While emf radiation is a major danger of electronic devices, it isn’t the only one. By now, you may have heard of the term blue light and that it’s dangerous or should be avoided. But how true is that? And what exactly is blue light? Let’s take a closer look at the facts to determine whether or not blue light is something you should be concerned about.
What is Blue Light?
The visible light spectrum contains many different colors, each containing various amounts of energy. Any time your eyes are exposed to light, whether it’s via sunlight, a lamp in your room, your cell phone or any other electronic device, you’re absorbing a variety of light rays. Each of these frequencies of light causes its own effects in the body.
Specifically, sunlight contains various shades of red, orange, yellow, green, and blue light rays. This spectrum of light rays is what’s called white light and is the visible light spectrum. The longer the wavelength of the light ray, the less amount of energy it carries and vice versa.
For example, light rays that are closer to the red end of the light spectrum like red and orange have longer wavelengths so they carry less energy. Light rays that are closer to the blue end of the light spectrum have shorter wavelengths, therefore carrying more energy. This is where blue light emitted from devices comes into play.
Blue light rays have the shortest wavelengths within the light spectrum, meaning that they also have the highest amount of energy. Sometimes blue light is also referred to as blue-violet or violet light. This is because just beyond the visible light spectrum lies the invisible electromagnetic rays called ultraviolet light or UV radiation.
Negative Health Effects Caused by Blue Light
Many people have become increasingly aware of the negative impact that blue light can have on your eyes. Within the visible light spectrum, blue light (with a wavelength between 415 nm and 455 nm) is most closely associated with eye damage.
The blue light itself is able to pass through the cornea and the lens of the eye to the retina causing damage along the way. Some of the damage induces symptoms like dry eyes, cataracts, and macular degeneration. Blue light can also stimulate the brain and inhibit melatonin secretion.
Melatonin is a hormone that is secreted by the pineal gland that plays a major role in sleep and reproductive cycles. It also plays a part in modulating certain functions of the immune system.
Exposure to blue light can also enhance adrenocortical hormone production which can throw hormones out of balance and have a direct impact on the quality of sleep a person gets. According to research, a wavelength of light anywhere between 300 and 400 nm can penetrate through the cornea and go on to be absorbed by the iris or pupil. Since blue light is a high energy light frequency between 415 and 455 nm, it is considered to be harmful.
Blue Light’s Effects on the Eyes
The cornea lies at the frontmost part of the eye and is the first structure that encounters all light passing through. Studies have shown that blue light increases reactive oxygen species (ROS) production within corneal epithelial cells. This causes inflammation and oxidative damage within the eye itself. One of the major signs you may be experiencing inflammation in the eye due to blue light exposure is dry eyes.
Dry eyes can be an indicator of many things, but if you find that after using your cell phone or laptop for some time that your eyes seem dryer and more irritated than normal, you may be experiencing symptoms of inflammation. Topical antioxidants were found to help temporarily relieve the symptoms and discomfort associated with dry eyes.
Cataracts are known to be the leading cause of blindness worldwide and are the result of lens opacity. The lens of the eye contains structural proteins, enzymes, and protein metabolites that all absorb short light (or high energy) light waves such as blue light. The absorption of blue light can greatly increase your risk of developing cataracts.
Blue light also has an impact on the retina. The retina is the initial site of vision formation and is also the primary location of many eye diseases that can lead to blindness. However, the retina itself plays an important role in helping to prevent the development of potentially blinding diseases.
When exposed to blue light, the retina can receive photochemical damage and overall degeneration. Studies done on mice showed that there was a direct impact of blue light exposure on the retina which resulted in an increased inflammatory response and cell damage after the destruction of the blood-retinal barrier.
Blue Light’s Effects on Circadian Rhythm
We’ve all heard that it’s not good to use your phone or other electronics right before bed since they can interfere with your sleep. This is due to the blue light emitted by electronic devices. Blue light has an impact on your body’s circadian rhythm. The circadian rhythm is the body’s natural, internal “clock” that regulates our wake and sleep cycles.
Blue light emitted from screens can actually delay the body’s release of melatonin, the hormone that makes you feel sleepy. This ends up increasing your alertness when using the devices and delaying your natural sleep patterns. This is why you might find it hard to get to sleep at night, especially after using your phone, scrolling through social media feeds, or even reading on your tablet or Kindle device.
