Red Light in the Morning, Grounding Mat at Night: A Simple Kiwi Routine
“Should I use red light therapy before bed?” comes up a lot. Fair question. Half the internet says red light at night helps you wind down, and the other half says any light at night keeps you awake.
My own answer is simple: I don’t use it at night. My red light panel goes on first thing in the morning. In the evening the blue light blocking glasses go on, and overnight the grounding mat does its job under the sheet.
I’m Blake, founder of Grounded Kiwi, our family-owned earthing and wellness store based in New Plymouth, and a former firefighter. Here’s how red light and grounding fit into my day, what the research actually found, and the questions people ask most when buying a panel.
The short version: my day, start to finish
- First thing in the morning: I stand in front of my red light therapy panel for 20 minutes.
- Panel off. That’s the red light panel done for the day.
- From 6:30pm: I put on blue light blocking glasses.
- Bedtime: the grounding mat is already under the fitted sheet and plugged into an earthed outlet. Nothing to switch on, nothing to remember.
That’s the whole routine. The mat takes care of itself.
Can you use red light therapy before bed?
You can, and plenty of people do. Red light is generally thought to be gentler on the body clock than bright white or blue light. But “gentler than white light” isn’t the same as “helps you sleep”, and the research on that is worth a straight look.
What the 2023 studies actually found
Pan and colleagues, 2023 (Frontiers in Psychiatry). 114 people, half of them with insomnia, spent an hour before bed under red light, white light or darkness, and their sleep was measured overnight with polysomnography (the full sleep-study set-up). The red light groups felt more alert and reported more negative mood. Healthy sleepers under red light slept less, and less efficiently, than those who sat in darkness. In the insomnia group, red light beat white light on some measures but did worse than darkness on others, including taking longer to fall asleep. One night and an hour of exposure is a different set-up from a short panel session, but it’s hardly an argument for red light before bed. (study)
Kennedy and colleagues, 2023 (Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine). 30 adults with sleep complaints wore a red and near-infrared neck collar before bed every second night for three weeks, or a dummy (sham) version. Sleep measured with a wrist tracker didn’t differ between the two groups. People using the real collar said they slept better and felt more relaxed, and both groups improved on an insomnia questionnaire. Small, interesting, and not proof. (study)
So, to be honest about it: neither study found that evening red light improved measured sleep. That’s one reason I’m comfortable keeping my panel to the mornings.
Why the morning? What the research on timing suggests
Most red light research sits under the name photobiomodulation. The leading explanation is that red and near-infrared light is absorbed by an enzyme in your mitochondria, the parts of your cells that make energy. The enzyme is called cytochrome c oxidase, and the idea is that light frees it up to work a bit more efficiently, nudging energy (ATP) production along. That’s the mainstream view in the reviews (Hamblin, 2018), but it isn’t fully settled. The researchers below actually favour a different explanation.
On timing, the study that caught my eye comes from Glen Jeffery’s group at University College London. In Shinhmar et al., 2021 (Scientific Reports), 20 healthy people aged roughly 40 to 70 had three minutes of low-power, deep-red 670nm light into the eyes between 8 and 9am. Three hours later, their ability to pick out faint colour differences had improved, by about 17% on the blue colour axis, and the effect appeared to last up to a week. A smaller group of six who had the same light between midday and 1pm showed no change.
A follow-up from the same team (Shinhmar et al., 2022, Journal of Biophotonics) looked at fruit flies. Their energy production peaked in the morning, and 670nm light only lifted it when given at 8am or 11am, not later in the day. The researchers suggest light helps most when the body’s own energy production is already running high.
Now the caveats, because they matter. These are small studies from one research group. The human study measured colour vision, not energy, sleep or general health, and there was no dummy-light (sham) group: the comparison group simply had no light. It also used a purpose-built, low-power torch aimed at the eyes, so please don’t take it as a reason to stare into a panel. Ours are for your skin, with your eyes closed or covered. And fruit flies aren’t people. I wouldn’t call any of this proof that morning red light is better for your cells. It’s an early hint that timing might matter, and it lines up with how I already use mine.
There’s a practical bonus too: a panel is bright and lights up the room, so doing it first thing keeps the evening dim.
If evenings suit you better, say straight after work, fair enough. Finish well before bed, keep the light on your body rather than in your eyes, and if you feel more wired afterwards, move it earlier.
A desktop panel suits a morning session: switch it on, set the timer, and it’s done before breakfast.
Do red light and a grounding mat work better together?
You’ll find a few sites saying grounding “boosts” red light therapy, or the other way round. I haven’t seen any study that tested the two together, so I won’t tell you one makes the other work better.
