of danger, fear and urgency as well as excitement and passion,” she tells Parade. “These highly stimulating cues can interfere with the sense of restfulness when winding down in readiness for sleep.”
2. Stark white
White is a crisp color, but not the best shade for a bedroom. It’s often associated with places you might not want to think of, like the hospital.
“Cool-toned icy whites can feel harsh and are often associated with clinical environments,” Lees notes. “This works against the cocooning, nurturing atmosphere that is most conducive for sleep.”
3. Vivid orange
Not all orange colors are made equally, according to Lees. Some might be okay to paint your bedroom, such as oranges that are rooted in peach shades or ones that aren’t so bright. Those shades of orange can really interrupt feelings of calmness—and are probably much better suited for exciting environments.
“Whilst orange is warm and cheerful, it can interfere with sleep conditions by increasing stimulation,” she explains. “It is considered an energizing color. Switching to a more earthy, grounded shade of orange brings about a cozier feel, whilst a peachy shade is soft and nurturing.”
4. Yellow
Yellow seems like a happy color, and it is. But generally, you should avoid it in your bedroom. Especially if it’s a neon shade, you’ll want to find something that is less highly-stimulating.
“Neons in general are intensely stimulating as their high luminance disrupts the eye,” says Lees. “When used in large doses, acid yellow can agitate or energize and therefore make it harder to relax.”
5. Solid black
Black is always a great default color to wear, but perhaps not the greatest for your room. According to Lees, black walls are a bit suffocating, even if the rest of your room tends to get dark with nightfall.
“Whilst darkness is conducive to sleep, too much black can feel oppressive, closed-in and stifling,” she explains. “Black also carries negative associations linked to death, depression, fear and anxiety, which can be disturbing when you are trying to relax.”
How To Safely Incorporate Bold Hues Without Repainting Your Entire Bedroom
Who wants to completely overhaul their room just to get some brighter, bolder colors in? It’s not a must, says Lees. There are actually a lot of easy ways to do this. In fact, it might be most helpful to try and blend these colors with decor you already have, she suggests.
“Using bold hues as accent colors with smaller decorative features enables you to bring in a color pop without overstimulating the nervous system,” she explains.
That can include a lot of items in your bedroom, she says, such as “bedding, cushions, padded headboards, armchairs, rugs and throws. “
“You can also add vases, lampshades, wall art or photo frames in bolder shades,” she notes.
Another great tip is to experiment with painting surfaces that are smaller, like “alcoves, skirting boards, doors or window recesses” in vibrant colors, Lees suggests.
“This helps to keep the visual stimulation contained. If you’re painting a single feature wall, choose a smaller wall outside of the main field of vision, for example behind the headboard,” she reveals.
But all in all, make sure to keep it consistent and value repetition in this process, she advises.
“It is far better to choose two or three accent colors and repeat these around the room rather than a huge selection of rainbow shades that feel busy on the eye,” she says.
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3 Color Analyst-Approved Alternatives for Better Rest
Puzzled over which colors actually work best for your bedroom? Lees offers up some alternatives.
1. Soft warm blue
Blue is an easy color to incorporate in your room just because it’s often associated with feelings of restfulness, if you ask Lees. It’s not a harsh color, one that promotes softness.
“It is very easy on the eye, which helps build sleep-friendliness by avoiding stimulation,” she says.
Be sure to pick out the right shade of blue, one that’s not too overstimulating but calming enough to better support relaxation.
“The right shade—not too cool, not too vivid, not too rich—creates much-needed serenity as a bedroom backdrop without being overwhelming on the senses,” she explains. “Soft lavenders are blue-adjacent and can bring about a similarly relaxing feel.”
2. Muted sage green
When we think green, we might think of all things in the natural world. This is what makes it such a good color for the bedroom, says Lees.
“The balanced, calming feel of sage green comes from its association with nature, which is believed to activate the parasympathetic nervous system,” she tells Parade. “More than just a relaxation-inducing shade, a soft muted green evokes a sense of restoration, which is perfect for when you’ve just woken up.”
3. Warm taupe
A warm-toned taupe is a good neutral, according to Lees. Not a harsh option on the color wheel, it’s great for creating a quiet space.
“Taupe tends to have more subtle warmth than its neighbors gray and beige, which evokes a sleep-friendly sensation of cozy relaxation,” says Lees. “The blank, neutral canvas that taupe creates helps to quieten the mind. Look for a taupe with a hint of pink for a cocooning feel.”
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Frequently Asked Questions About Bedroom Paint Colors
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed with the amount of color choices you could use to promote better sleep in your room. Lees answers some FAQs to put all your worries to rest—pun intended.
What is the single worst color to paint a room?
As Lees mentioned, most reds are a bad choice for a bedroom color.
“Personal preferences and cultural associations affect perceptions of color; however, red is generally well recognized as the worst color to paint a bedroom,” she tells Parade. “It is overly stimulating and creates a heightened sense of alert as it cues danger and energy.”
Can bedroom colors actually affect sleep quality?
Bedroom colors definitely affect how well you sleep. However, Lees says it matters alongside other factors as well.
Habit and lifestyle play a big role in this, but your nighttime environment can also impact your quality of sleep too, she explains.
“If you experience a calm emotional state before you go to sleep or during a brief night-time waking period, you are likely to stress less and avoid feeling stimulated,” she shares. “These factors should in theory help you sleep more deeply and for longer stretches.”
What color paint makes a small bedroom look bigger and brighter?
Lees explains that choosing a neutral shade can help your room feel bigger and brighter for many reasons.
“Paler neutrals help to make small bedrooms feel bigger and airier by reflecting more natural light around the room and minimizing shadowing,” she says.
Be wary of darker shades, though. Lees says these “tend to absorb light,” and make a space “feel more enclosed.”
The best shades to make your space feel bigger than it is and a lot more airy are paint colors such as “soft white, off-white, pale gray, ivory or pale beige to maximize the luminescence of natural daylight,” she explains. They will “amplify the effect with soft yet bright ambient lighting.”
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Sources:
Ali Lees is a color analysis consultant, color expert and personal stylist. Wilms, L., & Oberfeld, D. (2018). Color and emotion: effects of hue, saturation, and brightness. Psychological Research.Hence then, the article about 5 worst bedroom paint colors for sleep according to color psychology was published today ( ) and is available on Parade ( Saudi Arabia ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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