Nathaniel Stephenson, Class of 2021
If you are laying in bed currently and you feel that you are going to be falling asleep within the next hour then stop what you’re doing. Turn off your phone. Turn off the lights and go to bed or read a book! Anything but be on your phone. The reason behind this is that this subtle task of looking at your phone is not only making it harder for you to fall asleep, but it is also affecting your sleep. That being said, you are most likely not the only person who does this frequently. According to the National Sleep Foundation, at least 95% of people use some kind of electronic device within an hour of bedtime.
Many individuals claim that they need to use these devices for work, school, and/or relaxation before bed. The reason this is bad is because your body's organs, brain, hormones, and bodily functions work literally like a clock, to an extent. The electronics you are using are emitting short-wavelength artificial blue light. Typically your body follows a schedule in which your pineal gland releases melatonin (a hormone that helps your body to know when it is time to sleep and wake up) with peak levels occurring at night. Blue light reduces the amount of melatonin that is secreted into your body, causing a delay in your bedtime and causing you to feel more aroused. The importance of sacrificing electronics for better quality and more sleep deserves its own article, so for this article, I will be examining potential solutions for improving sleep while still using electronics before bed. This article will examine the benefits of using blue light blocker glasses, changing the lighting in your room, and adjustments you can make to your devices, all with the goal of improving your sleep.
One easy solution to mitigate the harmful effects of blue light before bed is the use of blue light-blocking glasses (BB). A 2015 study examined 13 teenage males who wore BBs during the evening hours while using an LED screen. Participants’ melatonin secretion, subjective sleepiness, and attention were then assessed on a regular basis with sleep being recorded on a polysomnography (a test conducted to study sleep). The researchers found that using BBs significantly reduced melatonin suppression, attention, and alertness before bedtime, effectively making individuals more tired before bed. Although, other studies have shown that using glasses that block ultraviolet light alone is not as effective when compared to using amber glasses that block large percentages of blue light. This study found that participants that used the amber lenses experienced significant improvement in sleep quality and mood. Some studies have also showed that using the glasses can greatly help individuals who suffer from insomnia. If individuals have to stay up late because of work, school, or for any other reason while using electronic devices it would be beneficial to consider using blue light blocking glasses, something easily accessible and rather inexpensive, so that when you actually decide to go to sleep your body won’t have to try to play catch up and get your body ready for bed.
Another possible solution is to configure your electronic devices to use a “night mode” or eye saver mode. A 2018 study examined the effect of young adults using an iPad from 11:00pm to 1:00am with different degrees of brightness and warmness (amount of blue light being emitted). The researchers concluded that while using Apple's night shift mode did reduce melatonin suppression, it was not by a significant amount. The study's main takeaway was that changing the screen color or warmth alone is insufficient for reducing the effect of melatonin suppression. The research recommends lowering screen brightness to its lowest possible setting seeing that it is just as effective, if not more effective, as compared to using Apple’s night shift mode. Now this is not comparable to Microsoft Windows version, night light, where it can have a significantly warmer screen color.
It is worth noting that these things do not need to be used throughout the entirety of the day. Throughout parts of the day your body is exposed to sunlight, hopefully, which signals to your body that it is time to turn on. All of your organ systems such as liver and kidney function, digestion, and metabolism increase back to normal daily value. Your brain and body are flooded with hormones to lower your arousal level so that you are more “awake” and perceive the stimulus around you. Using blue blocking glasses or night light modes on electronic devices will not have a severe effect considering your body is getting blue light from lights, sunlight, and other stimuli.
Convincing someone to stop looking at their phone or computer before bed is nearly impossible, and is a problem a majority of people in the United States suffer from. Highlighting the importance of preventative measures and mitigation tactics of hurting your sleep will not only allow you to wake up feeling more rested, but it will improve your health as well. As director of the Center for Human Sleep Science at the University of California, Berkeley, Matthew Walker put it, “the shorter your sleep, the shorter your life. The leading causes of disease and death in developed nations - diseases that are crippling health-care systems, such as heart disease, obesity, dementia, diabetes, and cancer - all have recognized casual links to a lack of sleep.”
Citations
Figueiro, MG, et al. “The Impact of Light from Computer Monitors on Melatonin Levels in College Students.” Neuro Enocrinology Letters, 32(2), 2011, pp. 158–63.
Jackson, Hallie. “Sleepless in America: How Digital Devices Keep Us Up All Night.” NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, 25 June 2015, www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news/sleepless-america-how-digital-devices-keep-us-all-night-n381251.
Kimberly, Burkhart, and Phelps James R. “Amber Lenses To Block Blue Light And Improve Sleep: A Randomized Trial.” Chronobiology International, vol. 26, no. 8, 23 Dec. 2009, pp. 1602–1612., doi:10.3109/07420520903523719.
Lely, Stéphanie Van Der, et al. “Blue Blocker Glasses as a Countermeasure for Alerting Effects of Evening Light-Emitting Diode Screen Exposure in Male Teenagers.” Journal of Adolescent Health, vol. 56, no. 1, 2015, pp. 113–119., doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2014.08.002.
Mullaney, Rebecca. “New LRC Study Evaluates the Effectiveness of Apple's IPad Night Shift Application.” Lighting Research Center, 5 Feb. 2018, https://www.lrc.rpi.edu/resources/newsroom/pr_story.asp?id=383#.XnOx6KhKhJ_.
