Woke Up at 3am? Light, Phones and Getting Back to Sleep

Melavue Midnight red lens glasses on a cream armchair beside a stack of closed books and a low warm lamp

Short answer: Waking in the night is very common. In a survey of almost 9,000 US adults, about a third woke up at least three nights a week (Ohayon, 2008). What you do next matters. Reaching for your phone or flicking on a bright light sends your body a daytime signal at the worst possible moment. Sleep experts suggest keeping the night dark, and if you're still awake after about 20 minutes, getting up for a quiet activity with little light (AASM). That's where Midnight, our deepest red lens, comes in.

Why is it so hard to fall back asleep at 3am?

Often it's a mix of things: a busy mind, noise, heat, a bathroom trip. Light is the part you can control. Your body clock reads light as daytime, and bright light at night can hold back melatonin, the hormone that rises at night (NHLBI). That's why experts recommend that the bedroom be as dark as possible at night, and that any light you need be kept very dim (Brown et al., 2022).

Should you check your phone when you wake up at night?

Try not to. Phone screens send bright, blue-rich light straight at your eyes. Evening screen use has been linked to taking longer to fall asleep and feeling less alert the next morning (Chang et al., 2015), and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine specifically says not to get on electronics when you can't sleep (AASM). Checking the time can also start the "only four hours left" countdown in your head. Turn the clock away and leave the phone face down, or better, across the room.

What to do when you wake up at 3am

  1. Stay in the dark. Keep your eyes closed and the lights off. Breathe slowly and let yourself rest.
  2. Bathroom trip? Use a dim, low night light. A low plug-in light along your path lets you see without flooding your eyes. Don't walk around a dark home in deep-tinted lenses. They cut the light you need to see where you're going, which is why tinted lenses are a bad idea for night driving too (AAO).
  3. Still awake after about 20 minutes? Get up. Go to another room and do something quiet with little light, like reading or gentle stretching (AASM).
  4. Put Midnight on for that quiet time. Once you're settled in a chair with a low lamp, Midnight adds a deep red filter to the lamp, the page or the e-reader. (More on setting up your reading light: reading in bed before sleep.)
  5. Go back to bed when you feel sleepy. Glasses off, lights off.

What to do when you wake at night: stay in the dark, use a dim night light, get up after about 20 minutes, read with Midnight red lens glasses, back to bed when sleepy

Why a red lens for night-time reading?

Because if you need some light to read by, you want as little body-clock light as possible getting through. In a test of 50 lenses, red tints let through the least of that light, with orange close behind, and clear lenses barely touched it (Mason et al., 2022). Experts recommend keeping any light you need at night very dim (Brown et al., 2022). A low lamp plus Midnight gets you close.

Midnight is also our pick for the evening before, in the last 1–3 hours before bed (how long before bed to wear blue light glasses). A calmer, dimmer evening is one of the simplest things you can change. More on why: red light glasses for sleep.

Set up your bedroom for the next 3am

  • Darker room: blackout curtains or a sleep mask, and cover small standby lights (Brown et al., 2022).
  • A dim, low night light for the bathroom route.
  • Phone across the room, with notifications off.
  • Midnight and a book ready in the room where you'll sit if you get up.
  • A steady wake time, even after a bad night (CDC).

When to talk to a doctor

If you wake most nights, can't get back to sleep, or feel tired during the day, talk to your doctor. Frequent night waking is often linked to other health problems that deserve a proper look (Ohayon, 2008). Glasses are a simple tool for a calmer night, not a treatment.

Ready for the next 3am

Keep Midnight by your reading chair for those wide-awake moments, and wear it in the evening, too. Try the Midnight Aura in Glossy Black or the Midnight Nocturna in Black.

Every 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.

Shop Midnight →

FAQ

Why do I wake up at 3am and can't get back to sleep?

Night waking is very common: in a large US survey, about a third of adults woke at least three nights a week. Stress, noise, heat and bathroom trips all play a part, and bright light or a phone screen in the night can make it harder to drift off again. If it happens most nights, talk to your doctor.

Should I look at my phone if I can't sleep?

Try not to. Sleep experts advise against using electronics when you can't sleep, because screens send bright light to your eyes and keep your mind busy. Turn the clock away and keep the phone across the room.

What should I do if I can't fall back asleep after 20 minutes?

Get up, go to another room and do something quiet with little light, such as reading. Go back to bed when you feel sleepy. A low lamp plus a deep red lens like Midnight keeps that light gentle.

What kind of night light is best for the bathroom?

A dim, low light along your route, so you can see your way without bright light in your eyes. Don't walk around a dark home in deep-tinted lenses, because they reduce how much you can see.

Can red glasses help me get back to sleep?

They're one part of a calm night routine. If you get up to read, Midnight filters your lamp or e-reader so less body-clock light reaches your eyes. Keep the room dim, and go back to bed when you feel sleepy.

Sources

This article is for general information and isn't medical advice. If you often wake at night or feel tired during the day, talk to your doctor.