The Harmful Effects Of Blue Light On Your Sleep Explained

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🌙 Written by Stefan Zugor, international lucid dreaming expert and teacher. Learn how to lucid dream in 7 days or less.

If you are reading this article, you most likely love, and pay attention to your dreams.

It is in dreams where we have direct access to our subconscious mind, to the infinite and limitless reality where universal archetypes are rich and behind the scenes guidance is available. Quite simply, it is in dreams where wisdom, insight and self- discovery can arise.

So, this means it is important to actually dream- and get a good night’s sleep!

What is blue light?

Blue light is the light frequency emitted from tv, laptops and other electronic devices. Virtually any technology device we can define as having a “screen” emits blue light, and the effects are not positive.

Fortunately, the wisdom in this article can provide you with the discipline and knowledge to let go of your need for blue light, and experience the deep sleep and dreaming you love once more.

 

Why is blue light ‘bad’?

Blue light essentially delays and inhibits melatonin, the chemical messenger responsible for a good night’s sleep.

Melatonin regulates your sleep- wake cycle and without melatonin there can be many struggles.

It is in the pineal gland where melatonin is released, and this provides some insight in itself.

The pineal gland is linked to foresight, spiritual or higher perception, self- awareness, intelligence, intuition and the ability to access and perceive subtle energy.

Much psychic and spiritual phenomena have been connected to the pineal gland, and people who have a cleansed and purified pineal are often in tune with their spirituality. A clouded or muddied pineal gland?

You start to see the world and everyone in it in a disconnected and distorted way.

So, melatonin is essential for good sleep and spiritual insight, but blue light disallows this. Sleep- deprivation is the result, and it can be very serious!

Being exposed to blue light frequently also leaves you open to various disorders and imbalances.

Stress, nervous tension, anxiety disorders- minor or major, depression and depressive tendencies, low mood and mood swings, potential post- traumatic stress disorder, and even more serious mental health issues such as bi- polar can all result.

Why you need a good nights sleep

If we wish to know why we should turn our devices off before bed and transition to a more healthy, natural and pure lifestyle, we should at least first explore the benefits of getting sufficient sleep.

Let’s now look at the main pros of dreaming and sufficient sleep.

  • Sufficient sleep regenerates the body’s self- healing mechanisms. During sleep, you enter a relaxed state so your body’s better able to heal itself. You wake up feeling refreshed, energized and rejuvenated. (Think of sleep as entering a holographic chamber where your mind/ soul/ spirit goes for healing & cleansing!)
  • During dreaming specifically, your consciousness is allowed to enter altered states. You merge with your subconscious mind, the place where universal symbolism and archetypes are rich- and this paves the way for new insight and perspective for waking life. Many people have mastered the art of dreaming and understand that we can learn about the shadow; our dark, repressed or undesirable aspects of personality and self, for great healing and self- realization. Conscious expansion and self- learning is the key here.
  • Certain hormones are released during sleep, and this helps with virtually all aspects of life. It is not only your physical body which benefits from hormonal production but also your mind, emotional well- being and spirit. The mental, emotional, physical and spiritual bodies are all designed to work in harmony, and they do; they interact with one another and affect each other based on their healthy or unhealthy functioning. Sleep, therefore, is holistically healing, restoring and balancing.

How to avoid blue light exposure

To combat the effects of blue light you should ideally turn off your electronic devices 30 – 60 minutes before bed. Blue light is everywhere; fluorescent and LED lighting, flat- screen televisions, computers, smartphones, electronic notebooks, and many other digital devices.

So you need to be mindful of this if you want to truly remove the negative effects of blue light from your daily reality.

You can also purchase some blue light blocking glasses. Blue light blocking glasses do exactly as the name implies; they block you from the harmful effects of bluelight.

A study by the University of Houston found that participants wearing blue light glasses (compared to those who weren’t) showed a 58% increase of melatonin levels during sleep.

That’s a very significant figure!

The study also suggested: “By using blue blocking glasses we can improve sleep and still continue to use our devices.”

Of course, this is not the only way- many people can simply learn to switch their devices off before bedtime. You can also take the advice of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) and do the following.

  • Adjust your seat or the position of your computer so your eyes are 25 inches from the screen, and further position the screen so they are facing slightly downwards.
  • You can switch to a matte screen filter to reduce glare.
  • Be more mindful of the lighting in your room, or in your office or working space.
  • Try and use natural sources of lighting alongside the inevitable blue light from digital screens, such as a himalayan rock salt lamp or eco- friendly moon lamp/ light.
  • Finally, if you wear contact lenses give your eyes a break from time to time, wear glasses.