Under normal conditions, your body naturally begins to secrete melatonin from the pineal gland around a couple of hours before bedtime. The melatonin reaches its peak levels in the middle of the night. This is why it becomes harder and harder to fight against sleep the longer you try to stay awake. However, when blue light is added into the equation the natural internal clock gets thrown out of whack.
Blue light “resets” the circadian rhythm and gives you a boost of artificial alertness at a time when your body is supposed to be preparing for rest. This means you’ll have a much more difficult time finally falling asleep as well as less REM sleep when you finally do. REM (rapid eye movement) sleep is the period of sleep when you have dreams, bodily movement, and a faster pulse and breathing rate.
Having enough nightly REM sleep is associated with better learning, memory improvements, and a more stable mood during the day. Not getting enough REM sleep can mean negative implications for your emotional and physical health. A few common characteristics of REM sleep include:
- Rapid eye movement
- Changes in body temperature
- Fast or irregular breathing
- Increased heart rate
- Brain activity equal to wakefulness
- Increased oxygen consumption by the brain
- Twitching limbs
Some people also experience a state of temporary paralysis which is completely normal and is experienced as the brain sends signals to the spinal cord to stop the movement of the arms and legs. This state is also known as atonia and is believed to be a protective mechanism initiated by the body to prevent any injury that may occur due to the acting out of dreams. Without getting enough REM sleep on a nightly basis, you may wake up feeling sleepier even after sleeping for 8 hours.
A study that was done at Havard University also suggested a link between blue light exposure at night and an increased risk of diabetes and obesity. The researchers put 10 people on a schedule that was meant to gradually shift their circadian rhythms. What was found was that the participants experienced increased blood sugar levels, which moved them into the prediabetic range, and their levels of leptin (a hormone that helps you feel full after eating) decreased.
These findings show that even a slight or temporary alteration in the circadian rhythm can have significant, and potentially lasting health impacts. They also found that even a dim light (about twice the brightness of a night light) has the potential to interfere with a person’s circadian rhythm and melatonin secretion. This is why the bright blue light emitted by electronic devices can have an even greater impact on our overall health.
Blue Light’s Effects on Skin
Over recent decades, the average person is exposed to less natural light and more artificial light than in prior years. The skin is a major target of oxidative stress induced by exposure to blue light. The link between oxidative stress and aging has been well documented.
Some studies have shown that exposure of the skin cells to just 1 hour of blue light can cause skin damage as well as accelerated skin aging (including premature wrinkles). This, however, would more than likely need to be on a consistent and repeated basis. Any damage to the skin that comes from exposure to blue light would be damage that occurs over time.
Long-term exposure to blue light can cause damage to the skin that includes color changes, inflammation and even a weakening of the skin’s surface. This means you can develop fine lines and wrinkles prematurely due to over-exposure to blue light. The blue light acts as a stressor to your skin when exposed to consistently, which is what most of us do on a daily basis.
The major difference between the impact of blue light from the sun and blue light from our phones for our skin is the fact that our phones are a whole lot closer to us than the sun is. Since we spend so much time using them close to our eyes and face, the health issues begin to arise.
We check our phones multiple times per day, and for some people, spend more time on our phones than we do actually sleeping. This amount of use is what dramatically increases our risk of skin damage when it comes to using devices that emit blue light.
Minimal use or exposure to blue light won’t cause immediate or visible damage to the skin right away, as the effects are cumulative. With that being said, it’s still a good idea to limit the amount of time you spend in front of the screen, especially if you suffer from a pre-existing skin condition—such as eczema or psoriasis.
Positive Effects of Blue Light
As we learned earlier, blue light is part of the visible light spectrum and emanates naturally from the sun. Blue light is most harmful to humans when we are exposed to it in high amounts, for extended periods of time, or at the wrong time of the day (late at night or right before bed). With that in mind, it is not inherently negative. There are some beneficial aspects to it.
Blue light is known to help boost alertness. The blue light that comes from sunlight gives us a boost in energy and alertness when we’re exposed to it. This is one of the reasons why you feel more alert and full of energy when outside on a bright and sunny day.
Natural levels of blue light can also help to improve your memory and cognitive functions, as well as lift your mood. Even though the amount of blue light you receive from your smartphone is small in comparison to the amount you get from the sun, it is the long-term effects of being exposed to it on a consistent basis that concerns researchers, as well as the close proximity in which we use it.
