Hi Steemers! If you find it hard to sleep at night then this post should definitely help you! Blocking Blue Light at Night is just as important as your diet & exercise. Did you know that poor sleep is linked to type 2 diabetes, heart disease & depression? It's also one of the strongest risk factors for obesity too!

Did you know that one of the biggest contributors to our collective sleep problems, is the use of artificial lighting & electronics which we use at night? Well it is!

These devices which we all use emit blue light wavelength, which tricks our brains into thinking that it is still daytime...  There are studies which are suggesting that blue light at night really disrupts our brain’s natural sleep-wake cycles, which is crucial for optimal function of the body.

The Good News is that this problem has a simple solution! 

Because our bodies have an internal clock which is situated inside the brain  the clock regulates our circadian rhythm which is the 24 hour biological cycle that influences many of our internal functions.

But most importantly, it determines when our bodies are primed to stay awake & be productive & when we feel tired & sleepy. 

Our circadian rhythm isn’t exactly 100% accurate & sometimes it is a bit longer than 24 hours and sometimes a bit shorter.

Which is why it needs signals from our external environment in order to adjust itself accordingly. So the most important signals that can adjust this internal clock is the daylight & the darkness.

Throughout evolution, the brightness meant that it was daytime & that we should be awake, while the darkness meant that it was time for us to go to sleep and recover.

Now not all types of lights are equal, it is primarily the light of a blue wavelengths (blue light) 

which stimulates our sensors in our eyes to send signals to the brain’s internal clock.

Remember that sunlight & white light contain a mixture of various wavelengths & there is lots of blue light within.

Now Getting the Blue light especially from the sun in the daytime is very important for us as it helps us to stay alert,and improving our performance & mood.

There has been some success using the blue light therapy devices to help treat depression & using blue light bulbs in an office can also reduce fatigue and improve our moods, performance 

But even though the blue light is incredibly beneficial during the daytime for us, it can be a disaster if we are exposed to it in the evening.

The problem is that our modern light bulbs & our electronic devices such as our computer monitors, laptops and mobile phones also produce large amounts of blue light and this tricks our brains into thinking that it is still daytime.

So when it gets dark in the evening, a part of our brain called the pineal gland secretes the hormone melatonin, which signals to our bodies & our brains that it is time to get tired & for us to go to sleep.

The Blue light, whether it is from the sun or from our laptops, is very effective at inhibiting our melatonin production 

So this means that our bodies don’t get the correct signal that it’s time to go to sleep when it should, and instead it is reducing both the quantity & quality of our sleep.

Many studies have linked this melatonin suppression in the evening to various health problems, including metabolic syndrome, obesity & even cancer, as well as some mental disorders like depression.

Also many have speculated that melatonin disrupting blue light may also be one of the key drivers behind obesity & many of the chronic diseases that are so common today.

However our indoor lighting & electronic devices are a huge part of our modern lifestyle & they aren’t going away anytime soon.

So what is the solution? 

You could wear special amber-colored glasses which block out the Blue light.

If you don't want to wear these glasses (which I didn't) then you could do what I have done and just download this app https://justgetflux.com/  for your laptop which automatically filters out the blue lights from emitting on your laptop device. 

You can also set your timezone so that it adjusts according to the sunset for your time zone.  On my Android I downloaded an app called       Twilight

OR you could get a red or orange reading lamp, which doesn’t emit blue light. 

Candlelight's also work well too!

 

REMEMBER: It is very important that you expose yourself to plenty of blue light during the daytime, If you can, go outside during the day & get some natural sunlight.

If that is not an option for you then you should consider using a blue light therapy device in the daytime It is just like a strong lamp that simulates like the sun & bathes your face & eyes in blue light.

So what can you expect? 

Well since I have started using the apps which I have downloaded onto my laptop and my mobile phone, I’ve been falling asleep much much faster & waking up refreshed in the morning. 

I have also noticed that my mood has improved significantly & I’m finding it a lot easier to think & write my steemit posts :)

I hope you found this post valuable! Please share your thoughts & please remember to follow my posts @stillsafe

CREDIT: All the images used were taken from Google Images