Reading in bed was keeping me awake, but this $16 gadget helps me fall asleep before I can even finish my chapter

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I had no idea that reading in bed can actually keep you awake if you’re using the wrong light

The image shows a dark haired woman sleeping on her side, with her head resting on a white pillow. Inset in a circle on the right, there is an image of an amber colored book light on a book.
(Image credit: Getty Images/Future)

I’ve swapped scrolling on my phone for reading a book in bed — and I rarely get to the end of the chapter before I’m fast asleep. And I think that's at least partially thanks to this $15.99 reading light I found on Amazon (was $19.99).

While phone screens and even bright bedside lamps can stop you from feeling tired in the run up to bedtime, science suggests that opting for warmer colored lights won’t upset the natural urge for sleep.

The book light I’m using has three color options, including an amber light. I’ve found that opting for the amber light before bed helps me read clearly without disrupting my urge to sleep. That means that, although my book has me gripped (Hamnet, by Maggie O'Farrell, if you're wondering), it’s only a matter of time before my eyes are heavy and I’m nodding off mid sentence. Here’s why…

Gritin LED Rechargeable Book Light
Gritin LED Rechargeable Book Light: was $19.99 now $15.99 at Amazon

With an impressive average rating of 4.8 stars from over 36k reviews, there's a reason why this Gritin book light is a #1 best seller. Choose between three color temperatures and five brightness levels. It's rechargeable, melatonin friendly and 20% off in a time limited sale.

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The book light I'm using

The image shows a woman wearing a pink dressing gown while sat up in bed reading a book by the light of an amber book lamp. Next to her, a cat is curled up asleep.

(Image credit: Future)

The Gritin book lamp I’m using has three color options — white light, mixed light and amber light — and five brightness settings to choose from. The amber light allows me to read clearly in bed without disturbing my husband or straining my eyes.

The clip attaches securely to my book and doesn't damage the pages, while the flexible neck helps me position the light closer to or further from the page. It's rechargeable, lightweight and, in my opinion, excellent value for money.

How light color affects sleep

I'm always looking for ways to sleep better, so swapping my nighttime doomscroll for reading a book was a natural step. Our smartphones — along with TV and laptop screens, fluorescent lights and the sun — are all examples of a blue light source.

Blue light from phones or bright lamps suppresses melatonin, the hormone that signals sleep, making it harder to fall asleep

Dr William Lu, a sleep medicine physician

Blue light is a type of bright light that boosts mood, increases alertness and suppresses the production of melatonin, the hormone that helps prepare us for sleep.

While the jury is out on just how much blue light from our smartphone screens impacts our ability to fall asleep (and whether it’s the blue light at all, and not stimulation from the content we’re viewing), I didn't want to just swap one blue light source for another. So instead of reading by the cool light of a standard lamp, I opted for a book light with warmer color options.

The image shows a woman wearing a long sleeved black and white stripey t-shirt holding a book light

(Image credit: Future)

But how important is the relationship between light color and sleep really?

“Blue light from phones or bright lamps suppresses melatonin, the hormone that signals sleep, making it harder to fall asleep,” explains Dr. William Lu, a sleep medicine physician. “Warmer tones — orange, yellow, or soft red — are less disruptive and can help maintain your body’s natural sleep rhythm."

Additionally, studies suggest that warmer tones — like the amber option on the Gritin book light — mimic sunset, a strong signal that it's time to sleep. This means that reading in bed by an amber light won't disrupt your circadian rhythm, helping you to fall asleep quickly and easily. As I've found out firsthand.

At the rate I'm going, it'll be months before I finish this book — but at least I'm getting plenty of sleep in the process.

Nicola Appleton
Nicola Appleton
Sleep Editor

Nicola is the Sleep Editor at Tom’s Guide, where she helps steer the mattress and sleep content published on Tom’s Guide, including our Best Mattress for Back Pain buying guide. With a career in journalism spanning the best part of two decades, Nicola brings experience to the team and the knowledge of what makes a great article, whether that’s a how-to mattress cleaning feature, a deep dive into melatonin gummies, or an in-depth mattress review. As a sleep editor, few better understand how important a decent mattress is to the overall quality of our sleep, and precisely how our sleep impacts our physical and mental health. As well as tackling the vast topic of sleep, Nicola joins the raft of expert mattress specialists at Tom’s Guide, who test and compare a wide range of mattresses in order to guide readers towards the very best options on the market. 

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