So I have heard that to much exposure to specifically blue light can make it harder to sleep but how?I mean it’s light and blue is seen as a calming color so how can exposure to to much blue light make it harder to sleep?
In: Biology
Some studies have shown that exposure to blue light suppresses the secretion of the hormone melatonin, which is a critical hormone in regulating our sleep cycles.
Before the invention of screens, this was a non-issue, as the only naturally occurring source of blue light was the sun. It is theorized that this is _why_ melatonin is impacted by blue light – when the sun is out (and we need to be awake) melatonin is suppressed, and when the sun sets (and we should sleep) that suppression stops. We evolved to use the wavelengths that only the sun produces, as opposed to light from fires, to align with that need.
The problem in modern times is that many of the devices we use day and night produce blue light. Our TVs, computers and phones are blasting us with blue light, which is impacting our body’s ability to know when it should be awake vs. be asleep.
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