When absorbed in the correct amounts, blue light from the sun is able to help keep your circadian rhythm in sync. Being exposed to blue light during the daytime is actually a good thing. It can help ensure that the circadian rhythm is in its healthful, natural state. Too much blue light at night, however, is when the issues arise. This disturbs the wake and sleep cycle and can lead to other issues such as daytime tiredness and feeling drowsy.
It is also suspected that not enough exposure to sunlight in children can affect the growth and development of the eyes and cause changes in vision. This is believed to be in part the cause of the recent increase in myopia or nearsightedness in children and adults.
Blue light can be beneficial if received in the correct amounts during the right time of the day. This doesn’t mean that it’s okay to opt to stay indoors on an electronic device during the day rather than going out to get sun. Sunlight provides you with the correct amount of blue light that you need in order to maintain optimum health and keep all of the body’s systems in balance.
Keep in mind that you’ll also be absorbing other forms of light that the sun emits and they all play a role in balancing your health. Blue light from devices also isn’t a substitute for the Vitamin D that your body will produce after being exposed to natural sunlight.
How to Protect Yourself From Harmful Blue Light
There are many ways you can protect yourself against harmful blue light exposure. One of the simplest things you can do is to simply cut back on the amount of time spent in front of screens. This might be easier said than done, especially if your line of work requires you to be at the computer screen all day. If possible, try to limit the amount of time you spend on a screen outside of work. Start by reducing your time by 30 minutes a day if you can.
Another method you can try is to opt for physical books instead of reading from your tablet or smartphone. Many people enjoy reading before bed, but if you’re reading from a smartphone, tablet, or even a backlit Kindle device, you may be doing more harm than good. Soaking in the extra blue light around bedtime can keep you up later than you planned and leave you feeling exhausted the next day.
Be sure to avoid using your smartphone, tablet, or laptop in the dark. This can cause further eye strain on top of the damage that blue light is already capable of. Never stare at a screen for long periods of time in the dark. If you find yourself needing to use your phone at night, be sure to leave enough light in the room so that you’re not putting unnecessary strain on your eyes.
You can also lower your screen’s brightness so that you’re not absorbing as much light directly into your eyes. Although lowering the brightness won’t filter out the blue light that is being emitted, it will reduce the amount of eye strain you experience by lowering the amount of harsh light that enters the eye.
The next thing you can try that is very effective is a blue light filter. Many phones and tablets do come with a “night mode” or blue light filter built-in. You can switch on these modes to automatically reduce the amount of blue light you’re exposed to. If you own a phone or tablet that doesn’t already come with these features built-in, you can always try looking for apps that can be downloaded instead.
There are many apps available that are effective at blocking out blue light. Many of them will also allow you to set a timer so that the blue light filter will turn on automatically after a certain time. This is great for those that do have to be on their phone or laptop into the evening hours, as the blue light filter will turn on automatically to allow your eyes to have a break from the blue light, just as they naturally would if being exposed to natural lighting.
Finally, another effective way to protect yourself from excessive blue light is by wearing blue light blocking glasses like these on Amazon. This is a great option for those that work on computers all day long or into the night and do not have the option to use blue light filters or reduce their time on screens.
Blue light blocking glasses are able to filter out the blue wavelengths that come from different types of screens. Glasses like these can help your body wind down and get the rest it needs at night.
Keep in mind that blue light makes you feel more alert and awake. This seems like a plus, but it can wreak havoc on your body over an extended period of time. It is important to allow the body to go through its normal circadian cycles of wakefulness and sleep so that your hormones stay within balance and diseases don’t develop.
Recommended Products and Conclusion
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Blue light is a naturally occurring light that is essential to human health. There are many benefits associated with having an adequate amount of exposure to it. However, it can also be harmful if coming from artificial sources and when being exposed to for extended periods of time, such as late into the night.
As with many things in life, the key is moderation. You don’t have to stop using your devices completely or constantly have a blue light filter turned on. Simply being aware and knowing the risks involved will help you make smarter choices and limit your exposure time to within safe and healthy limits.
Blue light can help to keep your hormones in balance and it can completely throw them out of sync. Therefore it isn’t harmful in and of itself—what matters is how we use it. Practicing moderation with electronic devices and getting adequate natural sunlight will help keep things in balance and greatly reduce your risk of experiencing negative health impacts.