Red light through closed eyelids and waking up (Figueiro 2019)

Partly. Performance on some tasks was better after red light through closed eyelids than after dim light, at light levels that do not suppress melatonin.

A plain-language summary from binaural's reading notes, edited by Jude Mc. Last updated 10 November 2026. Not medical advice.

The question: Can saturated red light, at levels that do not suppress melatonin, reduce grogginess on waking?

What it found

• Performance on some tasks was significantly better in the red light mask condition than in dim light.
• Performance improved within minutes of wearing red light goggles after waking.
• The red light was delivered at levels that do not suppress melatonin.
• Earlier work from the same group found that trains of blue light pulses through closed eyelids did suppress melatonin and shift the body clock (Figueiro, Bierman & Rea 2013).

Limits

• Thirty participants, three nights each; only some tasks improved.
• Purpose-built light masks at measured doses, not a phone screen.
• One research group.

Where this sits

More in the library on light, flicker and 40 hz. For the wider picture, read 40 Hz, gamma and the brain.

This is our plain-language reading of the paper. It is not medical advice, and one study rarely settles a question.