Can Red Light Filter Improve Doomscrolling and Sleep?: The Experiment

After the kids fall asleep, you will find my husband and me on the couch with our faces lit up by our phones, scrolling endlessly. I know it’s not doing wonders for my sleep or anxiety. However, I justify my behavior by saying I barely had any time to myself all day, and it’s my moment to escape and look at some non-kid-friendly content. An hour later, my brain is wired, but my body is exhausted. I’m out of sorts before bed and my sleep sucks. 

Annie Miller, LCSW-C, therapist and practice owner of DC Metro Therapy, explains that doomscrolling keeps your brain on high alert when it needs to wind down, triggering stress responses that delay sleep. 

“Over time, [doomscrolling] can condition your brain to associate bedtime with worry and stimulation rather than relaxation and rest. Even if you eventually fall asleep, the quality of your sleep is often lighter and more fragmented because your nervous system stays activated,” says Miller.

I wish there were some way to make doomscrolling less appealing and, in turn, improve my sleep quality. Thanks to the internet, of course, there’s a hack for that. It turns out, using a filter in your phone settings to turn your screen red can reduce the blue light that keeps you up at night while also making the eye-popping visuals you see on your feeds lose their luster. But how and why does it work?

Red Light and Sleep

Miller says that using a red light filter can reduce the amount of blue light emitted by a screen, which may reduce melatonin suppression to some extent.

Our sleep-wake cycle is regulated by light. The intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) and the melanopsin cells in our eyes are exposed to light and help reset the circadian pacemaker, allowing us to fall asleep and wake up when needed. These specific cells are the least affected by red light, which could cause less disruption in our sleep-wake cycle than white light.

A quality improvement project looked at the effect of changing the lights from white to red at an old age psychiatry ward. The researchers rolled out a staff questionnaire, and the results showed that the patients were less agitated at night and slept better under the red light condition.

Red Light vs. Blue Light

Miller explains that blue light refers to the wavelength of light emitted by electronic devices like phones, tablets, and computers. Research has shown that regularly exposing yourself to bright or blue-toned light at night can disrupt the brain’s natural sleep-wake cycle and make it harder for the body to recognize when it’s time to wind down. 

Blue light is associated with reduced sleep quality and duration of sleep. However, blue light has also been found to improve tiredness levels, enhance alertness, increase cognitive performance, and shorten reaction time.

Using a Red Light Filter Nightly

I decided to test the experiment by turning on the red light filter on my phone at 7:30 p.m. every night for a month. I do this before getting the kids to sleep, so my phone is ready when I plop down on the couch. I hope it will help reduce or eliminate my doomscrolling habit in the evenings and improve my sleep.

Week 1

I start my experiment on Friday night. I move the hue and intensity sliders to the maximum values. It creates a super strong red filter. My first impression was that the images weren’t as aesthetically pleasing. I remember looking at a photo of Sabrina Carpenter and realizing I couldn’t tell what color her outfit was. The red light filter made it less appealing to look at my phone in general. I could still read text clearly, which encouraged me to read more than look at pictures and videos.

I almost forgot to turn on the filter the following night. I was about 15 minutes into using my phone when I realized this. I quickly clicked the side button three times, and it turned it on. Right away, the screen lost its appeal. The rest of the week went fairly smoothly. I found my eyes had to adjust every time I turned it on, and I didn’t get used to seeing everything under a shade of red. It was a shock every time. 

Every morning, I would wake up and turn the filter off. I felt somewhat relieved not to see my screen like that anymore. It was like everything was back to normal; perhaps it triggered a jolt of dopamine. 

Week 2

By the end of the second week, it had become a routine. I’d grab my phone, click three times, get the kids to bed, come downstairs, and then sit on the couch. I would toggle the filter off when I looked at photos and videos of my kids, though I usually remembered to toggle it off (aside from a few instances).

