As you know from this blog, blue-enriched light is an enemy
of sleep. Research has shown that exposure to this specific color of light can
delay sleep time by as much as one hour, maybe more. Although all wavelengths
of light suppress melatonin production (which helps you sleep), the pineal
gland is particularly sensitive to light in the blue range (460-480 nanometers)
but the opposite is also true. Blue light makes people feel energized and
awake.
That's why sleep experts suggest turning off your devices several
hours before you hit the sack. If that's not possible, if you must read your
Kindle in bed or check Facebook on your tablet while getting ready for sleep,
the next best thing is to cut back on the blue light they emit.
There are several ways to do this. In an article published in
frontiers in Public Health titled Bigger, Brighter, Bluer-Better? Current
light-emitting devices – adverse sleep properties and preventative strategies the authors tested two methods
to reduce the blue. You can try both of them on yourself.
First, software. The authors tested an app called f.lux which
promises to help reduce the blue light. The app developers claim the program
"makes the color of your computer's display adapt to the time of day, warm
at night and like sunlight during the day. It's even possible that you're
staying up too late because of your computer. You could use f.lux because it
makes you sleep better, or you could just use it just because it makes your
computer look better." The download is free.
Second, the researchers tested orange-tinted 'blue-blocking'
glasses. These are available from Amazon and elsewhere. This also work to cut
the blue.
The authors of the study pronounced that "Both the orange-tinted glasses and the
'sleep-aware' app significantly reduced short-wavelength emissions."
While the glasses and app
reduced blue light, the researchers did not study their effect on actually helping
people get to sleep. It was not part of this study. The authors noted that
testing would be challenging because there are so many other environmental
factors that keep people from getting a good night's sleep.
As for helping the most
people, they cite a study from the National Sleep Foundation’s Sleep in America
Poll suggesting that nine out of ten American used a technological device in
the hour before bed. With so many people using these devices, large-scale public
health interventions would be expensive and difficult to implement. A much better
approach, they say, is for manufacturers to offer hardware with an automatic
'bedtime mode,' that shifts blue and green light emissions to yellow and red as
well as reduce backlight and light intensity during evening hours.
They add: "Ideally future software
design could be better optimized when night-time use is anticipated, and
hardware should allow an automatic 'bedtime mode' that shifts blue and green
light emissions to yellow and red as well as reduce backlight/light
intensity."
In the meantime, have you
tried either of these fixes – the blue light-reducing app or yellow-tinted
glasses? If so, let us know about it.
Great stuff
ReplyDeleteGood sleep is essential for optimal health .. The more time we spend on our iPhones, iPads, or Kindle Fires – all devices which emit blue light – the harder it is to get a good night’s rest.
ReplyDelete