The Nighttime Blues

It’s time to go to bed. You brush your teeth, have a glass of water, and lie down to catch some well-needed ZZZs. You rest your head on the pillow: 10 minutes, 30 minutes, an hour passes. Your frustration is mounting. Two hours ago, before heading to bed, you watched some TV, spent some time going through your social media, and hung out in your well-lit family room long after the sun went down. And now your body is struggling to get what it needs most: sleep. 

Within the past few years, it has been well documented that exposure to blue light can affect your sleep cycle. While blue light is everywhere, including in sunlight, prolonged exposure to it, especially after hours, can hinder your body’s natural cycle of producing melatonin—the sleep hormone. Melatonin is normally made when your body senses it is time for bed using natural light cues, like the sun setting; so, exposure to artificial sources of light, particularly some of the blue-light wavelengths from room lighting, may be contributing to your sleep shortage.  

Not all blue light is bad. Some wavelengths have even been identified to be beneficial. The problem, however, is when you consider the proximity and duration at which this light is consumed. Blue light convinces your body it is not time to fall asleep yet. Blue light can affect you in more ways than just your sleep. Your eyes can lose their clarity or efficiency or become strained from prolonged exposure. Prolonged exposure can even increase the possibility of ocular diseases such as age-related macular degeneration, a disease that attacks your retina. It’s also important to consider your family’s exposure to blue light. A child’s eyes are less adept at filtering it out, making them more vulnerable to negative effects and potentially causing permanent damage and issues with sleep. 

Here are a couple tips to help keep your eyes in top shape. Change out the light bulbs in the room you hang out most in at night. These Soraa Healthy LED Household Bulbs feature an innovative ZERO BLUE technology that removes all blue wavelengths while still emitting a color matched for incandescent bulbs.  Invest in a good pair of computer glasses that can reduce eye strain and take frequent breaks throughout the day. It’s recommended to take your eyes away from a screen every 20 minutes for at least 20 seconds to allow your eyes respite. When using your phone or computer later in the evening, look for a ‘blue-light mode,’ ‘eye-comfort mode,’ ‘low-light mode,’ or something similar. It will reduce the emission of blue light and make it easier when it comes time to lie down. 

In 2021, we’re all burning the midnight oil a little longer and a little later. Try to take good care of your eyes while doing it, and you’ll be rewarded with better, more restorative sleep to get you up and at it again tomorrow! Questions, comments, or concerns? Feel free to talk to a lighting expert at 1-800-624-4488, or reach out on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest!