There’s no doubt we love our digital devices at all hours, including after the sun goes down. Who hasn’t snuggled up with a smart phone, tablet or watched their flat screen TV from the comfort of bed? A new study by researchers at the University of Houston College of Optometry, published in Ophthalmic & Physiological Optics, found that blue light emitted from those devices could contribute to the high prevalence of reported sleep dysfunction.
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Just by slapping on a pair of cheap orange sunglasses a few hours before bedtime while still using their regular devices, study participants’ melatonin levels shot up by 58 percent. Melatonin is the hormone released by the pineal gland in the brain that signals it’s time to sleep.
In addition, by shifting the visual hue from blue to orange (think sunset) the group reported drifting off earlier and more easily, plus staying asleep longer. Most added about a half-hour to their sleep total, one volunteer caught an extra hour and a half.