My Experience with Blue Light Glasses
I will start with the disclaimer that I am not at all an expert in this area. I’m simply a brain and biohacking nerd who started looking into the science behind this trendy topic, and decided to try it for myself.
I will also say that the research is touch and go regarding the harm versus benefits of blue light. To give a VERY brief overview, we are exposed to all light colors of the rainbow on a daily basis. Whether it’s from the sun, the lighting in our homes and at work, from our phone, computers, TV’s, etc. Our exposure to blue light has always existed because we get blue light from the sun. In this way, blue light is shown to be good—helping our brain to know that it is day time, time to be awake, energized and productive. In the past few decades, we have been exposed to more blue light than ever before. Due in part to technology and also increased use of energy-efficient lighting.
Various studies have shown that increased exposure to blue light may negatively impact our circadian rhythms (sleep cycles) and suppress the secretion of our body’s natural melatonin (sleep hormone). As you may know, sleep is vitally important to mental and cognitive health, so if we’re not getting top-quality sleep, we are much more likely to succumb to symptoms of anxiety, stress and depression. If you haven’t read my blog post on “Why your sleep is SH!T”, I encourage you to check it out. 😜
Personally, I’ve always noticed sensitivity to LED and fluorescent lighting. I HATE it. If you’re a client of mine you’ve likely noticed that I never turn on the overhead fluorescent lighting in my office and always opt for the softer light of incandescent lamps. My husband will attest to my distaste for LED lighting as well (yes, I know, it saves money on energy bills…blah, blah, blah) but my eyes and brain hate the look of it—especially when it comes to lighting my Christmas tree 😉
Since starting Alternative Therapeutics I’ve noticed myself spending exponentially more time in front of a screen. Like—8-10 hours a day! It’s not something I can really avoid due to the nature of my job as a therapist and business owner, but I was noticing that my stress and anxiety were also rising. At the end of the day, my brain felt fried, I was irritable, and my eyes were so heavy I could barely keep them open. My sleep seemed to stay on track, but I wondered if I wasn’t getting the best QUALITY sleep after all that screen-time during the day.
In October 2020, I decided to give the blue light glasses a try. In addition, I installed the f.lux application on my computer and phone to further reduce blue light exposure. Since then, I’ve worn them every day while at work and in-front of a screen.
The result? Well, there are a lot of factors at play here, but when I consider how things have changes over the past few months, here’s a few things I’ve noticed. I notice that I’m less irritable after work. My energy also seems better in the evenings (so much so that I’ve actually had the energy to start working out again in the evenings instead of crashing on the couch!) I also find it easier to wake up for my 5:15am alarm—allowing me to incorporate a little yoga and meditation in my mornings, instead of hitting snooze until 6am. 🙏
Total side note here, but I came across an interesting study conducted in 2016 that showed positive impacts on blue-light blocking glasses as an additive treatment for bipolar mania. This study was based on research that has shown bipolar episodes can be provoked by changes in light conditions and that symptoms of bipolar disorder can be closely linked to abnormal circadian rhythms. Hmm… very interesting research indeed! Perhaps blue light really does have more of an impact on our mental health than we thought! 😳 Read the publication here.
Written by: Britney Cirullo, MA, LPCC-S, LICDC, BCN