Sleep is an essential part of our lives, but not everyone gets as much sleep as their body requires. This has a lot to do with increased exposure to blue light.
Many people reach for their smartphone, laptop or opt to watch TV after getting into bed. While you may think that watching TV or scrolling Instagram helps you fall asleep, in reality, it interferes with your natural sleep cycle. These electronic devices emit blue light that increases alertness in your mind and prevents you from enjoying a deep, uninterrupted sleep. However, using blue light blockers can help you avoid these issues. But before we discuss how they do that, let’s talk about why blue light can be harmful to you.
Blue Light
Do you experience a boost of energy when the morning light hits you? Or feel more focused when working in daylight compared to when you work in a dark room? A big reason behind this shift in mood is the blue light present in sunlight. Every light is made up of various coloured wavelengths, but blue wavelengths have the most impact on your body’s internal sleep-wake clock.
Blue light exposure from daylight helps boost your mental sharpness, improve mood, increase alertness, and facilitate cognitive function. However, exposure to this artificial blue light during the evening or at night forces your mind and body to stay awake when it needs to wind down. The same light that helps you feel energised throughout the day can be most disruptive at night, especially if it comes from artificial sources such as:
- Computer screens
- Smartphones and tablets
- Televisions
- Energy-efficient lights in your office or home
- Screens in gaming consoles like Nintendo Switch
The excessive use of digital screens, especially after sundown, is increasing our exposure to blue light.
The Role of Blue Light in our Sleep
Every individual has a circadian rhythm of 24 hours that helps their bodies know when to perform what function. Light has a major role in aligning these rhythms. For example, sunrise tells our body it’s time to wake up and carry out essential tasks, and sunset tells us to unwind and sleep.
However, with the advent of electronics and artificial light, people are exposed to light all day and night. Exposure to any light during the night suppresses the release of melatonin, a sleep-inducing hormone that influences circadian rhythms. But blue light does this more powerfully. During a study, researchers compared the effects of exposure to blue light with exposure to green light. The results showed that blue light suppressed melatonin and shifted circadian rhythms 2x more than green light. Therefore, most night shift workers take blue light therapy to readjust their circadian rhythms to stay alert during the night.
In simple words, blue light during night-time tricks your mind into thinking it’s still daytime. Your circadian rhythms get disrupted, and you feel alert instead of drowsy. This repeated misalignment of circadian rhythms can cause many mental health and metabolic issues.
How to Reduce Blue Light Exposure
Not getting enough sleep at night can affect your life quality and overall well-being. Research shows that people who use e-readers for books before bedtime have disrupted sleep patterns and feel more tired the next day than those who read traditional paper books. Similarly, if your lifestyle involves watching TV during the evening or using any digital device, you’ll experience digital eye strain and fatigue.
Our medically rated blue light blockers are made specifically to block and filter harmful blue wavelengths emitting from digital devices and LED bulbs. Here are some products that can help you get better sleep at night:
Install Anti-Blue Light Screen Protectors
Adding an anti-blue light screen protector to all your digital devices, such as laptops, phones, tablets, etc., can help reduce blue light exposure. These filters use special lens technology to block blue light emitting from devices. This way, your brain isn’t tricked into thinking that it’s daytime.
Wear Blue Light Filter Glasses
Blue light filter glasses offer the most effective and convenient solution to avoid blue light exposure throughout the day. You can wear them during your work shift and at night while watching TV or other screens. These glasses have an amber tint and coating to block all blue light from reaching your eyes.
Did you know that even the slightest light can disrupt your body’s natural circadian rhythm? Wearing these glasses will keep the blue wavelength away from your eyes, no matter what its source. For example, you can avoid the blue light present in LED bulbs in your home or high-intensity lights in the office.
Research shows that wearing orange-tinted glasses (blue light blockers) in a lit room help you produce as much melatonin as in a dark room. Another study shows that blue light-blocking glasses can help improve mood and sleep quality.
Use Low Blue Light Lamp
Most people don’t use screens before bedtime but read books under fluorescent bulbs. Such bulbs also emit blue light that can disrupt your sleep quality. Getting a low blue light lamp can help you reduce your exposure to blue light and enjoy a peaceful sleep.
Oculamp is an all-day and night lamp that emits relatively less blue light than other bulbs. You can also adjust the brightness and warmth of the light according to the time of the day and do your tasks comfortably. It’s portable and compact, so you can carry it with you anywhere.
Get High-Quality Blue Light Blockers at MyBlueProtector
MyBlueProtector is a leading store for all kinds of blue light-blocking products from Ocushield. All products are designed and developed by leading optometrists and specialists in the UK and are approved by FDA and MHRA.
You can buy blue light-blocking glasses and blue light screen protectors for iPhones, Samsung devices, computer screens, Nintendo Switch, etc. We also have weighted sleeping masks and eye supplements for better eye health. Contact us for details.
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