While we want light with a high blue component in the morning and daytime to signal to our bodies "It's daytime", we want a dim light environment with little blue component in the light spectrum in the evening and at night. Otherwise, we actively inhibit our body from carrying out the biological processes intended for this time of day, which makes us tired and helps us fall asleep well. With the help of the wrong light at the wrong time, we can actually unconsciously program ourselves into a "night owl", which can lead to poor sleep and cause us to drag ourselves exhausted out of bed in the morning.

Even small amounts of light (over 2 LUX) during the night are sufficient to have a significant impact on our melatonin production and our circadian rhythm and sleep negatively.

For my evening light environment at home, I was still missing a suitable solution to illuminate my bathroom for nightly short visits in a healthy and dim way.

In this article, I show you why I chose the rechargeable night lights from Lichtblock (€49 for 3 lights), how I use them and whether I would recommend them.

Transparency note: I paid for the lights myself, but we are now partners of Lichtblock.

➡ View in Lichtblock Shop

My Starting Point

One hour before my bedtime, my bathroom lighting consisted of 2 small LED candles (purchased at Depot), which you have to switch on and off manually. It was just right for brushing teeth, etc., but at night, if I briefly wanted to go to the toilet or get a drink of water, it became tedious. I had to fumble to first find one of the LED candles and then the small toggle switch to turn it on. Doing this every time woke me up a bit, and I obviously don't want that at that time.

My goal was to illuminate the bathroom, as well as our second, separate toilet. A solution with a motion sensor that provides me enough visibility without negatively affecting my circadian rhythm.

An important reason for me was also another: my husband always turns on the regular bathroom light late at night. With automatic night lights, I wanted to do something good for his health by not having to turn on the ceiling lights anymore.

My Solution - Amico Rechargeable Night Lights from Lichtblock

I initially looked for cheaper alternatives on Amazon, but wasn't really satisfied with the selection. Either they weren't red or orange and therefore not suitable for my purpose, didn't have a battery, didn't visually appeal to me, or were so cheap that you might assume they were useless.

Some time ago, I came across the recommendation of the German company Lichtblock and discovered the Amico night lights. I generally like Lichtblock's product range very much, which is why I've been curious to test their products for a long time. The Amico night lights seemed like a good starting point.

I find the scientifically backed descriptions on the website particularly convincing, which is why I place much more trust in these lights than the offerings seen on Amazon.

The Amico night lights from Lichtblock are offered in 2 variants: with battery (rechargeable with USB-C) in a 3-pack for €49 or with plug for €39 – also only available in a 3-pack.

I don't have any sockets in the separate toilet, so the plug variant was not an option there. In the bathroom, I have sockets at ground level and by the sink. Ground level was not an option for me as I have 3 cats who would constantly turn the light on, which would unnecessarily drain the battery.

Therefore, I chose the more expensive battery-operated version.

Shipping/Packaging

The products from Lichtblock are exclusively available in their own

webshop

For shipping to Austria, there are shipping costs of €6.90, so I paid a total of €55.90 for the 3 lights. That makes €18.63 per piece so I can see at night when I need to use the bathroom 😅

On the bright side, the light doesn't interfere with my hormone balance, as other lights might. So a small investment in my health. The hashtag on the packaging hits it pretty well: #saveyoursleep

Contents

The 3 night lights are individually packed in boxes but are delivered together in an outer carton. Each box contains 2 self-adhesive magnetic points and a USB to USB-C charging cable. So 3 charging cables per package. I personally find this unnecessary resource waste, as one cable is absolutely sufficient, and you can almost assume that everyone nowadays owns at least one USB-C charging cable. The only positive aspect I can take from this decision is that one of the boxes can be taken directly and gifted, and the recipient has everything needed. I actually only needed two and gifted the third one.

I'm still wondering: Why are there exactly 3 items in a package? The night lights are not sold individually.

The lights are attached with magnets. Either you have something magnetic on site, or you apply one of the self-adhesive magnetic points on the wall or your furniture. With two magnetic points per light, you can either flexibly switch positions (e.g., if you want to take the light from one room to the next and attach it there) or you need your second point if you, like me, did not choose the ideal placement first.

