Miscellaneous Technology

How Blue Light Affects Sleep Deprivation

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We all know it can be quite difficult to achieve sleep at times, but do you know what some of the potential causes of sleep deprivation could be? One of the biggest factors is blue light — which is generally emitted from your electronics. This can cause a serious problem in how you sleep and very well contribute to sleep deprivation. 

Blue LEDs have become the standard for lighting over recent years, mainly because of how energy efficient they are while still providing ample, quality lighting. If you own a television or smartphone or anything else that has an LED screen, odds are that yours has blue light.

While this may come with significant benefits, it is also notorious for disrupting sleep. When we lose out on sleep due to disruption in our life, this can lead to very serious health effects. 

This article aims to go over how blue light affects sleep deprivation, how to recognize the problem, and what to do about it. Hopefully, after you have read these tips, you will be on your way to fixing the issue and getting a better night’s sleep.

Recognizing the problem

Are you using too many electronics before bed? Do you have issues with turning them off or moderating use? These could be warning signs that your electronics might be disturbing your sleep.

Blue light has a specific way of disrupting our sleep cycles. Our circadian rhythm depends on detecting how much light and darkness there is through our eyes, which then signals our body when it is time for bed. However, blue light acts as artificial light, which ends up confusing our body’s internal clock rhythm. 

You can see how this would easily connect with sleep deprivation because most electronic devices have some form of artificial light. If you are prone to using yours right before bed or if you have a habit of staying up at night obsessively checking social media, then you might be affected by this.

Usually, this tends to happen when we experience FOMO or fear of missing out. We tend to want to check the status updates of our friends and families frequently, which can make us seriously damage our sleep cycles.

Recognizing the problem is absolutely key in combating this since the first step to a solution is setting a proper schedule around your device usage.

Taking action 

If you have problems keeping your device away during a specific period of time, you should definitely make a schedule to moderate activity. For starters, you can get your social media activities out of the way earlier on in the day, rather than all at once before bedtime. 

You are less likely to damage your sleep schedule when you don’t use the internet or electronic devices right before bed. You should also be aware of what you are doing on social media, as it can sometimes give you stress that may not disappear after an hour or so. If you have a problem with personal relationships keeping you up at night due to stress, you may have to work your schedule around this. 

What might also help you to sleep soundly at night is to take a light jog an hour or so before bed. The physical activity helps put you at ease and creates a better sense of relaxation. 

It might help you to start off slow with this new schedule. Don’t go cold turkey and don’t try to put any extreme limits on how much you use your devices. Cutting everything off an hour or so before bed is good practice to start.

If you simply cannot cut back on electronic time for personal or work reasons, you can reduce your exposure to blue light via glasses with blue light blocking coatings or with apps and computer settings designed to counter the effects. This is a good practice for anyone who spends a lot of time on electronics regardless of their nightly schedule.

Alleviating sleep deprivation from blue light

While prevention goes a long way in improving our sleep, you may already be suffering from sleep deprivation, as many adults do.

There are some accessories you can use to help with this as well. Sleep masks, for example, can come in handy for blocking out light to help you relax at night. Ambient sound machines might be great, as well, as they can help calm your environment.

Conclusion

It can be difficult to reverse the harmful effects of blue light, but it is not impossible to do with the right information at hand. You might want to be aware of how blue light can upset your sleep cycles, and make sleep schedules around this to help alleviate some of the negative side effects. If you are ever unsure of where to begin, you should always ask a medical professional for advice.

About the author

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Michael Dawson

Michael enjoys good sleep and good food. When he's not buried in his writing, he can also be found watching television, movies, or playing the occasional video game. He wants to travel across Europe one day and discover new sights, but until then, he's a busy beaver. https://www.sleepadvisor.org/