Did you know that the blue light that emits from electronic devices affects our sleep ?
This is especially true for teenagers. Studies have shown that teenagers are in fact, more sensitive to this light than adults! While all of these electronic devices such as computer screens, tablets, smart phones and tablets emit light of all colours, it is the blue that poses such a risk to our health.
Here’s why. Blue light (the same light that comes from the sun) is particularly useful at preventing the release of melatonin – a hormone that is released from the pineal gland in the brain generally a few hours before bed time. This hormone helps us to reduce alertness and makes us become sleepier. It is the blue light, however, that stops the pineal gland from releasing melatonin and thus warding off sleep, and keeping us awake.
Even just a portion of the blue light that hits the eye is enough to make the gland stop releasing melatonin. So, as sleep deprived teenagers, who are more vulnerable to the effects of blue light than adults, take to their laptops and tablets before bed this just makes it harder for them to get a ‘good night’s sleep’.
It is hard enough during adolescence when the circadian rhythm shifts and teens feel more awake later at night. Firing up electronic devices, or even the TV just before bedtime will just increase the awake time. The effects of this can lead to really tired and drowsy teenagers the following day who will often then turn to a caffeinated pick me up or a sugar laden energy drink which then has the potential to lead to an unhealthy cycle of habits.
The recommended amount of sleep for our teens is around 8.5 to 10 hours and many studies have shown that the blue light in our electronic devices can play havoc with our body’s rhythm.
Aside from keeping us awake, other health concerns related to exposure of this blue light include:
Digital Eye Strain: This includes symptoms such as blurry vision, difficulty in focussing, dry and irritated eyes, headaches, neck and back pain.
Macular Degeneration: There is growing evidence that blue light exposure can cause permanent eye damage and contributes to the destruction of the cells in the centre of the retina.
So, now what?
There are a few ways to combat this. One is to counteract the effects of the blue light emission using;
- various Apps for mobile phones
- special screens that can be fitted to computers or laptop
- special eye ware that can be worn
Or, other actions can include:
- adjusting the brightness on your screen in the control settings
- dim surrounding lights
- increase text size on the screen
- blink more often during use
- take breaks more often
And of course the more obvious, limit the amount of time spent on devices (particularly during the night)!
Resources: http://www.bluelightexposed.com