What has Haaland actually said?
On Logan Paul’s Impaulsive podcast, Haaland was blunt about it: “I think sleep is the most important thing in the world. So to sleep good, simple kind of things — blue blocking glasses, shutting out all the signals in the bedroom, I think is really important.” He described wearing them for about three hours before bed, alongside taping his mouth shut to force nasal breathing and blacking out the bedroom. His framing is the part worth holding onto: “to do a lot of things is not good, but to do small things every single day for a longer period really pays off.” Marginal gains, not a miracle.
Do the glasses block the right light?
For evening wear, the darker amber and red lenses — the kind Haaland describes — block the roughly 455–500nm short-wavelength light that suppresses melatonin. On the narrow claim “these block melatonin-suppressing light before bed,” they do broadly what he says. Clear “computer” blue-light glasses filter far less and are a different product. The full mechanism — melanopsin, the suprachiasmatic clock, why daytime blue light is actually something you want — is in the pillar piece: why footballers wear blue-light glasses.
The amber-and-red lenses this describes — amber for the wind-down, red for full night-time blocking of the ~455–500nm band that suppresses melatonin. UK-made, prescription option, cheap enough to trial as sleep hygiene rather than a performance bet. Reasonable for poor sleepers and shift workers; not a standalone fix.
Do they actually improve performance?
Here the marketing runs ahead of the data. Tested directly in athletes, blue-light glasses underwhelm: a crossover pilot in recreational athletes found subjective gains — falling asleep ~7 minutes faster, better-rated sleep — but no change on actigraphy, the objective measure (Knufinke et al., 2019). A separate trial in youth volleyball players found no significant difference in melatonin, reaction time, agility or mood (Baptista et al., 2022). People report sleeping better; the instruments don’t agree; measured performance doesn’t move. Full evidence breakdown is in the pillar piece.
Can you credit the glasses for Haaland’s goals?
No — and this is the honest core. Haaland doesn’t just wear glasses. He prioritises long sleep, eats a tightly controlled diet, trains under a world-class sports-science department, uses cold exposure and sauna, and reportedly spent £15,000 on a red-light bed. The goals are the output of that entire system; you can’t reach in and pull the glasses out as the cause — the same way Clemson added red light and won a national title without anyone being able to credit the light. What the glasses plausibly add is smaller: a wind-down cue, and whatever belief-driven benefit comes from feeling you’re recovering well. That’s not nothing. It’s a long way from “the glasses made him Haaland.” His red-light bed is the better-evidenced habit — we take those trials apart here.
So what should you actually do?
The fundamentals, in order. First, get bright light during the day — outdoors, even overcast daylight dwarfs indoor lighting, and it’s the single biggest lever for a well-anchored body clock and daytime alertness. Second, dim and warm your light at night. If you want to add amber or red blue-blockers to the evening — as Haaland does — they might help, especially if you sleep badly. They’re unlikely to hurt. But they’re one component of a sleep routine, not a substitute for the basics, and not a standalone performance intervention. Reasonable to try; oversold as a difference-maker.
Frequently asked questions
Does Erling Haaland wear blue light glasses?
Yes. He’s said he wears blue-blocking glasses for around three hours before bed, describing sleep as the most important thing in the world and the glasses as one of several small daily habits.
What glasses does Haaland wear and when?
Evening blue-blocking (amber/red-type) lenses in the hours before sleep, to block melatonin-suppressing short-wavelength light — not clear daytime “computer” glasses.
Do blue-light glasses improve athletic performance?
Not directly, on current evidence. Their only plausible route is via sleep, and trials in athletes show subjective improvements without objective change. Treat them as low-risk sleep hygiene, not a performance intervention.
Is daytime light or evening blue-blocking more important?
Daytime, clearly — bright light by day is the larger lever. Evening blue-blocking is a smaller, optional add-on. “Bright by day, dim and warm by night.”
References
- Knufinke M, et al. Restricting short-wavelength light in the evening to improve sleep in recreational athletes — a pilot study. Eur J Sport Sci. 2019;19(6):728–735. doi:10.1080/17461391.2018.1544278
- Baptista E, et al. Influence of wearing blue lenses on melatonin production and performance in volleyball players. Sports Med Int Open. 2022;6(1):E1–E8. doi:10.1055/a-1720-6083
Haaland quotes via his 2023 appearance on the Impaulsive podcast, as reported by Goal, Planet Sport and others. Specs and prices indicative; confirm before purchase. We don’t claim performance where the evidence isn’t there. Affiliate links never change the verdict.
