Blue Light and Sleep: How Tech Use Before Bed Affects Sleep
Technology is everywhere in our lives. We’re constantly online, on our phones, and spending time on laptops and tablets. However, all of this tech use can have an effect on our sleep. Blue light emitted from our phones, computers, and tablets has been found to contribute to interrupting our natural circadian rhythm. Circadian rhythm is our body’s natural way of knowing when it is time to be awake, alert, and focused in the day and be cool, relaxed, and ready for sleep at night.
The blue light emitted from our technology tricks out bodies into thinking it is still time to be awake. This throws our sleep patterns off and can lead to a variety of sleep issues like difficulty falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep, and overall restless sleep.
By taking steps to limit tech use before bed and investing in blue light blocking glasses, to minimize the amount of blue light that enters our eyes, we might be able to reduce the effects of tech on our sleep.
What is Blue Light?
Blue light is part of the visible light spectrum that makes up a range of wave lengths from 380 to 500 nanometers. It is commonly referred to as high-energy visible light, HEV, or just blue light. Blue light is naturally emitted from the sun and is necessary during the day to help us be alert, focused, and remain productive.
At night, this light causes disruption in our circadian rhythm, making it difficult to fall, and stay, asleep. The blue light emitted from technology holds a shorter wave length than natural sunlight, making it almost twice as disruptive to our natural body rhythms as natural sunlight.
How to Protec Yourself from Blue Light
Fortunately, there are steps we can take to limit the amount of blue light we are exposed to at night. Limiting screen time and nighttime tech use is a great way to reduce the amount of blue light we are exposed to at night. Investing in blue light blocking glasses is another great way to limit the amount of blue light that enters our eyes, especially a few hours before sleep.
Eliminating all tech use before bed is not realistic for many of us, however, by making a few small adjustments to our tech habits, we can make a big difference in our sleep.
We can also adjust the setting on our devices. Device manufacturers are aware of the effects of blue light on sleep and because of that, many devices come with setting that allow us to reduce the amount of blue light our devices emit at night.
Additional Effects of Tech at Night
Blue light isn’t the only way tech use affects sleep. External stimulation, like going to bed with the TV on or scrolling through a phone, can also significantly interfere with quality sleep.
- Noise from tech devices, like phones, tablets, laptops, and TVs can lead to difficulty falling asleep.
- Screen time before bed can keep us from winding down and relaxing.
- Research suggests that tech can reduce the amount and quality of our sleep.
- Notifications and stimuli from tech devices can keep us alert and stimulated when our bodies need to be in a relaxing and calming state.
Conclusion
Tech use before bed, especially devices emitting blue light, can significantly interfere with our body’s natural sleep patterns and reduce the amount and quality of sleep we get at night. By limiting tech use before bed and investing in blue light blocking glasses, we can make a serious impact on our sleep and our overall quality of life.