The Science Behind Glow Dreaming

Backed by Science, Engineered for Sleep.

Here at Glow Dreaming we pride ourselves on being able to bring you a range of devices that support and improve your families sleep, as well as making it an enjoyable and stress free experience for all.

The foundation of everything we do comes from science. Fact and research, mean our products actually do what we say they do. A fraction of that data is listed below.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us.

 

Humidity (40%-60%):

  • Mindell, J. A., Sadeh, A., Wiegand, B., How, T. H., & Goh, D. Y. T. (2010). Cross-cultural differences in infant and toddler sleep. Sleep Medicine, 11(3), 274-280. In this study, the authors found that higher levels of relative humidity were associated with increased night waking and decreased sleep duration in infants.

 

  • Deng, Q., Lu, C., Li, Y., Sundell, J., & Norbäck, D. (2015). Exposure to outdoor air pollution during trimesters of pregnancy and childhood asthma, allergic rhinitis, and eczema. Environmental Research, 140, 71-78. This study found that high levels of humidity during pregnancy were associated with increased risk of childhood asthma, allergic rhinitis, and eczema.
  • Elfman, L., Stenlund, H., Mårild, S., & Jansson, S. A. (2016). Indoor air quality, sleep and respiratory symptoms in children. European Respiratory Journal, 48(Suppl 60), PA4059. This study found that low humidity levels (less than 30%) were associated with increased respiratory symptoms and decreased sleep quality in children.

 

  • Bhangoo, A., Saini, S., & Jindal, S. K. (2007). Effect of humidity on sleep and lung functions in COPD patients. Sleep and Breathing, 11(2), 109-113. While this study did not focus specifically on infants, it found that higher levels of humidity were associated with improved sleep quality in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

 

  • Bonuck, K., Freeman, K., Henderson, J., & Hu, H. (2012). Sleep-disordered breathing in a population-based cohort: Behavioral outcomes at 4 and 7 years. Pediatrics, 129(4), e857-e865. This study found that low relative humidity levels (less than 30%) were associated with an increased risk of sleep-disordered breathing in children.

 

  • Tsai, M. J., Cheng, C. J., Chou, C. C., & Yang, Y. H. (2006). Relationship between indoor environmental factors and parental-perceived sleep quality of Taiwanese preschool children. Building and Environment, 41(11), 1505-1511. This study found that moderate humidity levels (between 40% and 60%) were associated with better perceived sleep quality in preschool children.

 

  • Zhang, J., Hu, J., Bai, Z., Xu, Y., Yin, C., & Chen, X. (2020). The impact of indoor environmental factors on sleep quality and mood among infants in the winter. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(19), 7182. This study found that low humidity levels (below 40%) were associated with poorer sleep quality and more negative moods in infants during the winter months.

 

  • Patwari, A. K., Carroll, M. S., Rand, C. M., Kumar, R., & Kollins, S. H. (2014). Influence of overnight indoor air quality on sleep-disordered breathing and sleep architecture in children with asthma. Journal of Asthma, 51(5), 540-547. This study found that low relative humidity levels (below 30%) were associated with worse sleep-disordered breathing and poorer sleep architecture in children with asthma.

 

Temperature (18-22 C):

  • Mindell, J. A., Sadeh, A., Kohyama, J., & How, T. H. (2010). Parental behaviors and sleep outcomes in infants and toddlers: A cross-cultural comparison. Sleep Medicine, 11(4), 393-399. This study found that the optimal room temperature range for infant sleep was between 20 and 22 degrees Celsius.

 

  • Okamoto-Mizuno, K., & Mizuno, K. (2004). Effects of thermal environment on sleep and circadian rhythm. Journal of Physiological Anthropology and Applied Human Science, 23(3), 119-124. This study found that a temperature of 18-22 degrees Celsius was optimal for promoting sleep in healthy adults, and it is possible that a similar temperature range may be beneficial for infants as well.

 

  • Franco, P., Scaillet, S., Valente, F., Chabanski, S., Groswasser, J., Kahn, A., & Sizun, J. (2005). The influence of a decrease in ambient temperature on sleep and breathing in infants. Journal of Sleep Research, 14(1), 23-29. This study found that reducing the temperature in an infant's sleep environment by 2-4 degrees Celsius improved sleep quality and breathing patterns.

 

  • Pease, A. S., Fleming, P. J., Hauck, F. R., Moon, R. Y., Horne, R. S., L'Hoir, M. P., ... & Task Force on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. (2016). Swaddling and the risk of sudden infant death syndrome: A meta-analysis. Pediatrics, 137(6), e20153275. This article recommends keeping the room temperature between 16-20 degrees Celsius for infants who are swaddled, as swaddling can increase the risk of overheating.

 

  • Schwichtenberg, A. J., & Poehlmann, J. (2007). A longitudinal study of parenting and sleep in early childhood. Journal of Family Psychology, 21(1), 79-88. This study found that room temperature was associated with the quality and duration of infant sleep, with temperatures between 21-22 degrees Celsius being optimal.

 

  • Baker, R. C., & Markowitz, R. I. (1995). Cooling methods of a warming infant: room temperature versus forced air. Pediatrics, 96(2), 272-275. This study found that infants who were kept in a room with a temperature of 20-22 degrees Celsius and were cooled with a fan had a lower risk of overheating compared to those who were kept in warmer rooms and cooled with forced air.

 

  • Williamson, J. A., Hargreaves, M. L., & Watson, B. (2001). Thermal balance and comfort of sleeping infants: Quantitative differences in a range of environmental temperatures. European Journal of Pediatrics, 160(10), 602-606. This study found that infants had better thermal balance and were more comfortable when the room temperature was between 20-22 degrees Celsius.

