Light up (or down) your brain!

Artificial lighting interferes with the body's biological clock. Blue wavelengths of light, which appears white, suppresses production of melatonin more than other wavelengths; electronic screens and energy-efficient lighting produce more blue light than incandescent bulbs. This is fine earlier in the day when it promotes alertness and focus, but bad close to bedtime because melatonin is important for both quantity and quality of sleep.

The Harvard Health Letter has an article detailing the negative health effects of lack of sleep, as well as explaining how light effects our circadian rhythms. The American Medical Association has an article on the dangers of high-intensity outdoor lighting, specifically blue-rich LED streetlights. Blue light also increases glare, creating a nighttime driving hazard.

The first result to pop up in Consumer Health Complete when one searches for "blue light"
is "Seeing Blue: The Impact of Excessive Blue Light Exposure" by Heather Ford in the April 15 issue of Review of Optometry, which also discusses the health implications of blue light.

This blog post was inspired by a phone call recently fielded in the Science and Technology Room, which is happy to search for answers to all your health-related questions.

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