What You Really Need to Know About Blue Light 

Blue light is a type of visible light rays that’s emitted by the sun. Blue light signals to your brain that it's time to be active, alert, and hungry when the sun is out. At the same time, the absence of blue light after the sun goes down allows your body to produce melatonin and helps you slow down and feel sleepy and relaxed. Blue light is also used to backlight electronic devices like tablets, phones, and computers and in recent years, that has caused a whole host of issues.  

Blue light exposure, especially in the evenings, contributes to poor sleep quality since it inhibits melatonin production. But that’s not all it does. Blue light can also: 

1.Sabotage immune health

Since melatonin is found in immune cells and plays a role in the inflammatory response. When you sabotage melatonin production with blue light, you’re also reading to the production of unhealthy levels of inflammation in the body.

2. Damage eye health 

While blue light is natural, our eyes are not used to the chronic exposure to artificial blue light that we have become accustomed to in our modern society. The majority of people stare at LED screens between 7 to 10 hours of each day. That’s approximately half of your total waking hours! This has been shown to have an impact on the health of our eyes, causing damage to your retina and cornea leading to dry eyes and eye strain. Blue light exposure has also been linked to the rise in nearsightedness in children (1) who have more screen time.

3. Skin health

This one is a little complex since research has shown (2) that exposure to blue light from electronic devices can contribute to oxidative stress and skin cell damage but also that targeted blue light therapy has been shown to be beneficial for treating acne (3) and other skin conditions. It all comes down to the source of your exposure.

How to reverse the effects of blue light 

Simply avoiding blue light before bed is easier said than done; and luckily, there are other ways to mitigate the negative effects of blue light without tossing your phone and TV into the ocean. If you’re got a job that requires you to be on a computer all day — or you just won’t give up that Netflix episode before bed — try the following tips for reversing the effects of blue light: 

1. Wear light-protecting glasses  

Even if you have to stare at a screen all day or into the evening hours, blue light blocking glasses can help protect your eyes. Research has even shown (4) that wearing blue light-blocking glasses can improve visual performance and sleep quality. You can also take it one step further by switching out your regular blue light blocking glasses for amber colored glasses a few hours before bed. This type of lense filters out more blue light than regular blue light blocking glasses. In fact, a study from Columbia University Medical Center found that (5) amber colored glasses increase the sleep of insomnia patients by at least 30 minutes per night as well as increasing the quality of sleep.

2. Take an antioxidant eye health supplement 

Found in foods like squash, asparagus, and leafy greens, antioxidants zeaxanthin and lutein are two great options to eye health. Why? Scientists suspect (6) that supplementing with these two nutrients in combination can help support healthy eyes and vision quality. And while additional studies need to be done, research has been favorable with little to no side effects.

3. Enable blue-light blocking filters

In recent years technology companies have started wisening up to the harmful effects of blue light and are trying to take steps to mitigate the damage. One great development has been “nighttime” settings on your screens. If your phone doesn't have a setting like this, you can also also purchase blue light screen protectors for your phone, laptop, and other devices.

4. Switch out your lightbulbs

Blue light doesn’t just come from your screens, it can also come from your lightbulbs. I recommend that whenever possible, buy LED bulbs with a warmer color range to cut out blue light in your home. In the evenings, make sure you’re using soft lamp light or dimming any overhead lights. 

Blue light is one of those sneaky things affecting our health on a daily basis. And while none of us can eliminate all blue light, the tips above can help you reduce your exposure and preserve your sleep, eye health, skin health, and immune health as much as possible. 

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