Shechter, Ari, et al. “Blocking Nocturnal Blue Light for Insomnia: A Randomized Controlled Trial.” Journal of Psychiatric Research, vol. 96, 2018, pp. 196–202., doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2017.10.015.
Many individuals claim that they need to use these devices for work, school, and/or relaxation before bed. The reason this is bad is because your body's organs, brain, hormones, and bodily functions work literally like a clock, to an extent. The electronics you are using are emitting short-wavelength artificial blue light. Typically your body follows a schedule in which your pineal gland releases melatonin (a hormone that helps your body to know when it is time to sleep and wake up) with peak levels occurring at night. Blue light reduces the amount of melatonin that is secreted into your body, causing a delay in your bedtime and causing you to feel more aroused. The importance of sacrificing electronics for better quality and more sleep deserves its own article, so for this article, I will be examining potential solutions for improving sleep while still using electronics before bed. This article will examine the benefits of using blue light blocker glasses, changing the lighting in your room, and adjustments you can make to your devices, all with the goal of improving your sleep.
One easy solution to mitigate the harmful effects of blue light before bed is the use of blue light-blocking glasses (BB). A 2015 study examined 13 teenage males who wore BBs during the evening hours while using an LED screen. Participants’ melatonin secretion, subjective sleepiness, and attention were then assessed on a regular basis with sleep being recorded on a polysomnography (a test conducted to study sleep). The researchers found that using BBs significantly reduced melatonin suppression, attention, and alertness before bedtime, effectively making individuals more tired before bed. Although, other studies have shown that using glasses that block ultraviolet light alone is not as effective when compared to using amber glasses that block large percentages of blue light. This study found that participants that used the amber lenses experienced significant improvement in sleep quality and mood. Some studies have also showed that using the glasses can greatly help individuals who suffer from insomnia. If individuals have to stay up late because of work, school, or for any other reason while using electronic devices it would be beneficial to consider using blue light blocking glasses, something easily accessible and rather inexpensive, so that when you actually decide to go to sleep your body won’t have to try to play catch up and get your body ready for bed.
Another possible solution is to configure your electronic devices to use a “night mode” or eye saver mode. A 2018 study examined the effect of young adults using an iPad from 11:00pm to 1:00am with different degrees of brightness and warmness (amount of blue light being emitted). The researchers concluded that while using Apple's night shift mode did reduce melatonin suppression, it was not by a significant amount. The study's main takeaway was that changing the screen color or warmth alone is insufficient for reducing the effect of melatonin suppression. The research recommends lowering screen brightness to its lowest possible setting seeing that it is just as effective, if not more effective, as compared to using Apple’s night shift mode. Now this is not comparable to Microsoft Windows version, night light, where it can have a significantly warmer screen color.
It is worth noting that these things do not need to be used throughout the entirety of the day. Throughout parts of the day your body is exposed to sunlight, hopefully, which signals to your body that it is time to turn on. All of your organ systems such as liver and kidney function, digestion, and metabolism increase back to normal daily value. Your brain and body are flooded with hormones to lower your arousal level so that you are more “awake” and perceive the stimulus around you. Using blue blocking glasses or night light modes on electronic devices will not have a severe effect considering your body is getting blue light from lights, sunlight, and other stimuli.
Convincing someone to stop looking at their phone or computer before bed is nearly impossible, and is a problem a majority of people in the United States suffer from. Highlighting the importance of preventative measures and mitigation tactics of hurting your sleep will not only allow you to wake up feeling more rested, but it will improve your health as well. As director of the Center for Human Sleep Science at the University of California, Berkeley, Matthew Walker put it, “the shorter your sleep, the shorter your life. The leading causes of disease and death in developed nations - diseases that are crippling health-care systems, such as heart disease, obesity, dementia, diabetes, and cancer - all have recognized casual links to a lack of sleep.”
Citations
Figueiro, MG, et al. “The Impact of Light from Computer Monitors on Melatonin Levels in College Students.” Neuro Enocrinology Letters, 32(2), 2011, pp. 158–63.
Jackson, Hallie. “Sleepless in America: How Digital Devices Keep Us Up All Night.” NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, 25 June 2015, www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news/sleepless-america-how-digital-devices-keep-us-all-night-n381251.
Kimberly, Burkhart, and Phelps James R. “Amber Lenses To Block Blue Light And Improve Sleep: A Randomized Trial.” Chronobiology International, vol. 26, no. 8, 23 Dec. 2009, pp. 1602–1612., doi:10.3109/07420520903523719.
Lely, Stéphanie Van Der, et al. “Blue Blocker Glasses as a Countermeasure for Alerting Effects of Evening Light-Emitting Diode Screen Exposure in Male Teenagers.” Journal of Adolescent Health, vol. 56, no. 1, 2015, pp. 113–119., doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2014.08.002.
Mullaney, Rebecca. “New LRC Study Evaluates the Effectiveness of Apple's IPad Night Shift Application.” Lighting Research Center, 5 Feb. 2018, https://www.lrc.rpi.edu/resources/newsroom/pr_story.asp?id=383#.XnOx6KhKhJ_.
Shechter, Ari, et al. “Blocking Nocturnal Blue Light for Insomnia: A Randomized Controlled Trial.” Journal of Psychiatric Research, vol. 96, 2018, pp. 196–202., doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2017.10.015.
Proudly powered by Weebly