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How can blue light affect your health?

Men's Health, Mental Health, Women's Health / By

How can blue light affect your health?

  •  Waves vary in length.
  • Longer waves mean it is carrying less energy.
  • Blue length waves are short which means they carry high energy.
  • They are less powerful with a little longer wavelength than Ultraviolet waves.
  • Blue light improves mood and boosts attention in the daytime.
  • After sundown, blue light exposure increases that’s why we are prone to the adverse effects at night.
  • According to health experts, UV radiations carry harmful effects and blue light waves are nearly as powerful.
  • Therefore, a set of precautions should be kept in mind while dealing with blue light rays.
  • Blue light is emitted from:
  • Compact Florescent Light (CFC’s) bulbs.
  • LEDs
  • Electronic devices i.e., cell phones, computers, televisions etc.

Blue light’s effect on Eyes

Retinal Damage
  • The Cornea and lens protect the sensitive retina from UV radiations.
  • Their structure cannot keep the blue light from entering.
  • Therefore, this blue light damages the retinal cells.
  • According to the Indian Journal of Ophthalmology’s 2020 study based on COVID-19’s lockdowns implied that 32.4% of the sample population used blue light-emitting devices for approximately 9hours.
  • There has been no retinal damage in humans according to the research.
  • But animals have shown retinal damage due to blue light.
  • According to doctors, there is still no proof that this light causes retinal damage in a human eye.
  • Recently, doctors reported distorted vision and a retinal lesion in a woman who was using an LED mask (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7302677/).
  • As LED devices are new that is why there is no long-term study to seek the harmful effects of blue light from.
Digital eye strain
  • Using devices for longer periods or near the eyes can cause eye strain.
  • People remain focused on the gadgets and forget to blink in the normal duration which leads to less moisture in the eyes.
  • Lack of moisture results in eye strain.
    Some symptoms are:
  • Facial muscles fatigue because of squinting
  • Sore eyes
  • Irritation in eyes
  • Dry eyes
  • Blurred vision
  • Headaches
Blue Light’s Effect on Sleep
  • According to researchers, the sleep cycle is disrupted if one is exposed to evening hours blue light.
  • With the delayed sleep cycle other health problems also arise, such as:
  • Metabolic changes
  • Risk of hormone-related cancers (breast or prostate cancer)
  • Decreased leptin level (a chemical that indicates fullness after a meal)
Blue Light’s Effect on Mental Health
  • Blue light nighttime exposure has led to depression symptoms in animal studies.
  • On the contrary, daytime exposure improves mental health.
  • 20 minutes daytime blue light exposure helps cure SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder – caused due to changes of seasons).
Limited Day Time Exposure Benefits
  • Blue right kills bacteria that cause acne.
  • Boost memory and cognitive functions
  • Improves SAD
  • Aids in skin conditions
  • Help you stay alert

Precautions

  • Use blue light-blocking glasses at night to avoid retinal damage.
  • Change screen setting to ‘night mode’ to decrease eye strain and maintain sleep patterns.
  • Keep your eyes moist – room humidifiers and eye drops are recommended for this.
  • Practice 20/20/20 strategy – after 20minutes of screen time, observe any object 20feet away for 20 seconds.
  • Other blocking methods are:
  • Using a sleep mask
  • Take frequent breaks from screen time.
  • Keeping the bedroom dark in times of sleep
  • Dimming the lights at your house