Red Light Glasses for Sleep: What They Do and When to Wear Them

Melavue Midnight red lens glasses on a warm cream background

Short answer: In small randomized trials, people who wore amber-tinted lenses before bed slept better. Adults with insomnia symptoms had better insomnia scores, longer sleep time and better sleep quality after a week of amber-tinted lenses (Shechter et al., 2018), and in an earlier trial, amber-tinted lens wearers reported better sleep quality (Burkhart & Phelps, 2009). Red light glasses take the same idea to a deeper tint, which is why our red lens, Midnight, is made for the last hour of screens before bed.

What are red light glasses?

Red light glasses (also called red lens or red-tinted blue light glasses) are glasses with a strong red tint that you wear indoors in the evening. Because the lens is red, what you see takes on a red cast, and much less of the cooler, bluer light from your phone, TV and overhead lights reaches your eyes.

They are not the same as red light therapy, which shines red light at you. Red light glasses work the other way around: they filter the light around you so your evening looks more like dusk.

At Melavue, our red lens is called Midnight. It is our deepest filter, made for the last hour of screens before bed. You can see the full range in the Midnight collection, including frames like the Midnight Aura in Tea and the Midnight Nocturna in Black.

Why does light at night matter for sleep?

Your body clock uses light as its main signal for "day" and "night." When it gets dark, your brain releases melatonin, the hormone that helps you feel ready for sleep. Bright light in the evening can hold that signal back.

Not all light has the same effect. A classic study that tested different colors of light found that the blue part of the spectrum was the most potent at suppressing melatonin at night (Brainard et al., 2001). Screens and LED bulbs give off a lot of that blue-ish light, which is why evening scrolling gets so much attention.

The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) agrees there is some evidence that blue light affects your circadian rhythm, and suggests avoiding screens two to three hours before bed and using night mode in the evening (AAO). That is good advice, and it is the baseline we would build on. For more background, see our post on blue light and sleep.

Red vs yellow (and amber) lenses: what's the difference?

Tinted glasses sit on a scale from light to deep:

  • Yellow lenses are the lightest. They take the edge off cool, bright screen light while keeping colors fairly natural, so they suit daytime work. Our yellow lens is DayLight, made for daytime screen time. Browse the DayLight collection or the DayLight Somnara in Black.
  • Amber or orange lenses are in the middle. Most of the published sleep studies used amber-tinted lenses.
  • Red lenses are the deepest. Everything looks noticeably red, which is why they are best saved for the end of the night, when you are reading, watching something or scrolling in bed rather than doing anything that needs true colors.

A simple way to think about it: the closer you are to bedtime, the deeper the tint. Yellow for the workday, red for the last hour.

Melavue DayLight yellow lens glasses for daytime screens next to Midnight red lens glasses for the last hour before bed

How long before bed should you wear red light glasses?

Most people wear red lenses for the last hour or two before bed, and take them off when the lights go out. You don't wear them while sleeping.

The research gives a rough guide. In a small randomized trial, adults with insomnia symptoms wore amber-tinted lenses for two hours before bed (Shechter et al., 2018). In another, adults wore amber-tinted lenses for three hours before sleep (Burkhart & Phelps, 2009). The AAO's "two to three hours without screens" advice points to the same window.

Because red is a strong tint, many people find an hour or two is the comfortable sweet spot. Put them on when you start winding down, keep them on while you are on screens, and make them the last thing you take off before sleep.

Do red light glasses actually work for sleep?

Here's what the trials found:

  • Shechter et al., 2018. In a randomized crossover trial, 14 adults with insomnia symptoms wore amber-tinted lenses or clear placebo lenses for two hours before bed for a week. With the amber-tinted lenses, their insomnia scores improved, they reported longer sleep and better, sounder sleep, and wrist trackers recorded longer total sleep time (Shechter et al., 2018).
  • Burkhart & Phelps, 2009. Twenty adults wore amber-tinted lenses or UV-only control lenses for three hours before bed for two weeks. The amber-tinted lens group reported better sleep quality and better mood than the control group (Burkhart & Phelps, 2009).

Larger reviews are mixed, and results vary by person (Cochrane, 2023; SLEEP Advances, 2020; Frontiers in Neurology, 2025). The AAO also points out that cutting evening screen time and using night mode help on their own (AAO).

These trials tested amber-tinted lenses, not red ones. Red lenses are the deeper-tint option, made for the very end of the evening, when you want your light as warm and dim as possible but still want to read, watch or scroll.

Our take: if your last hour of the day is spent on screens, Midnight is an easy way to make that light warmer and dimmer without giving up your phone or show. Wear it alongside the basics (a regular bedtime, dimmer lamps and the phone down a little earlier). And because every pair comes with 30-day returns, you can try Midnight for a few weeks of evenings and see how it fits your routine.

Can you drive in red light glasses?

No. Don't wear red lenses (or any deeply tinted lenses) while driving. A red tint changes how colors look, including traffic lights and brake lights, and it cuts the amount of light reaching your eyes. The AAO warns that tinted lenses at night can make it harder to see, not easier (AAO).

Midnight is made for the couch and the bed, not the road. Wear it indoors, after you're home for the night.

Who are red light glasses for?

Red light glasses may suit you if:

  • You are on your phone, laptop or TV in the last hour before bed most nights.
  • You find it hard to switch off after late screens.
  • You live or work under bright LED lighting in the evening.
  • You want a simple cue that tells you "the day is done."

You can probably skip them, or talk to a doctor first, if:

  • You need accurate colors at night (for example, design or photo editing).
  • You have an ongoing sleep problem. Persistent insomnia is worth discussing with a doctor, and glasses are not a treatment for a sleep disorder.

A simple evening routine

  1. Daytime: wear a yellow lens like DayLight for screen-heavy work if you like the softer look, and take regular breaks (look 20 feet away for 20 seconds every 20 minutes).
  2. The last hour or two: dim the room lights, switch your devices to night mode and put on Midnight.
  3. Lights out: take the glasses off, put the phone away and sleep.

Each pair is $59.99, comes with a hard case and a cleaning cloth, ships free on orders over $69.99, and has 30-day returns.

FAQ

Are red light glasses better than blue light glasses for sleep?

Red lenses are the deepest tint, so they cut more of the bluer light than lighter yellow lenses. That makes them a better fit for the last hour before bed, while lighter lenses suit daytime. Most sleep studies tested amber-tinted lenses, so evidence specific to red lenses is limited.

How long before bed should I wear red light glasses?

Most people wear them for the last one to two hours before bed. Sleep studies used amber-tinted lenses for two to three hours before bedtime. Take them off when you turn off the lights.

Can I wear red light glasses while driving?

No. Red lenses change how colors look, including traffic lights, and reduce the light reaching your eyes. Only wear them indoors.

Do red light glasses increase melatonin?

They don't add melatonin. The idea is to reduce the evening light that can hold back your body's natural melatonin release. In small trials, people wearing amber-tinted lenses before bed reported better sleep quality; larger reviews are mixed, and results vary by person.

Can I wear red light glasses during the day?

You can, but the strong red tint makes colors look very different, so most people keep red lenses for the evening and use a lighter yellow lens like DayLight during the day.

Sources

This article is for general information and isn't medical advice. If you have ongoing trouble sleeping, talk to a doctor.