June 26, 2019 - Blue Light
Hey folks, it’s Dr. Sam. I received a question today: can blue light affect our sleep?
Well, there was a study published in 2018 in the Journal of Psychiatric Research. Researchers found that if you’re exposed to the short wavelengths of blue light, you have a higher chance of having your melatonin be suppressed. So this could affect your sleep cycle.
Now, in this particular study that they conducted, they took 14 subjects. Eight of whom received blue-blocking lenses, and six subjects received placebo clear lenses. Both groups suffered insomnia symptoms, so they were told to wear the glasses two hours before they go to bed at night. And they did this over a seven day period. The results clearly showed that those who used the blue blockers had a higher quality of sleep, more sound sleep, and overall the blue blockers made a big difference.
My conclusion is that if you are suffering insomnia symptoms, you might consider blue blockers as part of your strategy in terms of getting better sleep.