I went to bed around 10:30 p.m. on most nights, which was typical for me. I was less inclined to do a quick phone check before bed. My sleep was pretty good this week. I woke up once in the middle of the night on Wednesday, but I was able to get back to sleep pretty quickly. 

Week 3

I was super consistent this week, and turning on the filter was like clockwork. However, my screentime was slightly higher. I spent more time on social media. I found myself looking at my phone more during the day because I didn’t want to do it at night. I had a mental goal to scroll less in the evening, and the red filter was a reminder of it. 

Usually, when the kids come home from school, I like to put my phone away and give them my full attention. I’ll prepare their snack, and then we’ll talk about our day. However, it’s my period week and I don’t feel like engaging with them as much. I’m extra irritated and tired. I started going on my phone more while the kids watched TV. When I’m in a terrible mood, looking at social media helps me escape and numbs my mind for a while, though I tend to gravitate towards news that exacerbates my misery.

Week 4

My period ended, and my mindset feels more stable. I’m not diving into social media rabbit holes to feel better. The filter distracts my attention from the catchy short videos and dopamine-inducing content. I do find myself putting my phone away earlier in the night. 

It creates a chain reaction with my husband. This week, I’ve stopped scrolling after 10 to 15 minutes and started talking to him after the kids go to bed. He puts his phone away, and we’ve been chatting more than spending time in our separate screen bubbles. We discussed a nice plan for the weekend, which helped prevent those “What are we going to do with the kids?” arguments. We took the time to discuss it beforehand and were on the same page.

Takeaways

Overall, my screen time did not significantly decrease over the month. My weekly report showed it stayed around two and a half hours every day, the typical amount for me without the red filter. I still crave scrolling through social media after the kids go to bed. I’m barely on my phone all day since I’m either writing, cleaning, cooking, or taking care of the kids. By the time I have a moment to myself, I need to check it. 

My sleep quality did not significantly change. I had some restless nights during the week of my period, and some nights when I felt energized in the morning. Miller shares that screens can create an association between bedtime and mental stimulation, which keeps your brain wired when it should be winding down.

Should You Use a Red Light Filter on Your Phone for Better Sleep?

Rather than worry about the light itself, focus on how you’re using screens — whether they’re calming or activating. Avoid using screens in bed to keep the association of bed with sleep as strong as possible. 

“It’s not just about the color of the light — it’s about creating calming, consistent habits so your brain learns to associate bedtime with feeling safe, not alert. If your bedtime routine includes scrolling, it’s essential to be mindful of the emotional impact, not just the lighting,” advises Miller.

Emily Cherkin, MEd, affiliate associate professor at the University of Washington Evans School of Public Policy and author of “The Screentime Solution: A Judgment-Free Guide to Becoming a Tech-Intentional Family,” advises that while turning on a red light filter might help with eye strain, it doesn’t prevent the features from compelling us to keep using the product in the first place. 

“A red light filter might be a tool for someone who works at a computer all day; it is not likely to be effective as a tool to reduce individual doomscrolling, because it is not the blue light that keeps us on our screens. It’s the persuasive design,” recommends Cherkin.

Other Effective Ways to Beat Doomscrolling

Cherkin shares that the first step in reducing doomscrolling is recognizing why it is happening in the first place. It’s not you; it’s the device hijacking your dopamine feedback loop, and that will never be a fair fight. She shares some solutions to beat doomscrolling: 

• Avoid using any device, app, or game that uses persuasive or gamified design; however, this may not be feasible for most of us in today’s world.
• Use a non-smartphone, like The Light Phone, which serves as a communication tool without the manipulation. 
• Turn your phone to grayscale, which makes it much less appealing to engage with.
• Delete social media apps and turn off all notifications so they are out of sight and out of mind.

“[It’s] important to remember that it’s not just about the type of light; it’s also about the content we’re consuming and the behaviors around it. Red light filters may slightly reduce blue light exposure, but they won’t fix the real issue if you’re still emotionally engaged with stressful content,” advises Miller.