
When it comes to light exposure, many people don’t actually think about the effect in which something so mundane and connected to the everyday activities that we don’t even assess as harmful actually can cause some significant harm to our daily routines, as well as to the equilibriums in which our body operates.
While controlling light exposure isn’t something that many people worry about, actually doing your research on it and doing something to prevent its harmful effects is something that everyone should do. Blue light glasses are one of the best ways for you to do so. In this article, we will talk about how and why in more detail, as all of these aspects are things that you should consider before buying them.
What is blue light exactly?
Both and descriptively put blue light, the shortest wavelength of light on the visible light spectrum. As experts on blue light from this UK store that deals with blue light glasses explain, blue light is naturally occurring, which means that sunlight contains blue light as well, but most of the light-emitting sources in your environment emmit it as well. The problem is, though, that high exposure to blue light is quite uniquely disruptive to sleep and circadian rhythms, about which we are going to talk more in the following text.
What are the most problematic sources?
As we have said before, even though blue light is naturally occurring, the problem begins with too much exposure to different sources. Because we are constantly exposed to digital screens, most of us are actually consuming way too much blue light. Not only that, but we are doing so at the very worst times – at night. This is problematic because blue light heavily affects our sleep routines.
In which ways is blue light problematic?
There are various studies done that show that blue light aggressively inhibits the production of melatonin. Basically, melatonin is a hormone that is a central regulator of circadian rhythms and hence is essential for sleep. Research has shown that blue light can suppress melatonin production for more than twice as long as any other visible light wavelengths, which means that it alters circadian rhythms by twice the degree of any other wavelength.
Now, not only does the blue light inhibit melatonin, but it also stimulates the production of cortisol, and cortisol is a major stress and alerting hormone that heavily interferes with sleep. All of this leads to the fact that a high level of blue light exposure ultimately shortens both sleep time and sleep quality. As sleep is one of the most important aspects of our overall health, this shouldn’t be taken lightly as it affects both our mental and physical health.
How do blue light glasses help?
Blue light blocking glasses are pretty self-explanatory – they can block wavelengths associated with blue light. A large and growing body of research demonstrates that blue light blocking glasses are highly effective at filtering out blue light, hence being able to restore healthy sleep and biorhythms.
Wearing blue light glasses daily can lessen the symptoms of insomnia, increase sleep amounts, and sleep quality, further improving your cognitive performance, which in general, represents how quickly and accurately your brain processes information.
Wearing these glasses can benefit pretty much everyone.
All of us differ in our lifestyles, which basically means that everyone will have a different level of exposure to blue light daily. While some people spend 10 hours a day in front of a screen due to their work area, some people travel constantly and hence are exposed to light at unusual and changing hours of the day. On the other hand, gamers log plenty of screen time, while others like to wrap their evenings watching Netflix. While all of these examples represent different habits, they all share a common trait: excessive blue light exposure.
This means that each of us can benefit from managing our light exposure to minimize the sleep and health risks of blue light. This is especially important for the night times because our bodies need darkness to stimulate melatonin production. Blue light blocking glasses can do wonders when it comes to minimizing the sleep-depravity that is caused by blue light wavelengths.
To wrap things up
In the end, it’s ultimately up to you whether you are going to prioritize a certain aspect of your life or not, but if you can do so – taking care of your health should, no matter the circumstances, always be a priority. While blue light might not be the biggest problem you are facing, making sure that you get higher quality sleep will help you face other issues better later on.