Benefits of Blue Light Blockers

As a software developer, I use a computer all day for work and then for my own stuff, online shopping, etc. after work. Devices like tvs, phones, tablets and computers give off a blue light. Blue light is the blue wavelength component of the light spectrum. The light spectrum is also made up of red, orange, yellow, green, indigo and violet wavelengths. The blue component is good for keeping you awake during the day, but isn't very helpful at night when you want to sleep. It keeps the brain stimulated and slows down or prevents the production of melatonin. Melatonin is part of the bodies circadian rhythm (sleep cycle) and is produced by the brain at night when it is time to go to sleep. Without the natural production of melatonin, it's difficult to sleep. Without sleep the body starts slowly falling apart. You go through the day tired, get sick easier and don't accomplish as much as if you were rested. Increased blue light has also been linked to an increase in blood sugar. To prevent loss of sleep due to blue light there are a few things to try like:

• Avoid all screens 2 - 3 hours before bedtime, read a book instead
• Use blue light blocker glasses.
• Turn on the night light setting on your device. If you have a Windows PC, search for Night light and the settings dialog will come up with options of when to turn it on/off and the strength to set it at. Android phones have an Eye Comfort Shield setting.
• If your device doesn't have a built in blue light filtering app, try installing an app like the f.lux app
• Use dim red lights as night lights.
• Get sunlight in the morning as that will help you sleep better at night.

Blue light blocking glasses come with different lens colors that range from clear to yellow to orange to red. Clear lens's block the least amount of blue light. They are good for reducing eye strain from computer use. Yellow lens block more than clear and then orange blocks more than yellow. Red lens's block the most blue light. The darker the lens, the harder they will be to see out of though. There are tests online that help determine how effective a pair of blue light blockers are at filtering out the blue light. Challenge: If you normally use an electronic device before bed, make sure it's blue light setting is turned on. I was using a new laptop more than usual a few hours before bedtime. I noticed my eyes felt tired when I woke up even though I was getting the same amount of sleep. Finally I realized I didn't have the blue light setting on the laptop turned on. Yeah, it helps. Set it at the highest level you can tolerate. 50% is probably a good start. Resources: https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/blue-light-has-a-dark-side #ads More Blue Light Blocker Resources