DAY 65 RECAP: Light & Sleep!
- Light has a profound effect on sleep. Exposure to light early in the day stimulates the body and mind, encouraging feelings of wakefulness, alertness, and energy.
- Avoid all bright lights before bed if possible:
Bright lights before bed deplete your melatonin levels. - blue light messes with your body’s ability to prepare for sleep because it blocks a hormone called melatonin that makes you sleepy. Blue light messes with your brain and makes you think it’s daytime.
- Almost all blue light passes straight through to the back of your retina. Some research has shown blue light may increase the risk of macular degeneration, a disease of the retina.
- These high levels of blue light cause an increase in our stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline which leave us feeling highly stressed, irritable, and anxious. The best way to combat this issue during the day is to use specifically designed blue light computer glasses that filter blue light by 50%
- Research shows blue light from electronic devices can lead to changes in your skin cells, including cell shrinkage. These speed up the aging process.
- installing an app that filters the blue/green wavelength at night, it’s about matching the natural world.
- red-light exposure improved sleep and melatonin levels. Some other research suggests that red light therapy at night may also help you wake up more alert and ready for the day.
- Red or orange are the least likely to interrupt sleep cycles.
