Know more about how blue light disrupts sleep

Is blue light bad for sleep?

Despite being good for the environment, blue light can interfere with your sleep and even lead to health problems. People used to spend their evenings in (relative) darkness because the sun was the main source of lighting until the invention of artificial lighting. Now, throughout much of the world, evenings are illuminated, and we take our easy access to all those lumens pretty much for granted.

However, there might be a cost to all that light. The circadian rhythm, the body's biological clock, is disrupted by light at night. Sleep is compromised. Even worse, studies indicate that it might be a factor in the development of diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and cancer.

Blue light: What is it?

Different hues of light have different effects. It appears that blue wavelengths, which are good for you during the day because they improve mood, attentiveness, and reaction times, are most disruptive at night. Furthermore, our exposure to blue wavelengths is rising due to the widespread use of energy-efficient lights and electronics with displays, particularly after dusk.

Sleep and light

Although each person's circadian rhythm varies somewhat, it typically lasts for 24 and a half hours. Individuals that stay up late tend to have slightly longer circadian rhythms, whereas early birds have rhythms that are less than 24 hours long. In 1981, it was demonstrated that exposure to daylight maintains an individual's internal clock in sync with their surroundings.

Is exposure to light at night harmful?

Certain research indicates a connection between diabetes, heart disease, and obesity with nighttime light exposure, such as working the night shift. That does not prove that exposure to nocturnal light causes these illnesses, nor does it explain why it would be harmful to humans.

A study provided some insight into the relationship between the condition and obesity and diabetes. Ten participants were given a schedule that progressively changed when their circadian rhythms occurred. Their levels of leptin, a hormone that makes individuals feel full after a meal, decreased, and their blood sugar rose, putting them in the prediabetic range.

One hormone that affects circadian rhythms, melatonin, is secreted less when exposed to light. A person's melatonin secretion and circadian rhythm can be disrupted by even low light levels. According to sleep researchers, even eight lux, which is roughly twice as bright as a night light and brighter than most table lamps, can have an impact. According to them, one of the reasons so many people don't get enough sleep at night is because of light, and studies have shown a connection between inadequate sleep and a higher risk of depression, diabetes, and cardiovascular issues.

Blue light's effects on sleep

Any type of light can inhibit melatonin release, but blue light has a stronger effect at night. The effects of 6.5 hours of exposure to blue light were compared to those of exposure to green light of similar brightness by some researchers and their colleagues. The blue light caused a two-fold increase in circadian rhythm shift (3 hours vs. 1.5 hours) and suppressed melatonin for roughly twice as long as the green light.

Researchers at the University of Toronto conducted a study on blue light in which they compared the melatonin levels of individuals wearing blue-light-blocking goggles who were subjected to bright indoor light to those who were exposed to typical dull light without goggles. The theory that blue light is a strong melatonin suppressor is supported by the fact that the hormone levels were roughly the same in the two groups. It also implies that if shift workers and night owls used blue light-blocking eyewear, they might be able to defend themselves. Not only can cheap sunglasses with orange-tinted lenses restrict blue light, but they also block other colours, thus wearing them indoors at night is not recommended. Blue-only blocking glasses might set you back as much as $80.

Blue light exposure from LEDs

In the event that blue light has negative health consequences, environmental concerns and the pursuit of energy-efficient lighting may conflict with individual health. Compared to the outdated incandescent lightbulbs of our childhood, those LED and curlicue compact fluorescent lightbulbs are far more energy efficient. However, they also frequently emit more blue light.

Although it is impossible to alter the physics of fluorescent lights, coatings within the bulbs can be altered to generate a lighter, less blue light. Although LED lights produce a substantial amount of light in the blue spectrum, they are still more efficient than fluorescent lights. Though not as much as most fluorescent lightbulbs, regular incandescent lights do create some blue light, according to a light expert.

• At night, shield oneself from blue light.
• For night lights, use weak red lights. Red light has a lower tendency to suppress melatonin and alter circadian rhythm.
• Start your screen-free time two to three hours before going to bed.
• Consider using an app that filters the blue/green wavelength at night or wearing blue-blocking glasses if you work a night shift or use electronics frequently.
• Increase your exposure to bright light during the day to improve your mood and alertness during the day and to help you sleep better at night.

Sources of Blue Light

Seven hours a day on average, Americans spend using electronics. It's a long time to be gazing at blue light. Even worse, nine out of ten Americans acknowledge that they pick up an electronic gadget right before bed at least a few times a week. That can be a call to sleeplessness.

Your device's light frequently seems white. However, they can emit blue light, which has wavelengths between 400 and 490 nanometers.

Blue light sources found inside include:

• Tablets, Smartphones, and Televisions

• gaming platforms

• Fluorescent light bulbs

• Light-emitting diode, or LED, bulbs

• Monitors for computers.

Methods for Handling Blue Light

Turning off your TV, phone, and other electronics well in advance of going to bed is the easiest approach to reduce your exposure to artificial blue light. Additional methods consist of:

• Blue lenses that block light. A lot of people buy them online. It could be better to use amber or brown-tinted lenses.

• Reduce your screen usage beginning two to three hours before bed.

• Dim the brightness on your devices. This is sometimes referred to as dark mode or night mode. It turns the white background into a black one.

• Install programmes on your computer, tablet, and smartphone that filter blue light. They reduce the amount of blue light that reaches your eyes while maintaining good display visibility.

• Change the lightbulbs. Compared to fluorescent light bulbs, LEDs emit more blue light.

• Both also produce more blue light than the energy-guzzling incandescent bulbs that are gradually being phased out.

• As a nightlight, use a dim red lamp. The colour that has the least effect on your circadian rhythm is red.

• Prior to going to bed, set an alarm for one hour to remind yourself to stop using electronics.

Tinted glasses could be beneficial.

• The simplest and most efficient method of preventing nighttime blue light exposure is to wear amber-tinted glasses.
• All blue light is effectively blocked by these glasses. As a result, your brain does not receive the signal it needs to remain awake.
• Research indicates that wearing blue-light-blocking glasses causes people to create the same amount of melatonin in a bright room or when using an electronic device as they would in a dark environment.
• In one study, people’s melatonin levels in the evening were compared across low light, bright light, and bright light with tinted glasses.
• Melatonin production was almost entirely reduced in the strong light but not in the dim light.
• Interestingly, the quantity of melatonin produced by those wearing the glasses was equal to that of those exposed to low light. The strong light's melatonin-suppressing effect was mainly neutralised by the glasses.
• Blue-light-blocking glasses have also been demonstrated to significantly enhance both sleep and cognitive function.
• Twenty participants wore blue-light-blocking or non-blocking spectacles for three hours before to bedtime throughout a two-week trial. The former group's mood and quality of sleep both significantly improved.
• When worn before to bedtime, these glasses have also been proven to significantly enhance sleep quality for shift workers.
• Furthermore, blue-light-blocking lenses dramatically decreased dysfunction throughout the day and enhanced sleep in a trial including older persons with cataracts.
• However, not all research lends credence to the usage of spectacles or lenses that block blue light. A review of multiple studies came to the conclusion that there wasn't enough solid evidence to warrant their use.
• However, wearing glasses that block blue light might have some advantages.