This Sunset Lamp Sets The Best Mood — & It Might Have Sleep Benefits

Our editors have independently chosen the products listed on this page. If you purchase something mentioned in this article, we may earn a small commission.

Raise your hand if you've ever whipped out your phone to capture that rich orange of the sunset as it hit your wall just right. Sunset projector lamps deliver that photo-worthy glow at any time of day, so it's no wonder they've become super popular recently. Beyond pure aesthetics, some users also note that the sun-mimicking lights help them combat the winter blues.

Curious to try one for yourself? Here's where to find them, how to set them up, and how sleep and circadian researchers recommend using them for a sunnier disposition.

Sun projector lamps are typically small tabletop lights that have colorful LED bulbs inside. When you flip the switch, they cast a yellow-orange circle of light onto nearby surfaces. Their circular head is adjustable; you can face it at a wall, up onto a ceiling, or down at the floor.

Scroll through TikTok or Instagram and you'll get a sense of all the ways you can use these colorful lights—from setting a funky tone for photoshoots to replacing standard mood lighting. In addition to sunset tones, some lamps can also be programmed to display different color schemes.

While there's no right or wrong time to use these lamps, many opt to turn them on for a quick mood boost on winter nights when they aren't able to go outside to watch a real sunset. Director of the Sleep and Health Research Program at the University of Arizona and Casper sleep adviser Michael Grandner, Ph.D., adds that turning them on at nightfall may also help prime your body for good sleep.

This is due to the way that light helps train our all-important circadian rhythms. To keep these internal clocks running smoothly, we should surround ourselves with bright light in the morning and darkness at night, as we would in nature.

"In the natural world, the light gets dimmer and redder at the end of the day. This actually sends biological signals that get interpreted by the brain and may help a person prepare for sleep," Grandner tells mbg. "So simulating that experience can possibly help people wind down and be ready to sleep at the right time."

Jamie Zeitzer, Ph.D., an associate professor of sleep medicine at Stanford University, agrees that lamps like these may be helpful for sleep in some contexts. He adds, however, that sunset is far from the most important time of the day from a circadian perspective.

"Morning light is more of the anchoring light in terms of keeping your circadian system aligned," Zeitzer says, so ultimately the best thing you can do to train your rhythm is get outside (or at least look out a bright window) first thing in the morning.

If you're looking to use a sunset projector lamp to support your internal clock, you'll want to turn it on around when the sun outside is actually setting, to simulate the colors you'd see out in nature. "A gradual fading of light might also help as well, to simulate dusk," Grandner explains.

While Zeitzer notes that a sunset projector lamp alone probably won't have too big of an impact on your sleep body clock, if it reminds you to dim the rest of your lights and begin the wind-down process, it will be a health investment well spent.

Grandner adds that if your lamp comes with multiple color options, you can switch to its bright white-, blue-, or green-enriched hues in the morning, "since they send a 'daytime' signal to your brain. That signal, when received early in the day, can help wake you up, increase daytime energy, and even improve mood during the day."