Britons who are sleeping in a blue decorated bedroom are regularly getting the best night’s sleep according to a new sleep study out today. On average people sleeping in a blue room are getting seven hours and fifty two minutes sleep per night.
The other favourable bedroom décor colours that aid Britons in achieving a good night’s sleep are certain shades of yellow, green, silver and orange.
As colour has a remarkable impact upon an individual’s psychological and physical well being, Travelodge looked through the keyhole of 2,000 British homes to investigate the influence of the nation’s bedroom colour scheme against the quality and quantity of sleep they are getting every night.
Key findings from the study revealed that households who have a blue colour scheme in their bedroom are getting the best night’s sleep across the country. This is probably due to the fact that the colour blue is associated with a feeling of calmness. The colour also helps to reduce blood pressure and heart rate which are essential in achieving a good quality night’s sleep.
The second most favourable colour scheme for inducing a good night’s sleep is certain shades of yellow. Britons who sleep in a yellow décor bedroom are on average getting seven hours and forty minutes shut eye per night. The colour yellow stimulates the nervous system which aids relaxation. It also creates a warm and cosy atmosphere which is essential when nodding off.
A green themed bedroom colour scheme is the nation’s third most popular sleep inducing colour palette – with sleepers getting on average seven hours and thirty six minutes of kip. The colour green creates a restful, calming environment which helps relaxation which is essential in inducing sleep.
A silver bedroom décor is the fourth most popular sleep inducing colour scheme – with individuals getting on average seven hours and thirty three minutes sleep per night. The metallic colour silver makes a bedroom feel luxurious and glow like moonlight - this tricks the eye into believing it is night time which induces sleep. The colour silver also creates a soothing and calming environment which encourages good sleep.
An orange themed bedroom colour scheme is the nation’s fifth most popular sleep inducing colour palette – with sleepers getting on average seven hours and twenty eight minutes snooze time. Shades of orange add warmth to the room and help create a stable and reassuring atmosphere and can even help digestion too – especially if you have eaten a large or late evening meal. The colour orange also helps to warm and relax body muscles, which is an essential element to attain a good quality night’s sleep.
In contrast, the study also revealed the least favoured bedroom colour schemes for obtaining a regular good quality night’s sleep are purple, brown and grey.
Britons who sleep in a purple bedroom are, on average, only getting five hours and fifty six minutes sleep per night. The reason for this could be that the colour purple is a mentally stimulating colour which makes it difficult to switch off after a busy day.
The other two least favoured colour schemes are brown, where sleepers obtain on average six hours and five minutes sleep per night and a grey colour scheme which results in individuals getting on average six hours and twelve minutes sleep per night. The colour brown and grey in décor can be dreary and depressing especially in the bedroom and make occupants feel emotionally isolated and uncomfortable – resulting in a restless sleep.
Chris Idzikowski, Sleep Expert from the Edinburgh Sleep Centre commented on the study and said: “This is an amazing result, as there are specialised receptors called ganglion cells in the retina part of our eyes, which are most sensitive to the colour blue. These receptors feed information into an area deep in our brain that controls 24 hour rhythms, and affects how we perform and feel during the day. That interaction between light, sleep and wakefulness is supremely important.”
Colour Therapy & Holistic Interior Design consultant, Suzy Chiazzari, said: “Your bedroom décor can certainly impact upon your quality and quantity of sleep per night. So it is worth considering taking a close look at the colours in your bedroom décor.
“It’s not surprising that blue came out top in the study of the best colours to promote sleep, as the colour blue is very restful to the eye. Psychologically we relate blue to calm waters and the blue sky, both of which we find very soothing. Like blue, certain shades of yellow and green, are relaxing colours too, which are known to reduce stress which aid a good night’s sleep too.
“At the opposite end of the scale, although many people think purple creates a sense of luxury in the bedroom, this colour can reduce the number of hours of sleep you attain. Purple has a strong connection with the more artistic community being a colour 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 you feeling tired in the morning.”
The sleep study also delved deeper into how the spectrum of colours impacts upon our daily psychological and physical wellbeing and revealed the following results:
• Contrary to popular belief, couples who sleep in a bedroom that is decorated in a luxurious caramel décor make love on average three times per week. In contrast couples who sleep in a passionate red décor bedroom make love just once a week.
• Fifty eight percent of Britons who have a blue bedroom reported they regularly wake up feeling happy. Whilst 22% of respondents who sleep in a bedroom decorated in a shade of green reported they regularly wake up feeling upbeat and positive.
• Britons who have a grey themed bedroom are the ones spend the most time shopping online in bed.
• A fifth (21%) of Britons who have a silver décor in their bedroom reported they are more motivated to exercise in their bedroom.
• Britain’s workaholics who like to work in bed will have either a brown, cream or white bedroom colour scheme and will take work to bed with them at least three times during the week.
The sleep study also revealed the nation’s top working professions bedroom colour schemes. Interestingly bankers and estate agents opt for a colour scheme associated with wealth which is a gold décor in their bedroom. Whilst, builders, teachers, civil servants opt for a sleep inducing blue colour scheme in their bedroom. Shop workers are more likely to have a boring brown themed bedroom.
Frances Whitley, Travelodge In-house Interior Designer said: “Room colour does influence your mood and set the tone for your living environment. Therefore it’s important to choose a bedroom décor that will help you relax and induce sleep.
“I have spent the last 12 months working with our customers to create a purpose built room for them. In today’s modern world, Britons want a high level of co-ordination between colours, shades, patterns and features. They are no longer happy with everything being the same colour. Tastes are also moving away from dark shades; today hotel users want a clean, fresh and calming colour scheme. Therefore in our new Travelodge room, we have injected different shades of the colour blue into our room décor. This creates a calm relaxing environment to help customers attain a good night’s sleep whilst enabling them to feel totally energised upon waking up in the morning.”