Technology gives us many modern luxuries: computers, television, cell phones, etc. Unfortunately all those luxuries come with a cost. The light from these devices brighten up our homes all hours of the day. Just look next to your TV at night and I’ll bet you see the blue light on the wall.
It is important to be exposed to sunlight during the day. The blue light coming from the sun helps us to produce serotonin. Once it gets dark that serotonin is converted to melatonin which helps us fall asleep and get quality deep sleep.
Getting exposer to blue light later in the day will disrupt melatonin production and effect both quantity and quality of sleep. Poor sleep will leave our hormones out of whack resulting in low energy, cravings for sugary food, low sex drive, insulin resistance, etc.
Luckily there are ways to enjoy the luxuries of our modern devices without being exposed to the harmful effects of blue light at night. Many cell phones and computers “night time mode.” If your’s does not you can download an app called flux.
For the rest of your home you can wear blue light blocking glasses. You can find them online for a reasonable price and in many different styles. These are great for when you want to stay up later watching playoff basketball but don’t want your sleep to be completely ruined for work the next day.
A few other tips to reduce your exposure to blue lights at night include turning off all non essential lights in your home as soon as it gets dark outside, use dim lights or candles, cover up anything that produces light in your bedroom, or wear a sleep mask.
So in order to enjoy all the advances in entertainment without it impacting your sleep, be sure to wear blue light blockers when looking at screens.