The way I see it, they’re two separate tools at opposite ends of my day. Red light is active: you switch it on and the timer runs. A grounding mat for bed is passive. It sits under the fitted sheet all night and you don’t have to do anything.
The evening half: glasses at 6:30, mat under the sheet
Blue light blocking glasses from 6:30pm
From 6:30pm I wear blue light blocking glasses. It’s simply part of my evening, and I won’t make big promises about what they do. We sell red-lens Blue & Green Light Blocking Glasses, and if you already wear prescription glasses, the FITOVER pair goes over the top of them.
Red lenses for the evening. Mine go on at 6:30pm.
The grounding mat does the night shift
The mat goes under the fitted sheet and plugs into an earthed outlet. Ours is carbon-infused, comes in universal and fitted sizes for NZ and AU beds, includes an NZ/AU certified plug and cord, and is safe to use with electric blankets. It also comes with our 90-day “Feel Better” trial and a 2-year warranty.
We’ve covered the mat basics elsewhere: whether it works through a sheet, checking your bedroom outlet is actually earthed, and how long to sleep on it. If you’re still comparing options, our earthing mat NZ guide goes through them.
Under the fitted sheet, plugged into an earthed outlet, and then you forget about it.
Can you keep a red light panel next to your bed?
Yes. A mains-powered panel next to the bed is fine, as long as it’s switched off before you go to sleep. Not left glowing, and not something you doze off in front of.
Ideally you’d also have a grounding mat on the bed. Personally, I like having the mat there when there’s mains-powered gear close by. That’s my own preference. I can’t point you to a study showing the mat protects you from anything, so take it as my comfort call, not a proven effect.
The practical bits: a stable, flat surface, follow the timer, and keep the light on your body rather than in your eyes.
Which panel for a morning session?
- Compact Desktop Red Light Therapy Panel 300W: 60 LEDs (660nm red and 850nm near-infrared), a built-in timer, and protective eyewear included. Mains-powered. The product page suggests sitting 7.5–30cm away for a typical 10–15 minute session.
- Red Light Therapy Portable Panel: 660nm and 850nm, a rechargeable battery with USB-C charging, and a built-in timer. Use it handheld, or add the optional stand so your hands are free.
- Pro 8-Wavelength Tabletop Panel: comes with a stand and runs from a phone app, which suits mornings better than bedtime.
You can compare the full red light therapy range, or read our complete guide to red light therapy for background.
Quick FAQ
How long should a red light therapy session be?
Start with your device’s own guidance, around 10–15 minutes for most of our panels. My own morning session is 20 minutes standing in front of the panel. Distance matters too: the further back you are, the less intense the light at your skin. There’s more detail in Is 10 minutes of red light therapy enough?
How often should you use red light therapy?
Regular, short sessions you’ll actually keep doing beat the odd marathon. For me that’s first thing in the morning.
Can you overdo red light therapy?
More isn’t automatically better. Research on red light describes a “biphasic” response (Hamblin, 2017): low doses tend to stimulate, while much higher doses can have the opposite effect. Stick to the timer, use eye protection or keep your eyes closed for face sessions, and back off or move further away if your skin feels uncomfortably hot or irritated. If you take photosensitising medication (including some acne medicines), have an eye or skin condition, or are pregnant, check with your GP before you start.
Can you use red light therapy before bed?
You can, but the evidence that it improves sleep is thin. In a 2023 study, an hour of red light before bed left people more alert, and healthy sleepers slept worse than in darkness. If you use it in the evening, finish well before bed. I keep mine to the mornings.
Why buy a red light panel in New Zealand rather than overseas?
Ordering from overseas can mean steep shipping and an awkward return. We stock our range here, aim to send orders the same day, NZ orders go overnight with NZ Post courier in most cases, and shipping is free over $150. Each panel’s warranty is on its product page (one year on the compact and portable panels, two years on the Pro). Our returns policy and shipping policy have the details.
The simple version
Twenty minutes in front of the panel first thing in the morning. Glasses on at 6:30pm. Mat under the sheet. Nothing fancy, and nothing to think about at bedtime.
If that sounds like your kind of routine, have a look at our red light therapy panels and the Grounding Mat for Bed. If you’re unsure which panel suits you, get in touch and we’ll talk it through, no hard sell.
Wellness note: This is general wellbeing chat from my own routine and reading, not medical advice. Red light devices and grounding mats are wellness products, not treatments or cures. For health concerns, sleep problems or diagnosed conditions, see a qualified health professional.
Happy Earthing,
Blake