blue light concerns

[WelbyB]

I observed several posts on this forum about holistic methods for coping with RLS during the witching hour. Here is one more thing to be concerned about. Blue light radiation is normal with most computers, iPads, or any electronic reader. Good research has revealed a sleep problem related to the unwanted effect of that radiation coming from those devices. My opinion as an optometrist (and research journal reader) is that it is a small but significant effect for avid users of e-devices. It is possible to buy filters in your spectacles to filter it. One may just choose to use old fashion paper books to get through the more vulnerable evening hours. I am not saying it causes the RLS problem. It is likely to be a small contributing factor to consider.

[Joolsg]

Thanks, excellent points. It's so easy to stay up looking at laptops and smart phones in the evening and blue light definitely interferes with sleep.

[Jelbea]

I do hope your suggestions help some people. I have macular degeneration and do know about avoiding blue light. I bought "blue blocker" over glasses some time ago. They are probably very good for my eyes but unfortunately they do not increase the length of time I sleep. I wish they did. However, this is a very good point to let people know about.

[Munroist]

many devices with screens will give you the option to shift the display light from the blue end of the spectrum to the red to avoid this effect. For example on an iPhone go to

Settings>Display and Brightness>Nightshift

Where you will find options to change how red/blue the phone looks and you can schedule the change so it automatically happens every evening.

[Typicallygaslit]

I don’t have any issue with the blue light. I have no LED lights in my home for starters. But when I have trouble falling asleep, I find a bit of scrolling on my iPhone helps. My theory other than the relaxation you can get from scrolling is that the bright light stimulates dopamine and may therefore be helpful. There are so many myths around serotonin and melatonin that I don’t care to listen to any of it anymore. However, everyone’s different so need to establish the sleep hygiene that works for them.