As part of the full spectrum of sunlight, blue light helps to regulate your natural sleep and wake cycles, known as your circadian rhythm. It suppresses the production of melatonin, your sleep hormone, and stimulates the release of cortisol, boosting alertness and keeping you awake. One substantial reason that people have trouble sleeping or winding down at night could be the amount of exposure to Blue Light within 2-3 hours of going to bed. Sources of blue light include: TV’s, Smartphones, Tablets, Gaming Systems, Fluorescent lights, LED lights, and computer screens.
If you’re using any of these 2-3 hours before bed, before you reach for the supplemental melatonin spray or tablets to help your body go to sleep (which can be a legitimate help to some people)…try these simple ways of eliminating BLUE LIGHT and see if that helps your body’s natural Melatonin production return to normal.
- Try turning off all these devices at a minimum 1 hour before you lay down to go to sleep
- Invest in some good blue-light blocking glasses to begin wearing during that pre-bedtime period, ideally as soon as the sun begins to set
- Dim the brightness on any device you have, i.e. turning it to “night mode” or “dark mode” to minimize blue light
Sidenote: I wear blue-blocking glasses daily at Clearview because I look at computer screens so much, I HIGHLY recommend these if you have a job where you’re in fluorescent lights and/or looking at screens!