Sleep and Blue Light (2024)

Have you ever woken up to bright morning skies feeling energized? A big reason for your mood is the high-intensity blue light coming from the sun. Among the visible light spectrum, blue wavelengths have the most powerful effect on yoursleep-wake internal body clock.

Both natural and artificial blue light can boost your alertness and mental sharpness. But too much of it may keep you awake when your body needs to wind down.

How Blue Light Hurts Sleep

Youreyesaren’t good at blocking blue light. So almost all of it passes straight through to the back of your retina, which helpsyour braintranslate light into images.

Exposure to all colors of light helps control your naturalsleep-and-wake cycle, or circadian rhythm. More so than any other color, blue light messes with your body’s ability to prepare for sleep because it blocksahormonecalledmelatoninthat makes you sleepy.

Bottom line: You’re less drowsy than usual at night, and it takes you longer to fall asleep.

Blue Light Sources

Americans spend an average of 7 hours a day on electronic devices. That’s a lot of time staring at blue light. Worse yet, nine out of 10 Americans admit to reaching for an electronic device at least several nights each week shortly beforebedtime. That could be an invitation forinsomnia.

The light from your devices often appears white. But they can give off wavelengths in the range of 400 to 490 nanometers, which is blue light.

Indoor sources of blue light include:

  • Televisions
  • Smartphones
  • Tablets
  • Gaming systems
  • Fluorescent light bulbs
  • LED (light-emitting diode) bulbs
  • Computer monitors

Ways to Manage Blue Light

The simplest way to lower your exposure to artificial blue light is to turn off your smartphone, TV, and other gadgets well before bedtime. Other ways include:

Blue light-blocking glasses. They’re widely sold online. Amber or brown-tinted lenses may help best.

Cut back on screen timestarting 2-3 hours before bed.

Dim the brightnesson your devices. This is often called night mode or dark mode. It changes the background from white to black.

Install blue light-filtering appson smartphone, tablet, and computer screens. They filter a lot of blue light from reaching youreyeswithout making it harder to see the display.

Swap light bulbs. LEDs give off more blue light than fluorescent bulbs. And both emit more blue light than energy-hungry incandescent bulbs, which are being phased out.

Use a dim red lightbulbas a nightlight. Red is the color that least affects your circadian rhythm.

Set an alarmfor 1 hour before bed to remind yourself to quit using devices.

Sleep and Blue Light (2024)

FAQs

How does blue light affect your sleep? ›

Light from electronic screens comes in all colors, but the blues are the worst. Blue light fools the brain into thinking it's daytime. When that happens, the body stops releasing a sleep hormone called melatonin. Melatonin is nature's way of helping us wind down and prepare for bed.

Is it OK to sleep with a blue night light? ›

Despite being a calm-inducing color on most occasions, blue is not suitable for lighting a bedroom. In fact it's quite the opposite: blue lights throw the sleep cycle off and decreases the production of melatonin.

How does bluelight affect your mental health? ›

These high levels of blue light cause an increase in our stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline which leave us feeling highly stressed, irritable, and anxious. The best way to combat this issue during the day is to use specifically designed blue light computer glasses that filter blue light by 50%.

What color light is the best to sleep in? ›

The best night light colors for sleep are red and amber, as they are warm and soothing colors that promote a good night's sleep. It's thought that colors close to red on the light spectrum stimulate melatonin production.

What does blue light do to your brain? ›

Blue light boosts alertness, helps memory and brain function, and elevates mood. It regulates your body's natural wake and sleep cycle (circadian rhythm). Sunlight is also important for the growth and development of eyes and vision in children.

What is the most relaxing color for sleep? ›

The best color for bedroom sleep typically includes shades that are calming and soothing. Blue has serene and tranquil qualities, closely followed by soft greens and earthy tones like beige. These colors tend to lower stress and create a peaceful environment, making it easier to fall and stay asleep.

Do screens really affect sleep? ›

Stimulation of this part of the brain suppresses production of melatonin, making it difficult for many people to “turn off” their brains and fall asleep. “The light from our screens can delay our transition to sleep, even if we are engaged in some soothing activity online,” Dr. Cooper says.

Does TV emit blue light? ›

The largest source of blue light is sunlight, but is also emitted by laptops and computer monitors, smartphones, tablets, TV, fluorescent and CFL bulbs.

How do I stop blue light from disturbing my sleep? ›

Ways to Manage Blue Light
  1. Blue light-blocking glasses. They're widely sold online. Amber or brown-tinted lenses may help best.
  2. Cut back on screen time starting 2-3 hours before bed.
  3. Dim the brightness on your devices. This is often called night mode or dark mode. It changes the background from white to black.
Nov 16, 2022

Can you block 100% of blue light? ›

Our original BluBlocker lens blocks 100% of blue light. That's right, all of it. There is no replacement for our amber tinted lens- this is the only way to block 100% of blue light. In addition to blocking all blue blight, these glasses block 100% of UV light.

Do phones emit blue light? ›

The sun also gives off blue light, helping us feel awake, energized, and ready to take on the day's activities. However, digital devices such as smartphones, TVs, and computer screens also emit blue light, which can impact our ability to fall asleep. Dr.

Do sunglasses block blue light? ›

Can Sunglasses Block Blue Light? Almost all sunglasses protect your eyes by filtering out UV radiation, reducing glare, and blocking blue light when outdoors. However, not all sunglasses effectively reduce blue light from digital screens. The amount of UV filtration depends on the lens tint.

How many hours of blue light is bad? ›

During the day, blue light wakes us up and stimulates us. But too much blue light exposure late at night from your phone, tablet or computer can make it harder to get to sleep. That is why Dr. Khurana recommends that you try to limit your screen time in the two to three hours before you go to bed.

Can your eyes heal from blue light damage? ›

If research proves that blue light damages the retina and macula, the eye conditions that develop as a result are generally irreversible. Treatments can only delay vision impairments or improve vision to only some extent and stop these eye conditions from worsening.

Is light blue a good color for sleep? ›

The best color for bedroom sleep typically includes shades that are calming and soothing. Blue has serene and tranquil qualities, closely followed by soft greens and earthy tones like beige. These colors tend to lower stress and create a peaceful environment, making it easier to fall and stay asleep.

What are the side effects of blue light therapy? ›

More commonly reported side effects include:
  • Burning or stinging at the site of the photodynamic therapy treatment. This can be severe and may last 24-48 hours after your treatment.
  • Redness and swelling of the treated area which may last up to 1 week.
  • Scaling or crusting of the treated area which may last up to 4 weeks.

Do blue light glasses actually work? ›

The analysis of the trials showed that there is no short-term advantage to using blue-light-filtering spectacles for reducing vision fatigue, compared with standard clear lenses. Only one of the studies examined the impact of blue-light-filtering glasses on eyesight, and it suggested that there was little to no effect.

Does the iPhone reduce blue light? ›

Night Shift on iPhone, iPad, and Mac

On your iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > Display & Brightness. Tap the Night Shift setting, which alters your screen to display a warmer color temperature, filtering out blue light. The feature can then be customized from this menu.

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