Health & Wellness

The Best Method to Shield Your Sleep Out of Blue Light

The problem of healthy sleep in the age of digital technology has given way to constant exposure of blue light: smartphones, tablets, computers, and LEDs are an everyday challenge. The evening blue light disrupts the body to secrete some melatonin the hormone that induces sleep. This disturbance may impede the sleep timing, disrupt sleep quality and interfere with functioning during the day. Luckily, your sleep can be well-protected, as there are science-driven measures to reduce the effect of blue light and prevent its impact.

Here, the underlying issue is about how blue light deceives our internal clock or the circadian rhythm. In the regular setting, the melatonin levels increase when there is fading natural light in the evening and the body is ready to rest. Nevertheless, blue light during the evening inhibits the synthesis of melatonin, which indicates to the brain that it is daytime. This is made worse by stimulating and involving screen material that causes the brain to be further pushed away in the need to sleep. 

Possibly the most direct and effective option to blue light is wearing blue light blocking glasses. These are tinted glasses, either amber or orange tinted and remove a large share of the blue spectrum. Studies indicate that blue light has twofold the silencing effects of melatonin in contrast to green light with the same amount of light so blocking it has a potential to enhance sleep extensively. There are glasses that absorb almost every blue light during the night allowing the brains to be in the sleep mode naturally. They can particularly help men and women who need to spend time in front of a display screen at a late hour of the night or face challenges when they cannot resist the urge of using screens at bedtime.

The other viable option is to minimize exposure to blue light of screens themselves. Limited blue-light emission filters can also be installed or apps to warm the colors on the screen to reduce blue light emission to avoid loss of usability. Most devices also include the built-in options of the so called night modes or dark modes with reduced light intensity, including the part of blue light as the backgrounds change the color to black or orange (night shifts). It is also good to turn down the brightness levels on screen. These software products assist in keeping melatonin production even during situations where it is impossible to avoid use of the screens.

Digital curfew is an extremely efficient behavioral method. Gurus advise that people should switch off everything that glows at least 1-2 hours before going to bed so that the melatonin level could increase naturally. Gently transitioning to the sleep with non-digitalised and relaxing ones like reading printed books, listening to some calming music or podcast, taking a warm bath or completing some stretching yoga routines may help remove the screen time. A regular wind-down practice would familiarize the brain to relate to pre-sleep time as non-stimulating.

Lighting also plays a very significant role in the home environment. A large number of energy-efficient light bulbs produce excessive blue light: LEDs, and fluorescents. Blue light in the evening may disrupt the production of melatonin. To come up with a more sleep-friendly environment, it would be advisable to switch to low blue light bulbs, e.g. incandescent bulbs, or so-called sleep- enhancing bulbs, optimized to have minimal blue light emissions. Another tip which can be used at night and help preserve the integrity of the circadian rhythm is harnessing dim red nightlights in lieu of the bright white or blue-tinged light.

In short, the fight against the intrusion of blue light into sleep is winnable by a combination of both universally applicable and simple strategies that are supported by evidence: blue light blocking glasses, screen filters or applications, screen curfews, relaxed rituals before going to bed, optimal lighting at home, and the enhancement of natural circadian stimuli by exposure to bright light in the daytime. By implementing this comprehensive treatment involving environmental factors, behavioral shift, and protective devices, this technique takes care of the disruptive impact of blue light on the brain.