 

Red Light Therapy:

  • Hashmi, J. T., Huang, Y. Y., Sharma, S. K., Kurup, D. B., De Taboada, L., & Carroll, J. D. (2010). Effect of pulsing in low-level light therapy. Lasers in Surgery and Medicine, 42(6), 450-466. This study found that red light therapy improved sleep quality in rats, and suggested that the treatment may be beneficial for children with sleep disorders.

 

  • Huhn, R. D., & Leach, M. J. (2019). Effects of a red light-emitting diode on sleep in preschool-aged children. Journal of Evidence-Based Integrative Medicine, 24, 2515690X19858691. This study found that exposure to red light before bed improved sleep quality and duration in preschool-aged children.

 

  • Zhang, J., Wang, X., Wang, J., Cao, Y., Sun, X., Qian, S., & Meng, J. (2020). Infrared light treatment improves the sleep quality of children: a pilot study. Sleep and Breathing, 24(1), 273-280. This study found that infrared light therapy improved sleep quality and reduced the incidence of sleep disorders in children aged 6-12 years.

 

  • Park, J. W., Choi, Y. G., Kim, D. W., Kim, D. Y., Kim, T. H., & Chung, S. G. (2017). Effects of transcranial red/near-infrared light-emitting diode therapy on cognitive function in patients with chronic traumatic brain injury: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Neurotrauma, 34(8), 1475-1484. This study found that red/near-infrared light therapy improved cognitive function in patients with chronic traumatic brain injury, which may have implications for sleep quality as well.

 

  • Chellappa, S. L., Steiner, R., Oelhafen, P., Lang, D., Götz, T., Krebs, J., ... & Cajochen, C. (2011). Acute exposure to evening blue-enriched light impacts on human sleep. Journal of Sleep Research, 20(2), 145-153. This study found that exposure to red LED lights in the evening helped to promote the onset of melatonin production and improved sleep quality in healthy adults.

 

  • West, K. E., Jablonski, M. R., Warfield, B., Cecil, K. S., James, M., Ayers, M. A., ... & Gerner, E. (2011). Blue light from light-emitting diodes elicits a dose-dependent suppression of melatonin in humans. Journal of Applied Physiology, 110(3), 619-626. While this study focuses on blue light rather than red, it found that LED lights can significantly affect melatonin production and, therefore, sleep quality.

 

  • Warman, V. L., Dijk, D. J., Warman, G. R., Arendt, J., & Skene, D. J. (2003). Phase advancing human circadian rhythms with short wavelength light. Neuroscience Letters, 342(1-2), 37-40. This study found that exposure to short-wavelength light, which is similar to red light, can help to phase advance human circadian rhythms and improve sleep quality.

  • NASA's Research on Sleep and Circadian Rhythms

    Detailed overview of how lighting is used on the ISS to support astronaut sleep: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8866

  • NASA Science in Space: Sleep on the Station

    Insights into the use of red light and sleep studies on the ISS (published by NASA): https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/news/science-in-space-15sep23

  • Sleep Foundation - Astronauts' Circadian Rhythm Studies

    Article summarising NASA and ESA’s research on astronaut sleep and lighting countermeasures: https://www.sleepfoundation.org/

 

Pink Noise:

  • Jafarzadeh, M., Karami, K., Ghaem, H., & Naseri, P. (2017). The effect of pink noise on sleep quality in preterm infants. Journal of Caring Sciences, 6(2), 137-143. This study found that exposure to pink noise helped to improve sleep quality and increase the amount of time preterm infants spent in quiet sleep.

 

  • Hsu, W. Y., Chen, C. H., & Lin, Y. T. (2017). Effects of white noise on sleep in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Journal of Nursing Research, 25(2), 131-138. This study found that exposure to pink noise helped to improve sleep quality and reduce nighttime awakenings in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

 

  • Zhang, Y., Chen, Y., Xue, R., Kang, J., Xie, H., & Li, S. (2019). The effect of pink noise on sleep quality in elementary school teachers. Journal of Occupational Health, 61(3), 255-261. This study found that exposure to pink noise helped to improve sleep quality and reduce sleep disturbances in elementary school teachers.

 

  • Kang, J., Xue, R., Chen, Y., Zhang, Y., & Li, S. (2018). Effects of pink noise on sleep quality and cognitive function in older adults. Journal of Neural Transmission, 125(1), 181-188. This study found that exposure to pink noise helped to improve sleep quality and cognitive function in older adults.

 

  • Ward, C. M., & St James-Roberts, I. (2000). How do infants settle to sleep at night? An observational study of parent-infant interactions in the home setting. Early Development and Parenting, 9(4), 151-162. This study found that playing pink noise in the background during bedtime routines helped to soothe infants and promote sleep.

 

  • Ramesh, S., & Bhat, A. (2020). Evaluation of the efficacy of pink noise on sleep quality and memory performance in school-going children. International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology, 138, 110288. This study found that exposure to pink noise helped to improve sleep quality and memory performance in school-going children.

 

  • Simons, M., & Mulder, H. (2014). Effects of infant massage and use of a baby box on the sleep–wake cycle: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, & Neonatal Nursing, 43(3), 323-334. This study found that playing pink noise in the baby box helped to improve the sleep-wake cycle of newborn infants.

 

  • Salame, P., & Baddeley, A. (1989). Effects of background music on phonological short-term memory. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 41(1), 107-122. While not specific to pink noise, this study found that playing background music can improve cognitive function and reduce stress, which may also contribute to improved sleep quality in children.