Blue light: The dangers and how to combat them
Blue light is a type of light given off by electronic devices mostly. Think phone, laptop, tablet etc. It’s a much more powerful and concentrated type of light compared to natural forms such as sunlight. It comes with its fair share of disadvantages which is why I bring you today’s article.
Let’s take a look at the potential side effects.
SLEEP DISRUPTION
The biggest issue that gets all the publicity when it comes to blue light is the fact that it can disrupt sleep. As we all know, sleep is one of the most fundamental building blocks to high levels of testosterone and muscle building.
To ensure that you get at least 8 hours per night you should be wary of blue light and its sleep disrupting dangers.
EYESIGHT
With every man and his dog now possessing some form of electronic device capable of giving off substantial amounts of blue light it wouldn’t be a surprise to see a huge increase of people under 30 suffering from eye problems due to constant strain.
DIABETES
There was a small-scale study conducted into Circadian rhythms and how shifting them gradually can affect the human body. They found that this shift caused a spike in blood sugar which put subjects in a pre-diabetic state.
Blue light has been shown to mimic real life sunlight, making your body believe it’s still daytime when you should actually be going to bed (thus messing up your body clock). Basically, don’t shift that good ol’ Circadian rhythm and you’ll be much healthier for it.
So, what can I do???
SWITCH OFF AN HOUR BEFORE YOU GO TO BED
One thing I like to try and do is switch my electronics off about half an hour to an hour before I go to bed. If you read a book or do something relaxing like yoga or meditation it lets you take your mind off everything going on like messages, emails, notifications etc and allows you to simply relax and get in the right state of mind for bed.
Having your mind running overtime will keep you awake for hours and you’ll kick yourself in the morning when you’ve got no energy for the day ahead and your whole day is off to the worst start possible.
SWITCH TO NIGHT MODE
You can use night mode on apps such as Facebook and Twitter or if you have an iPhone, use the blue light reducing feature they have now installed in their phones.
I’m sure there’s some wonderful app out there that helps just as well if you’re on Android but I couldn’t be bothered looking for that so you can do your own research…
BUY A PAIR OF BLUE LIGHT BLOCKING GLASSES
I’ve only recently bought these but I noticed the difference straight away after using them. When I was sat on the laptop or even just zoned out watching TV I felt like I was straining much less to concentrate on what was in front of me.
I slept like a baby from the first night of wearing them and long may it continue. They look surprisingly un-awful as well which is a bonus. You can buy pairs for pretty cheap on eBay or Amazon.
So, to conclude…
So, there you have it, blue light’s major dangers and what you can do right now to minimise them. From trying out these tips myself I’ve noticed a drastic reduction in the time it takes me to ‘switch off’ at night. This has helped me sleep brilliantly, which has aided in my recovery and surprisingly, my mood the next day.
Give at least one of them a go and see for yourself.
Be sure to follow me on socials to keep up with the daily goings on of The Man Blueprint. You can also sign up for my inner circle using the newsletter form above. Just drop your email in there and it’s job done. Completely free and completely brilliant. Whilst you’re here, have a little browse of some other article you might like below too. You won’t regret it.
