London - If you wake up in the middle of the night needing the bathroom, don’t turn on the light when you get there, says sleep expert Dr Guy Meadows.
“Bathrooms are designed to be extremely brightly lit and even the few minutes that you’re exposed to that light when you use the loo can wake you up, as it switches off melatonin production,” he says.
Melatonin, which is the hormone released during the night, triggers feelings of sleepiness.
“Red light does not have the same alerting effect, however, so if you want a light when you go to the bathroom, use a red night light.”
Light bulbs are available that you can set to different colours and which you simply switch to red at night.
Some sleep experts also suggest keeping the lights dim in the hours leading up to bedtime, such as when brushing your teeth.
Daily Mail