In recent years humanity is facing newly occurred and serious health disorders that affect all age groups and genders. Illnesses that people were not familiar with before, or as we like to refer to “not discovered yet”, are a result of what we today call “modern living”. Modern living, especially the invention of artificial lights has significantly changed the way people function and has disrupted the natural biorhythm of the human body.
Light has enabled people to operate in the dark, thus proceed working or socializing. As much as this helped humanity in overall development and made life easier, it evolved in а necessary evil incorporated in every aspect of our lives. Moreover, this led to overuse of artificial light included in all of the helpful devices we rely on today, including TV, computers and cellphones.
Exposure to artificial light in a modern setting is inevitable. However, there are some serious health concerns linked to the overuse of light-emitting devices one should be aware of. In this article we will discuss the negative effects of the blue light emission on the overall health and why you need blue light blocking glasses in order to protect yourself from harm.
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Blue Light and its Effects on the Body
The human body has its own circadian rhythm that is regulated by the natural occurrence of light and dark. Naturally, when the eyes perceive light the body is aware that it’s day outside and it secretes certain hormones that keep the body awake and energized for optimal functioning. On the contrary, when there is an absence of light, the body is preparing to fall asleep and hibernate in order to rest and restore.
Blue light is a color that is visible in the light spectrum of colors and we can see it with our eyes. Moreover, the blue light is contained in the natural sunlight and when the eyes perceive this light they inform the body that it’s day. Unfortunately, when the same blue light is emitted from LED bulbs, fluorescent lights, smartphones, or tablets, it affects our circadian rhythm the same as natural light, regardless of what is the time at the particular moment of exposure.
The circadian rhythm is the human’s natural, internal clock for the body. It regulates the sleep-wake cycle which is the main precursor for optimal body functioning. That being said, anything that might interfere with the circadian rhythm and natural cycles imposes a danger to the overall health and wellbeing.
The Negative Effects of the Blue Light Emission
All the electronic gadgets present in a household together with the new eco-friendly and more potent street and household lamps, emit brighter and bluish light. The over-exposure to such lightning significantly affects the natural sleep-wake cycle. Lying in bed looking at the phone, the light your eyes perceive signals the brain that it’s day and you do not feel sleepy. This is a result of the absence of melatonin, the hormone that puts the body to sleep and it’s secreted once the eyes perceive the absence of light.
In some people, overexposure to blue light results in difficulties in falling asleep. Working using a computer device, frequently using smartphones and watching TV before going to sleep, may permanently disrupt the sleep-wake cycle, resulting in insomnia problems. Later on, sleep deprivation may result in tiredness, fatigue, brain fog, low energy and ultimately lead to mental disorders or illnesses.
Other people that are also exposed to frequent blue light emissions, may not experience such severe effects, at least for some period of time. However, not having a problem falling asleep does not exclude the possibility of sleeping poorly. One may be able to fall asleep, but probably not as quickly as it should. Moreover, the quality of sleep differs depending on the melatonin levels in the body, meaning one may not sleep as deeply and as restful as it is able to. The sleep quality, which may vary, will predetermine the overall health quality.
With all that being explained, the over-exposure to blue light emission will to some extent damage a person’s health.
Here are the most common health problems that occur from sleep deprivation, disrupted sleep-wake cycle and low quality sleep:
- Weakened immunity
- Irregular heartbeat
- Heart diseases
- High Blood pressure
- Insomnia
- Depression
- Diabetes
- Weight gain
- Memory Issues
- Lack of motivation
- Low sex drive
Additionally, the blue light will affect eyes health. Common eye diseases and problems that occur from overexposure to blue light emission are:
- Sore and irritated eyes
- Vision problems
- High eye pressure
- Impaired vision
How to Protect Yourself from the Harm
Acknowledging the negative effects of the blue light on the overall health and wellbeing, that may potentially lead to serious health disorders, has sparked the invention of specific light blocking glasses. The glasses are an excellent solution that blocks the blue light to penetrate the eyes and its normal functioning.
Apart from the very much recommended use of glasses here are several other percussions to take in order to protect your health:
- Cut out all screens several hours before going to bed
- Limit the daily exposure to not more than 8 hours in front of a blue light emitting screen
- Use home lightning and bulbs that do not emit blue light (replace them with red LED lights or older incandescent bulbs)
- Expose yourself to plenty of daylight and a healthy diet to improve your sleep quality and durability