Appearance, Material, and Workmanship

The round shape of the night lights is inherently beautiful, and the white color is certainly a "safe bet" for most bathrooms, but they're not necessarily a visual highlight.

I didn't buy them for their aesthetics, but my co-founder made a very valid point. He said, if a light looks really good, it would pique curiosity and people would come into conversation about it, potentially raising awareness for circadian healthy light. You could perhaps enhance the design by replacing the white, light-impervious front with a thin metal or wood panel, or adding a colorful illustration for children's rooms.

The night lights are completely made of plastic but make a valuable impression.

Functionality

There are – not surprisingly – 3 modes: ON/OFF/AUTO, which can be selected with a slider. On the back, there is also the magnet for mounting, as well as the USB-C port for charging. What the arrow indicates remains a mystery even after consulting the instruction manual.

Light Color

Lichtblock uses 630 nm red light for the Amico night lights. On request, they provided me with the result of the light spectrum measurement:

Here you can see that the generated light contains no blue components (460–480 nm) that would negatively affect our sleep. However, the same result would also be possible with orange light, which my co-founder would prefer for aesthetic reasons. I'm satisfied so far and find the color kind of cool. I might change my mind if I have a direct comparison with orange night lights.

Usage in Daily Life

The motion sensor in mode "AUTO" functions very reliably. When motion is detected within range and relative darkness, the red light turns on for 30 seconds.

At night when getting ready for bed (removing makeup, brushing teeth, etc.), my night light in the bathroom automatically activates, but I still also turn on my white LED candles for a bit more light.

The combination of the red of the Amico night lights and the white light of the LED candles is visually a bit unusual. I will certainly make adjustments in the future. Apart from that, I am satisfied.

Positioning

I positioned my night light approximately at eye level when initially mounting it. I can't recommend this. At night, I was so close to the light that I had to turn it off because it was too bright.

In our separate WC, the motion sensor doesn't work as ideally. I placed the rechargeable night light in a corner where the light doesn't shine directly when I open the door. The sensor detects darkness and my movement and turns on before I manage to turn on the normal light. Most of the time, it's still early enough so that the blue component in the light wouldn’t bother me. That means the night light turns on unnecessarily and drains the battery. I've often caught myself turning off the night light and have then forgotten to turn it back on for days. I relocated the night light and was able to solve the "problem".

Initial placement in a corner where the night light often turned on unnecessarily because it was still bright, but daylight didn't shine there.

New attempt that hopefully saves battery because daylight directly shines on it when the door is opened.

Battery Life of Amico Rechargeable Night Lights

Used in AUTO mode for 2 months: recharged twice. Fits!

Conclusion

For the current price of €50 for three rechargeable night lights (excluding shipping), you get a reliable product in the mid-range price segment that allows you to move completely blue-light-free at night in your environment. Thanks to the pure red light spectrum and low light intensity, your body receives no "time to wake" signals. It won't wake you unnecessarily during a nighttime toilet visit and helps you fall back asleep quickly.

If you have sockets in suitable locations, I recommend opting for the €10 cheaper plug night lights.

If your sleep health is important to you, I consider an Amico night light from Lichtblock an absolutely sensible and worthwhile investment.

👉 Since I would have been happy to get them a bit cheaper myself, we are very pleased to have become partners with Lichtblock. With “lovemornings10” you save 10% on the entire range.

Good to know: If you order with the code, you not only support your inner clock but also us – we receive a small commission for it. Thank you!

What I Like Particularly (Warning, a bit childish!)

My night light in the bathroom always reliably turns on when I need it and somehow gives me the feeling of taking care of me and my sleep. "Oh, Niki is there, I'll better turn on the light for her so she doesn't run into anything. And since I'm red, I send her body no wake-up signals. I'm the guardian of her sleep health." Thus, my night light has earned a name – it's called Leuchti.

Does my husband still turn on the bathroom light?

Did my plan work to stop him from turning on the light with automatic night lights? To be honest… not really. He still turns the light on, but he does make sure to close the door first. So at least the light doesn't shine directly in my face when I'm already in bed.

When I told him that I bought the lights for him so he wouldn't turn on the light anymore, he asked "And? Did it work?", at which we both laughed.

If you've had good experiences with other night lights, I look forward to your message (niki@love-mornings.com) to learn about alternatives!