Blue Light: The Enemy of Good Sleep

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Disclaimer: Not medical advice. The following information is for educational purposes only.

In this article we’ll be exploring:

What is Blue Light?

Light travels in wavelengths. Blue light is a color on the visible light spectrum.

Image credits: eyesafe.com

Blue light comes from natural sources such as the sun. Blue light also comes from artificial sources such as phones, TV screens, LED’s and light bulbs.

Image credits: blackview.hk

Blue Light’s Impact on Sleep

Our body uses cues from light and food to regulate our circadian rhythm. During the daytime, blue light from sources such as the sun help us to stay awake and be alert. When we’re exposed to blue light at night, our brain thinks that it is still day time and signals for us to stay awake and be alert! In the evenings when it gets dark, our body naturally releases a hormone known as melatonin which helps us to fall asleep and get quality rest.

What happens to our melatonin release when blue light is present? Blue light suppresses the secretion of melatonin, resulting in:

Trouble falling asleep
Trouble staying asleep
Trouble having deep restful sleep

If you’re constantly being exposed to blue light sources at night, your circadian rhythm will become dysregulated. This leads to feelings of sleepiness during the day and alertness at night sometimes with lots of energy, making it difficult to sleep.

Blue Light Sources to Avoid at Night

Ideally, you want to minimize or completely remove any exposure to blue light sources at night, especially 1 - 2 hours before bed

Screens (phone, tablets, TV’s)
LED’s
Cool/daylight white lights from fluorescent, CFL bulbs
Any white lights/lamps such as lights from shopping malls, street lamps, etc

Some homes use white fluorescent and CFL bulbs which greatly impact melatonin production. Warm yellow light bulbs are a much better light source in the home vs cool/daytime colored white lights. If you’re looking to maximize your melatonin release at night, here are some great evening light sources:

Himalayan Salt Lamps
Candles
Light bulbs that are orange/red
Small light source in the corner of the room

What If I Need/Want to Use Devices at Night?

To help reduce the amount of artificial blue light that enters your eyes from devices, do the following:

For iPhone users, turn on Night Shift mode and make the screen red after sunset
For Android users, install the Twilight app
On your computer, install the f.lux app to make screens more orange/red in the evening
Wear blue light blocking glasses that block 98% or more of blue light (more on this below)

The apps will reduce the blue light but won’t completely block it. Blue light blocking glasses will block out almost all of the harmful blue light.

Blue Light Blocking Glasses

To completely block out the blue light that negatively affects sleep, set up your environment to remove blue lights at night, or invest in a pair of orange/red tinted blue light blocking glasses. When it comes to choosing a quality pair, there are a few things to keep in mind:

Brands matter. There are many cheap blue light blocking glasses with orange/red lenses, but they don’t actually block the spectrum of blue light needed which impacts sleep. Stick to trusted brands with verified test results.

The glasses MUST be orange/red tinted to be effective. Yellow tinted blue light blocking glasses are fine for daytime screen use and help reduce eye strain and fatigue. They block some blue light but not all. Clear tinted blue light blocking glasses are basically useless. The amount of blue light they block is very minimal - AVOID.