How To Block Blue Light And Transform Your Sleep
The blue light emitted by our technology affects us more than we realise! KIRSTY HUTTON shares why unnatural light exposure can be harmful and her top hacks to unplug.
Some studies are showing that all light has a negative effect on our natural circadian rhythm. That makes sense; if we’re facing bright light when the world is naturally dark, our bodies will be a bit thrown off. Furthermore, the unnatural light in offices that most of us sit in all day isn’t the same spectrum as the sun, so our brains and bodies work just a little bit harder to make sense of it all. This is also why getting outside into some natural light to break up the day is so important. It’s impractical for us all to switch off power and live like caveman, but there are some minor changes you can make to lessen the harm artificial light and technology is having on your energy.
Here are my favourite hacks to unplug from the damaging blue light our eyes endure:
Dim Screens: Ideally you want to switch off all screens at sunset, but if that’s impossible in your world, install a program like f.lux on your computer, which will fade out the blue light as the sun goes down. Blue light tells your brain it’s the middle of the day and stops melatonin production. You need melatonin to get good sleep. Also activate Night Shift on iPhones (under Settings and Display & Brightness). Set the evening colour to as warm as possible after sunset. You also want to set the brightness as low as it can go, especially at night. The above methods will make all whites appear pink on these screens, and other colours are impacted accordingly. You’ll get used to this and it won’t impact your work (except perhaps if you’re a graphic designer where colour is important).
Wear Yellow Glasses: You can buy expensive blue light blocking glasses, or you can buy cheaper yellow tradie glasses. Both are quite effective to block blue light and stop your brain thinking it’s daytime when you’re watching screens. These are great for watching TV screens that don’t have a colour changing option.