Bedroom · Explainer · 5 min ·
A bedside lamp is really a dimmer switch for your evening. In a study of 116 volunteers, ordinary room light before bed delayed melatonin, the body's sleep signal, in almost everyone.
Move a lamp, change its brightness and bulb colour, and see how little light you need to read by. Then find out what to look for in a warm, dimmable lamp, and which cheap tricks work before you buy anything.
Affiliate links, marked sponsored. Examples that match this guide, not tested reviews. Prices checked 5 Oct; every shop is on each product page.
A small cordless lamp in warm white that goes on a shelf or windowsill with no cable. It has one brightness, so keep it a little further from the bed.
3000 K · 150 lumens · Cordless, touch
A slim rechargeable lamp in 2700 K warm white that can be dimmed, so it can go low in the last hour before bed. Its base is about 8 cm across, easy to fit on a narrow bedside table.
2700 K · Dimmable · Rechargeable
A rechargeable lamp with a diffused shade and three brightness steps; at the lowest step the battery lasts for many evenings. Base is about 8 cm, 11 cm across the shade.
2700 K · 125 lumens · 3 dim steps
