Decreasing exposure to harmful blue light has to be sought beyond limiting screen time with your television, laptop computer or smartphone. Realistically, your job or need to communicate outside of in-person interaction can make disconnecting from your tech devices nearly impossible – even when we know that prolonged exposure, especially in the evening hours when rest matters most, can wreak havoc on your sleep schedule, eyesight and overall well-being.

At SORAA, our line professional and home lighting and accessories solves this foundational challenge. For example, SORAA Sky™ is tailor-made for consumers, creating a dynamic light environment that lays a healthier, more natural foundation for sleep all day long and, most importantly, at night. Blue light emitted by all lamps heightens visual stimulus, and at night this can impact your potential for restful sleep. Sky is built to leverage all areas of the lighting spectrum at the appropriate times throughout the day, keeping your circadian rhythm in balance. Shifting your approach to home lighting with an awareness of how parts of the lighting spectrum impact your sleep cycle will transform the level of restfulness you experience.

Beyond the bulb, however, there are more steps that can be taken to ensure the body is optimally prepared to enter a restful state of sleep. To stop blue light before it starts, and to encourage natural and healthy sleeping habits, we’ve listed a few easy and unexpected ways to keep you from getting the blues.

 

Use Blue Blocking Glasses at Night.

While you may not find them on the cover of Vogue, amber-colored blue blocking glasses provide protection from blue light. Wearing these glasses in your home while on your computer or watching television heightens your awareness that it’s time for sleep, reports the U.S. National library of Medicine National Institutes of Health.

 

Make your iPhone Work the Night Shift.

Many consumers questioned the yellow tone of their phone screen at night after updating their iOS in early 2016. It turns out this simple modification to the light colors on the screen nearly erases blue light while you skim your social feeds (we know you do it!) before sleep. Learn how to set up your iPhone for Night Shift in a few easy steps.

 

Use a Screen Cover (Under the Covers).

If you don’t have an iPhone with Night Shift, fear not: tinted screen covers for your phone or tablet are available through online retailers or even your local optometry store. Some screen covers do double duty: while muting the blue light with a tinted color, they provide a visual layer of privacy so prying eyes don’t see your screen on your late train or bus commute home.

 

Tuck in Your Phone – Seriously…

Our friends at Thrive Global are really one-upping the competition with a clever (and adorable) Phone Bed charging station for teaching children how to have a healthy relationship with their phones – a literal bed for phones. According to Thrive, “By giving our phones their own bed – outside our bedroom – we can say goodnight to our day and get the sleep we need to wake up fully recharged.”

 

Make “Someone” Else Read to You before Sleep.

Audible, by Amazon, empowers you to still get in some relaxing reading before bed, but you can go ahead and close your eyes. For less than 50 cents a day, Audible offers nearly 200,000 downloadable book titles, then reads them to you through its nifty app. As you are cozying up in bed, get your reading done without the glare of a screen.

 

Install F.lux on Your Computer, iPad or iPhone.

Slowly gaining in popularity, this program automatically adjusts the color and brightness of your screen based on your time zone. At night, the program goes full throttle and completely eradicates all blue light from your screen, giving the screen a faint orange color.

 

Install light-blocking curtains or blinds.

Keeping out sunlight as the evening progresses can greatly improve your sleep hygiene. BBC News reports, “A survey in October 2007 by Harris Poll Europe Omnibus Survey found that light outside bedroom windows led to sleepless nights . . . with the worst problems with 44% of respondents having difficulties in sleeping because of light pollution.”

 

With these simple tips and quick fixes, the negative effects of blue light at night can be nearly erased. Be informed, take action, and rid yourself of the nightly blues.

 

Sources: “Breakup With Blue Light” (Thrive Global), “#bluelightexposed” (Blue Light Exposed), “Light level and duration of exposure determine the impact of self-luminous tablets on melatonin suppression” (NBCI), “f.lux, Software to Make Your Life Better” (f.lux), “Candle” (Wikipedia), “The plague of light in our bedrooms” (BBC)

 

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