Filtering the Blues
The harmful effects of computer and phone screens to our health
Blue light is non-threatening to the environment and does not pose the same level of threat to humans as UV rays. This might be the reason why it has been slipping past our health watchers for a long time. As recent studies show, diseases can arise from extreme eye exposure to blue light. This is especially alarming as we heavily rely on digital screens in our day to day lives. Before Edison started selling light bulbs, our only source of light was the sun and fires. This is the environment that the human eye has evolved to.Today, we cannot escape all that artificial lighting for even a second of the day and we are starting to pay the price. There are ways to avert this however like by wearing computer glasses which will be mentioned again later.
The circadian rhythm is the way the body normally knows when to sleep and for how long. This important body function can be compromised if the eyes are subjected to lighting at unexpected periods of the day. Add the fact that all of the major killers right now, like cancer, obesity, diabetes and certain heart diseases can be traced back to lack of regular sleep. It is obvious that blue light is a concern worth discussing.
What is it exactly?
So, what exactly is blue light? As we all know, the light spectrum is a range of wavelengths that is visible to the human eye. This range can be further subdivided based on the color it produces. One of these is the blue light. The human eye has evolved to maximize focus during the day light. Blue light has a boosting effect in the brain’s response time and mood. At night however, this brain response is disruptive and causes an inability to rest. And with all the computer screen, phone screen, and low energy lighting at night, we are subjected to heavy dosage of blue light when we should be falling asleep.
How light affects sleep
Sleep patterns differ with everyone. The human body has evolved however to have somewhere near a 24 hour circadian rhythm length to correspond to the length of the day. A person’s sleep pattern is governed by the amount of blue light he/she receives while daylight is the natural internal clock manager. People who stay up later at night tend to have an unbalanced circadian rhythm.
Sleeping with the Light on
Some studies have suggested that subjecting eyes to bright lights at night can lead to diseases and conditions like obesity, diabetes, cancer and other heart diseases. These studies have been largely inconclusive however and that it is yet to be proven. What we know for sure right now is that light does disrupt sleep. Subjecting a person to light prevents the release of melatonin. Melatonin is the sleep hormone that allows the body to rest normally. What is more alarming is that some ongoing studies even …