Light is a type of medicine. Take light therapy, for example, which can help people that suffer from seasonal depression. Proper light exposure can help boost sleep, performance and increase energy levels. However, because today’s world is full of electronic devices, being too lit-up has a downside, which can negatively affect your overall health and sleep.
Our bodies are designed to wake when there is light out, and go to sleep when it gets dark out, which is the way humans have been conditioned to respond biologically for several million years. However, with technology, people are exposed to light – specifically, blue light emitted from these devices – around the clock, which is resulting in a very restless – and sleepless – society.
When our body’s natural 24-hour circadian rhythm is interrupted, it can create a myriad of health problems, including those that affect our cardiovascular, immune, metabolic, cognitive and emotional systems.
Studies are shedding more light on the harmful effects of blue light. For example, young adults that have blue light exposure up to two hours before bedtime, report:
- Sleeping less
- Have suppressed melatonin production
- Higher frequency of nighttime awakenings and diminished sleep quality
Blue light exposure at nighttime is harmful to the body’s natural sleep and circadian rhythms.
Blue light is beneficial, but only under these circumstances:
- To help reduce daytime sleepiness
- Elevating alertness levels
- Increasing reaction times
- Strengthening attention span
It’s important to regulate the amount of blue light exposure you receive. Blue light filtering glasses, software and apps can help reduce the amount of blue light exposure, especially during the evening hours. While some people use just the apps, studies show that many of these don’t work and only dim the screen instead of reducing the amount of blue light that is emitted. Blue light blocking glasses, such as BluTech Lenses, can help to reduce blue light exposure, especially in the critical hours leading up to bedtime.
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