I have searched more and more information about blue light in our daily life now. It’s urgent to be known since we live in the world surrounded with. It can be emitted from LED light, computer, smartphone, iPad, tablets, etc. I paid more attention to the link between blue light and human health. I just want to bring this collection here.
For recent years, more and more experts and professionals have been gradually increased the research in the field of light energy and vision since we are having longer and more intense exposures to blue light. Blue light is the portion of the visible spectrum ranging from 380nm to 450nm, which can have negative effects on eye health, disease, sleep, mood…You can learn more about the blue light hazard here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue-light-hazard
How Blue Light Affects Human Body?
Blue light can suppress the secretion of melatonin, a hormone that influences circadian rhythms, more powerfully and vigorously than other light wavelengths. Harvard researchers and their colleagues conducted an experiment comparing the effects of 6.5 hours of exposure to blue light to exposure to green light of comparable brightness. The blue light suppressed melatonin for about twice as long as the green light and shifted circadian rhythms by twice as much (3 hours vs. 1.5 hours). Disruptions to circadian rhythms also have been associated with a number of serious diseases, including cancer, diabetes, depression and heart disease.
1. Wreaking Sleep
How blue light affects sleep? Exposure to blue light can disrupt the body's circadian rhythm, altering the 24-hour biological clock that controls our sleep-wake cycle. Research has shown that nighttime exposure suppresses the production of melatonin, the major hormone secreted by the pineal gland that controls sleep and wake cycles. A reduction in melatonin at night is associated with subjective level of sleeplessness. Most people need at least 7 hours of rest each night. If you aren't getting that much, you may be sleep deprived, which can contribute to weight gain and even depression.
Unfortunately, many energy-efficient light sources produce high concentrations of blue light. Blue light is mostly emitted by electronic devices like computers, phones, television, etc. Other common light sources can also produce blue light. All of these can interfere with your sleep especially if you use electronic devices before your bedtime.
2. Causing Vision Problem
Apart from disrupting circadian rhythm to wreak our sleep, exposure to blue light can damage our macular health severely. The biggest threat of blue light is the role it plays in the development of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). People with high risk for the disease should protect eyes from blue light exposure urgently.
How blue light affects eyes? Like introduced above, vision problems caused by blue light have been tightly associated with technology use. Especially for those who have to work with the computer for a long time each day, they can easily get CVS (computer vision syndrome). And if you spend more than 2 hours a day in front of a computer, you have a 90% chance of developing the problem. The most common symptoms associated with Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS) are eyestrain, headaches, blurred vision, dry eyes, neck and shoulder pain. Given that, it suggests that these people could protect their eyes if they wear blue light blocking glasses with orange-tinted lenses.
What Can We Do?
Research has demonstrated that negative effects on blue light exposure can also be reduced or resolved. Studies suggest neither the human cornea nor lens provides sufficient protection from blue light for our modern environment. Checking the following tips, remembering the guidelines, our body health can be improved effectively:
• Limit exposure to artificial light in the hours before bed. The last 1-2 hours before bed should be a time of winding down and preparing for sleep.
• If you need light in the middle of the ...
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