I tried orange-tinted glasses for 30 days to improve my sleep

Quality sleep can be one of the hardest things for us to achieve, especially if you’re constantly using screens. If you’re a teacher in the early stages of the profession, you might find yourself working late at night, lesson planning or marking. This can lead to over-exposure to blue light, emitted by screens on phones, tablets or computers, which can disrupt your circadian rhythm. This type of light suppresses the production of the hormone melatonin, which is responsible for regulating sleep. In simple terms, you might find it difficult to fall asleep or to achieve a really deep, restorative, sleep.

This lack of quality sleep can badly impact your energy levels, focus and overall effectiveness throughout the day – whether you’re based in a classroom or not.

For a while now, I’ve been trying to hack my body and environment to give me the best sleep of my life, since getting the right amount of quality sleep is known to set you up well for the day ahead. I’ve tried eye masks, sleepy teas and less caffeine, which you can read about over here, but how do orange-tinted glasses fair? I bought a pair of these, so check them out if you’re interested.* They were about £20 when I got them, making them a pretty affordable addition to your sleep routine.

I tried them for 30 days to see whether they’d have any impact on the quality of my sleep.

Orange-Tinted Glasses: a Solution?

There are about a billion different types of blue filter glasses, and they’re all designed to block out certain amounts of blue light emitted by screens. I’ve seen them come with clear lenses, which block out the least amount of blue light, to yellow, then orange, and finally red, which block out the most. Whichever type you opt for, they should reduce the impact of blue light on your sleep, helping you to feel more relaxed and ready for bed. Here’s how they’ve benefitted me:

Improved Sleep Quality: By reducing blue light exposure, I’ve noticed higher levels of deep and REM sleep being registered by my Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic (which still holds up after a couple of years – read my full review here). These parts of the sleep cycle are essential for helping your body to recover after a tough day, so you should always aim to be getting a good balance of both. That might feel particularly tricky for people who struggle with sleep, since you can’t exactly influence your sleep once you are asleep. That’s why it’s important to do as many things as you can to increase the likelihood that you’ll cycle through these steps multiple times a night.
Enhanced Focus and Productivity: I’ve been waking up feeling more refreshed and ready to tackle the day. I’ve felt less grouchy throughout the day, which I think makes me a better teacher.
Reduced Eye Strain: Blue light filter glasses can also help reduce eye strain, which I’ve noticed is quite common after long hours of screen time. It’s not only caused by working late, though; I’ve been able to continue watching TV before going to bed (much to the dismay of many, many influencers who suggest no devices for hours before going to bed) without it having an impact on how wakeful I feel. This is because, for me, the glasses appear to cause a sunset-like effect, dulling the harshness of artificial lighting and making me feel drowsier at night. It’s been a subtle, yet effective, way to signal to my body that it’s time to wind down. Your mileage may vary, though, so why not run an experiment? Try watching TV without your glasses, then wear your them for a week while watching late at night and, finally, try to avoid TV altogether – and see which works best for you.

Practical Tips for your Orange-Tinted Glasses

After having worn my glasses for 30 days, there are a few practical things that you’ll need to do to get the most out of them:

Wear Them Consistently: I really struggled with this one at first. My glasses stay on my bedside table – which makes sense since I wear them until turning out my lights and turning in for the night. However, this did mean I would often forget to run upstairs to put them on. Equally, if you’re out doing something with pals until late, you’re unlikely to bother wearing the glasses for any longer than the amount of time it takes for you to get ready for bed. Realistically, you need to aim to wear the glasses for 1 to 2 hours before going to sleep. This will give your body enough time to adjust and start producing melatonin.
Create a Wind-Down Routine: Incorporate the glasses into a relaxing evening routine. This could include activities like reading, drinking a calming tea, or practising mindfulness exercises. Steal my routine here.
Avoid Bright Lights: In addition to wearing the glasses, try to dim the lights in your home as bedtime approaches. I’m a huge advocate for smart lights that you can control from your phone. Not only do they allow dimming, from zero-to-one-hundred-percent brightness, you can also have them come on automatically when you’re away from home as a security measure. These are the ones that I use.*

Orange-Tinted Glasses aren’t the Solution

Look, orange-tinted glasses can only get you so far. Don’t treat them like the ultimate fix to your sleep problems; that’s like advising someone to put a plaster over a stab wound. Instead, adopt a holistic approach to improving the quality of your sleep. Try out these strategies alongside your new orange-tinted glasses:

Invest in Comfortable Bedding: I’ve always learned that you should invest in anything between your feet and the floor – whether that’s a good pair of shoes or some comfortable bedding. A high-quality mattress, topper, and soft pillows can make a significant difference.
Establish a Consistent Sleep Schedule: Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends. This helps regulate your body’s internal clock, making it easier to fall asleep and wake up naturally without always having the rely on the jolt of an alarm clock.
Limit Caffeine and Heavy Meals: Avoid consuming caffeine or large meals close to bedtime, as they can keep you up far longer than you intended. I could tell you all about the half-life of caffeine and how long it stays in our systems, but I’d rather direct you over here if you want to read about it in depth.

If you’re gong to take away anything from this post, it’s that the key to good sleep is consistency. Find a wind-down routine that works for you and stick to it. If you’re struggling with where to start with that, take a look at my wind-down routine to see how I get ready for the night ahead.

If you find yourself interested in my orange-tinted glasses, you can pick up a pair for yourself by using this link.*

Have you ever used any blue light glasses? Or would you consider trying them out? Let me know your experiences in the comments below!

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Hardly Hamilton

Optimise your day with productivity tips, lifestyle hacks and lifelong learning