How Color Affects Our Health

Color is one more tool we can use to reduce stress and decrease blood pressure, raise our energy level so we can accomplish more during the day, and help us relax to reduce our level of chronic pain, giving us a overall feeling of well-being.

The cool colors like blue, green, turquoise, and silver are calming.
The warm colors like red, pink, yellow, gold and orange are exciting.
The neutral colors like brown, beige, ivory, gray, black and white are unifying.

In nature blue is water and sky. Almost everyone likes some shade of blue, making it a universal color. The cool, calming effect of blue can help you sleep, making it a good choice for your bedroom decor.

Blue conveys importance: the blue power suit of the business man or the blue uniform of the police officer.

Blue can also be associated with depression: "feeling blue" or "getting the blues." To keep blue from feeling too oppressive, spice it up with a touch of red.

So use blue in a room where you want to feel calm and relaxed. Wear blue when you want to feel cool and confident. Add a throw pillow in red or pink if the room feels too oppressive. Wear red earrings or shoes if your outfit feels too conservative.

Green is the color of growth, plants, life. Abundant in nature, green signifies renewal, health, and the environment.

Green is a restful color with some of the same calming attributes of blue. Time seems to move slower in a green room.

Because of all the green in nature the color is reminiscent of Spring. Use several shades of green for a fresh, Springtime feel. You may feel more energized in a green room than you do in a blue room. Add some earth tones, brown or beige, if you need to bring the energy down a bit.

Emerald, grass green, apple, mint, lawn green, lime, spring green, leaf green, kelly green and jade are good choices for a room that would feel inviting, cool, calm and relaxing. You would certainly lower stress and blood pressure in a room decorated in these colors.

Turquoise has a sweet feminine feel while the darker teal shades add lively sophistication. It is a mixture of green and blue, hence shades of turquoise have the same calming effects of those colors. This in-between color represents water, thus the names aqua and aquamarine.

Add pink or lavender to keep the atmosphere soft and feminine. Or pair turquoise with orange or yellow for a fresh, uplifting look. Let your mood be your guide.

The neutral colors like black, white, silver, gray, and brown make good backgrounds, serving as unifying forces.

Neutral colors help to put the focus on other colors or serve to tone down colors that might otherwise be overpowering on their own. To some extent blacks, browns, tans, golds, and beiges are considered warm (earth tones), while white, ivory, silver, and gray are somewhat cooler colors (metallic colors). Yet these warm and cool qualities are less rigid and more subtle than that of reds or blues.

Red is the most vibrant of the warm colors. Warm colors kick us into gear and get us moving. The warmth of red, yellow, or orange can generate excitement or even anger. Warm colors transmit emotions from mere optimism to intense violence.

The color red is a stimulant. Studies show that red can have a physical effect, increasing the rate of respiration and raising blood pressure.

Red is power, hence the red power tie for business people and the red carpet for celebrities and VIPs (very important people).

Flashing red lights mean danger or emergency. Stop signs and stop lights are red to get the drivers' attention and alert them to the dangers of the intersection.

Red is the color of happiness and prosperity in China, and in Feng Shui, red ribbon is used to tie Prosperity Coins together.

Obviously you would not want the color red in your bedroom, for I do not think this would promote relaxing sleep. On the other hand, red might be appropriate for your exercise room or your breakfast nook. This would certainly get your juices flowing in the morning and get you pumped up for the day ahead.

Pink is a softer, less violent red. Pink is the sweet side of red. It's cotton candy and bubble gum and little girls.

Both red and pink denote love but while red is hot passion, pink is romantic and charming. Use pink to convey playfulness (hot pink flamingoes) and tenderness (pastel pinks).

Multiple shades of pink and light purple or other pastels used together maintain the soft, delicate, and playful nature of pink. Add strength with darker shades of pinks and purple and burgundy.

Pink is perfect for little girls rooms or when you want to be playful and romantic, or flirty and sexy.Get out the frilly pink and white lingerie for playtime and fun. Bring out the red hot number when you want passion and blood-pulsing S-E-X.

Yellow is one of the warm colors. Yellow is sunshine. It denotes happiness and joy. Yellow is cheerful. Use bright yellow to create excitement when red or orange may be too strong or too dark. Yellow can be perky.

Yellow can help "brighten" your day. It can lift your depression. Yellow can "perk" you up. Creamy yellow or lemon yellow walls in a sun room can be very therapuetic, especially when filled with growing, live green plants. Add a splash of red or orange and you have the recipe for home grown psychotherapy.

Orange is vibrant. It's a combination of red and yellow so it shares some common attributes with those colors. It denotes energy, warmth, and the sun. But orange has a bit less intensity or aggression than red, calmed by the cheerfulness of yellow.

As a warm color orange is a stimulant — stimulating the emotions and even the appetite. Orange can be found in nature in the changing leaves of fall, the setting sun, and the skin and meat of citrus fruit.

Orange is mentally stimulating as well as sociable. Use it to get people thinking or to get them talking.

Think orange if you find yourself feeling overwhelmed by fatigue or weary after a hard day's work. Fill the tub with orange-scented bath oil. Light orange-scented candles. Slip into a loose-flowing robe of orange silk after your bath. Set the table with orange-colored earthen ware and yellow or red napkins.

Peel a fresh orange and savor each juicy bite. Take it all in: the sight, the sound, the taste, the feel. Engage all of your senses. You will find your batteries recharging as the minutes go by. Breathe deeply and enjoy.

As you can see, color has a dramatic effect on our mental and physical states. Use color to your advantage when you decorate and when you "dress for success." You and your health will be better for it.

Until next time,
Liz