A Week without Seeing Blue: The Effects of Using Blue Light Glasses for an Entire Week
Overexposure to blue light can have a number of detrimental effects on a person. Thankfully, just one week of blue light detox can reverse most, if not all, of these negative effects.
By now, everyone is well aware of blue light and its effects on the human body. With the advent of screens – televisions, phones, and computers – grew the risks of overexposure to blue light. And as this technology evolves and becomes more accessible to the public, the need for more counter-measures like blue light glasses arises.
What are Blue Light Glasses?
Blue light glasses are glasses specifically designed to protect one’s eyes by filtering out blue light. These glasses are coated with special filters that reduce, if not totally block out blue light from screens.
Of course, the best way to avoid overexposure to blue light is to avoid screen exposure. But in this day and age, with screens in our faces anywhere we go, it’s practically impossible to do so. So these glasses were created to allow people to counter all the negative effects they were experiencing due to blue light exposure while preventing any further damage from happening.
Effects of Blue Light Overexposure on a Person
On the visible light spectrum, blue light rays are the shortest but they also have the highest energy. While it’s built up a bad reputation over the years for all its negative effects, blue light isn’t all that bad. In fact, some exposure to blue light is actually needed for good health. Studies have shown that exposure to blue light can help improve one’s memory and cognitive function.
Blue light is also shown to boost people’s alertness and mood. In fact, blue light is used in a light therapy treatment for seasonal affective disorder – depression caused the changing seasons, especially during the fall and winter months when a person’s sunlight exposure can be limited.
Blue light is also important in the regulation of one’s circadian rhythm.
Like most things in life, too much of a good thing is bad. Overexposure to blue light can offset all the above mentioned benefits, especially if it comes from an artificial source.
Disrupting of Circadian Rhythm
Although blue light helps regulate one’s circadian rhythm when it comes from a natural source (sunlight), too much of it, especially at night, can actually disrupt one’s circadian rhythm.
Exposing oneself to blue light at a time when blue light isn’t naturally available tricks the body into thinking that it’s still daytime when it’s not. The body will not be able to “prepare for sleep” or proceed with its natural processes that get the body ready for slumber.
If you notice yourself having difficulty falling asleep despite being tired, overexposure to blue light could be the cause. In fact, it’s one of the most common causes of sleep deprivation.
Eyestrain and Eye Damage
Blue light can cause damage to one’s eyes. Too much blue light can cause uncomfortable eyestrain at the very least. Digital eyestrain causes fatigue and dry eyes. Eyes can easily be irritated or sore. One would experience difficulty focusing their vision, as well.
In more severe cases, exposure to blue light over time could damage one’s retinal cells and cause macular degeneration. Worst case scenario? Blindness.
Risk of Illness and Disease
This is more related to blue light’s negative effects on one’s circadian rhythm. Because the body is not able to function normally, it puts one at an increased risk of illnesses and disease. This includes certain cancers, diabetes, heart disease, and obesity.
Risk of Depression
As mentioned earlier, blue light is used to treat seasonal depression. Ironically, too much blue light can actually put one at risk of depression. This is also because blue light messes up one’s natural body processes.
Wearing Blue Light Glasses for a Week
The use of blue light glasses is becoming an increasingly popular way to reduce one’s blue light exposure.
Because blue light still has its benefits to the human body despite its many negative effects, it isn’t advisable to totally block it from one’s life. The best way to deal with this is to limit one’s exposure to artificial blue light, especially towards the end of the day.
If one is already suffering from all the negative effects of blue light overexposure, one can use blue light glasses to go on a blue light detox and experience drastic changes in as early as a week.
Easier to Fall Asleep
Using the glasses to eliminate blue light exposure at night only exposes the body to natural blue light during the day. In just a couple of days doing this, one would notice how much easier it would be for them to fall asleep at night when they have to.
With no exposure to artificial blue light at night, the production of the melatonin hormone won’t be delayed. The body will understand that it is time to produce the natural melatonin it needs to prepare for sleep.
Improved Sleep Quality
After one experiences ease in falling asleep, an improvement in the quality of one’s sleep will soon follow. Because blue light blocks the body from performing its natural processes to get it ready for sleep, it’s difficult for someone overexposed to blue light to get good quality sleep.
This means that they’re not reaching deep sleep levels and are often only asleep for short periods of time, not actually reaching the recommended 8-hour mark.
A week of blue light detox can get one back on track, allowing them to experience good quality sleep as they normally should.
Relaxed Eyes – Less Strain & Sensitivity
One wouldn’t even need a week to experience the relief that these special glasses can provide for one’s eyes. One would immediately feel the difference using these glasses has on the eyes when working on a computer, scrolling through one’s Facebook feed on a smartphone, or watching TV – there would be less to no eye strain and sensitivity to light.