Our environment is changing but our bodies are not
In today’s blog we are going to cover some basics and explain why it is so important to use blue light glasses.
- What is Blue light?
- How does Blue light affect your body?
- How can Blue light glasses help?
- Conclusion
What is Blue light?
Blue light is a color in the light spectrum visible to the human eye. Although a lot of people do not know it actually does not appear blue to the naked eye.
It is a short wavelength, from 400 to 500 nanometers, that produces high amounts of energy and it is often referred as HEV or high-energy visible light.
To be clear, any source of visible light emits blue light, from an artificial source like a screen or a lightbulb, to a natural one like the sun.
It all comes down to the time of the day that you are exposed to this light.
How does Blue light affect your body?
Before the invention of artificial light, the sun was the one regulating our sleep schedules. After sunset, the red colors before darkness would signal our brains that it was time to produce melatonin (the hormone that triggers sleep) and prepare the body for sleep.
Our current society is exposed to blue light during the day and late into the night. While exposure to any bright light can produce delays in the production of melatonin, blue light specifically can be very problematic as they precisely disrupt these signals causing less melatonin to be generated and dysregulating hormones in the body.
Essentially excess blue light exposure disrupts our natural body clocks (Circadian rhythm), because the brain associates the blue light with daytime, making it harder to fall asleep at night and wake up refreshed in the morning.
How can Blue light glasses help?
By wearing blue light glasses that have tinted lenses, you make sure the brain is not exposed to the blue light and signalling your brain that it is not day time anymore and the melatonin production can proceed.
Some benefits that people experience include:
- Better quality of sleep due to increased melatonin production.
- Reduced headaches and tiredness as a result of having a better sleep.
- Reduced eye strain by decreasing the amount of exposure to blue light.
But people also report:
- Increased energy levels due to better sleep.
- Hormone regulation after the circadian rhythm or internal body clock has adjusted to the new routine.
- Better mood as a result of all the previous benefits.
Conclusion
If you want your body to function properly, especially if you are exposed to blue light in the late afternoon and evening times, blocking the blue light can be incredibly beneficial for your sleep and overall health.
Do you want to wake up feeling refreshed or tired?