Block Blue Light…Insomnia Be Gone!
I hate that the blue light beaming from my electronics causes insomnia. Personally, I’d almost rather be wide awake at 2 am than put down my phone after sunset. Seriously, the only way I’m ever going to give up my screens is when they’re pried out of my cold, dead hands.
Ideally, you shouldn’t look at a smartphone, tablet, computer, or even a TV two hours before bed. They all emit blue light that keeps your brain from releasing melatonin (a hormone that tells your body it’s sleepy) and wreaks havoc on your circadian rhythm.
We’ve become so reliant (okay, addicted) to tech, we can’t let it go. But to beat insomnia, it’s important you learn how to block blue light for sleep.
Why Block Blue Light at Night: A Quick Rundown
You might be wondering, why the heck should I care about blue light and what does my tech have to do with insomnia?
Your body’s internal clock is regulated by hormones and your external environment. During the day, your eyes process the blue light from the sun and tells your brain it’s time to release the “wake up” hormone, cortisol.
As the sun sets, your eyes sense the gradual darkness and signals for your brain to start releasing melanonin, the sleep hormone. But the light from tech, like smartphones, tablets laptops and the TV are mostly blue light and that upsets the internal clock which results in insomnia.
Don’t freak out! You don’t have to live like it’s 1900 after sunset if you suffer from insomnia. You can boost melatonin levels naturally and easily. We can have our tech and sleep, too, because I’m going to show you how to block blue light for sleep.
Easiest Way to Eliminate Blue Light Exposure? Wear Sleep Glasses to Block Blue Light
Uvex Skyper Blue Light Blocking Computer Glasses with SCT-Orange Lens for Sleep
If you’re looking for the easiest and cheapest way to eliminate ALL blue light exposure from every device is to wear orange glasses to block blue light.
Yeah, I know they’re not exactly high fashion eyewear, but wearing blue blocker glasses for sleep is best to prevent blue light exposure because it doesn’t just beam at you from your tech screens. Fluorescent light bulbs, and LED lighting in your home also give off blue light.
You can either change every light bulb in your house with amber tinted bulbs or switch to candlelight, or you can wear blue blocker glasses for sleep.
If you’re not willing to look like you’re doing chemistry experiments in the evenings you can block each device individually, and I explain how to do that below. Personally, I think it’s easier to just wear the orange glasses to block blue light.
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Wearing blue light blocking glasses three hours before bedtime increases the production of melatonin at night, which can completely eliminate your insomnia altogether!
How to Block Blue Light from your Smartphone
I don’t think I’m alone when I say I feel naked when I don’t have my phone on me. Of course, I need it for phone calls, but I’ve got to keep up with my peeps on Facebook and Instagram.
But even though a smartphone is small, it gives off a lot of blue light. And given the fact that we’re all texting, surfing, or doing all manner of social media on it constantly, phones are one of the worst blue light offenders.
I wanted to cut down on the blue light I was exposed to on my phone, so I downloaded a blue light app. I turn it on when the sun starts to go down. You can kind find blue light filtering apps like these on the Android and Apple platforms, just search for blue light blocker.
These apps work, but they can zap battery life like there’s no tomorrow. If you want to save your battery, you can buy a cell phone blue light filter to cover your phone screen. They look a lot like a screen protector, but they block blue light. I think this is more convenient because you won’t be turning it off and on every day. (like I do)
How to Block Blue Light on a Computer or Tablet
Download blue light blocking programs, like f.lux, which blocks blue light by giving your screen an orange/amber tint.
Again, these programs work, but they drain your system’s resources. If that’s a concern, you can buy screens that fit over your computer screen, kind of like the screen protectors for cell phones. (They even work for laptops.)
I work a lot on the evenings on my laptop. I’m either doing things for work or I’m blogging, sometimes until right before I go to bed. It’s no wonder I’m wide awake when I should be sleepy because of all my screen time.
You can even buy blue light blocking screens for most tablets, or you can download apps because most tablets don’t have a blue light filter built it. The exception I’ve found is the Kindle Fire. I got mine for Christmas a couple years ago, and it makes reading and surfing at night a lot easier on my eyes.
Block Blue Light and Sleep Better Every Night
Chronic insomnia doesn’t just make you tired, it can be dangerous. It can contribute to heart disease, depression, high blood pressure and even makes your butt big. More than 60 million people in the United States have insomnia, and most of those people are popping pills or trying natural sleep remedies to get to sleep.
But maybe we’re not sleeping because we’re constantly exposed to blue light from our tech gadgets and a novel invention called the electric light bulb? If you have insomnia, learning how to block blue light for sleep should be the first step you take before popping pills.
Insomnia sucks. And instead of fighting insomnia when I’m wide awake at 2 am, I want to prevent it in the first place. That’s why I learned how to block blue light to sleep!
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I’ll do anything for a good night’s sleep! Thanks for these suggestions for dealing with electronics.
One other benefit of having a blue light filter on your phone – when (not if…haha!) you drop your phone the protector will crack, not your phone!