📚Beating Back the Bedtime Blues

If you find yourself struggling to fall asleep these days, it might be the setting you're in that's at fault. A myriad of elements play a role in ensuring a restful night, with cozy bedding being one of them. However, certain items in our sleeping spaces, like smartphones, often disrupt our sleep. While there are individuals who simply find it hard to sleep due to an inability to quiet their thoughts about daily concerns such as work, education, health, and beyond, others might be dealing with insomnia as a result of using electronic gadgets before bed.

The digital screens on our flat-screen TVs, computers and smartphones emit blue light. While blue light wavelengths are present everywhere, natural blue light is not the same as artificial blue light, which is the type emitted by our electronic devices.

Natural blue light, present in sunlight, helps regulate our bodies’ sleep and wake cycles, makes us feel more alert and lifts our spirits. In fact, blue light therapy is often used to treat seasonal affective disorder, which causes feelings of sadness and symptoms of depression in some people due to the lack of exposure to sunlight in the winter months.

On the other hand, artificial blue light from electronic devices can have negative impacts. While the natural blue light from the sun does not harm our eyes, prolonged exposure to artificial blue light causes eye strain and retinal damage, which can be very serious. Those who use computers and other devices for long periods of time can protect their eyes with blue light filter glasses.

Continue reading to learn more about blue light and its effects on our bodies.