Is Blue Light Hurting Your Sleep?
By Dr. Justin Marchegiani
Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and fluorescent bulbs are the most commonly used sources of illumination. These bulbs are regarded as brighter and more energy-efficient than other bulbs. LED bulbs are not only the common lighting in homes, offices, and stores—they’re also used in electronic displays, like your smartphone’s screen. While LEDs and fluorescent bulbs are a convenient choice, they aren’t a healthy one. Let’s dive into the reasons you might want to steer clear of these types of bulbs, and what you can use instead.
The Problems with Artificial Light
All sources of artificial light, including LED and fluorescent bulbs, can break off regular sleep patterns. The biological system of our body functions in pulses that are laid down by the light received. This is known as your ‘circadian rhythm’ which manages and controls the timing of various biological functions. Your circadian rhythm sets the stage for everything from hormone secretion and brain activity to your sleep-wake cycle.
Up until modern times, our bodies were exposed to sunlight during the day, and moonlight at night. When our ancestors saw sunlight and then when it started to get dark, their brains knew how to appropriately respond. Upon seeing sunlight, their brains mapped out their sleep-wake cycle, and produced the proper hormones based on the time of day.
Evolution doesn’t move as fast as technology, and our brains are still wired to react to light in the same ways as our ancestors’. This makes the artificially-lit world we live in is very confusing to our biology! We sit under artificial lights all day and into the night. Our bodies do the best they can, but we aren’t receiving the right input. Artificial light baffles our body’s natural rhythm— and is especially damaging at night.
The intensely bright blue light emitted from LED and fluorescent bulbs trick your body into thinking it’s daytime. When you’re exposed to blue lights including the light emitted from your phone, computer, or TV screen), your body stays in “wake” mode. You don’t produce sleep hormones, or any of the other biological steps to prepare for sleep.
Blue Light and Sleep Patterns
LED and fluorescent bulbs create a two-fold problem: they generate artificial light, and they produce blue light. Blue light wavelengths created by electronic devices and light bulbs increase alertness and blocks melatonin production. Studies have also revealed that blue wavelengths inhibit delta brainwaves, which encourage sleep, and enhance alpha wavelengths that generate attentiveness.
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Blocking Blue Light
Chronic fatigue, sleep deprivation, obesity, and other hormonal health issues have been linked to blue light exposure after sundown. These are growing epidemics in developed countries, and the increasing omnipresence of blue light gadgets is only making things worse.
There are however steps you can take to mitigate the negative effects of blue light. Firstly, reduce your exposure to blue light by swapping out LED and fluorescent bulbs for incandescent bulbs. Incandescent bulbs contain much less of the blue spectrum. Alternatively, candles are a great option for night time lighting. Other than the moon and the stars, the only light our ancestors would have seen at night was fire. Candles are a biologically-friendly source of evening lighting.
It’s recommended to stop using electronic devices at least one hour prior to going to bed. Let’s be real: most of us are going to be using our phones, checking work emails, or watching TV after sundown. If you’re going to use electronic devices after sundown, there are ways to do so wisely.
The iPhone has a feature called Night Shift, which you can set to turn on at night. A program called f.lux for your laptop and desktop computers is a must. Lastly, it would be wise to invest in a pair of blue-blocking glasses. These glasses have an orange tint to the lenses. In generally, the yellower the lenses, the less blue light they block. The redder the lenses, the more blue light they block. Try wearing blue blocking glasses at least 2 hours before you go to bed—the results are pretty incredible!
Takeaway
In the hunt for more energy-efficient products, LEDs have taken over the illumination industry. These sleep-damaging lights are virtually everywhere, and it is up to us to take steps to mitigate their damaging effects. Be conscious of the light you use, and the light you’re exposed to after hours. Invest in a pair of blue-light blocking glasses, download free light-filtering apps, and start sleeping better tonight!
Click here to work with a functional medicine doctor to start sleeping better tonight!
References:
- https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-topics/what-circadian-rhythm
- https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/blue-light-has-a-dark-side
- https://www.livescience.com/53874-blue-light-sleep.html
- https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-sleep-blue-light-idUSKCN0IC21W20141023
- https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-topics/why-electronics-may-stimulate-you-bed
- http://ec.europa.eu/health/scientific_committees/opinions_layman/artificial-light/en/l-3/4-effects-health.htm
Natural Solutions To A Good Night Sleep
By Dr. Justin Marchegiani
Roughly half of all Americans suffer from insomnia, and according to the National Center for Sleep Disorders, around 15% of the population deals with chronic insomnia on a daily basis. What’s more, the WHO (World Health Organization) considers shift-work or sleep deprivation the only non-substance carcinogen known to man. That puts a lack of sleep in the same class as cigarettes, asbestos, and other known carcinogenic chemicals!
Sleep is vitally important to help repair the body physiologically as well as psychologically. Physiological repair, such as building muscles, bones, tendons, joints and ligaments etc., occurs between the hours of 10 PM and 2 AM. During this timeframe, HGH (human growth hormone) peaks. You can think of HGH as your anti-aging hormone, consider getting maximal sleep as gaining $2000-$3000 of anti-aging treatment per month for free!
After your body’s HGH peak comes the mental repair. Between the hours of 2 and 6 AM the body psychologically regenerates, and neurotransmitters and other neurochemicals that help with mental health are recycled and repaired.
Cortisol and it’s Circadian Rhythm
The accelerated health risks for poor sleep
Studies have associated numerous health risks with a lack of good sleep. These include:
Increased risk of diabetes
Accelerated aging
An increased risk of cancer
Decreased immune function
Obesity and excessive weight gain
Poor physical performance
Slow mental acuity
It’s estimated that over $100 billion is lost each year due to the loss of productivity that a lack of sleep causes. Lack of sleep is also the leading cause of 100,000 vehicle accidents per year and the associated 1,500 deaths.
The major underlying causes of sleep deprivation:
17% of all US employees are shift workers who stay up working during the night instead of sleeping. If I can urge you to make one decision as an investment in your health, the first thing would be finding a job that allows flexibility to sleep during normal sleep hours. The research is very clear, the increased risk of chronic degenerative diseases and lack of performance will cost you more in the long run financially and physically.
Chronic stressors can be a huge underlying cause of sleep problems. This includes relationship stress, caffeine, chronic illness, infections, blood sugar imbalances, family stress, and hormonal imbalances. One thing that all stress has in common- whether it’s internal stress or external stress- is the increase of cortisol and adrenaline.
Knocking your cortisol and adrenaline out of balance puts a great deal of stress on your adrenal glands. Your cortisol rhythm at night is intimately linked to your melatonin rhythm (melatonin is your night time/sleep hormone). The more you push your cortisol and adrenaline out of balance, the more your melatonin will also be negatively impacted – and so will your sleep.
Stimulants such as caffeine can prevent you from getting to sleep on time. Caffeine has a half-life of up to eight hours, so be sure to consume your coffee or caffeinated tea before 2 PM in order to give your body enough time to metabolize the caffeine before your bedtime.
Certain medications can also interfere with sleep: antidepressants, corticosteroids, allergy medication, and blood pressure medication to name a few. If you are currently taking medication and also have a sleep problem, please look up the possible side effects of the medication you are taking to see if sleep disturbances are a potential side effect.
Click here if you are having sleep difficulties.
Dr. Justin’s Top 7 Sleep Enhancing Tips
- Exercise daily. Burst training and resistance training can make a significant impact on your sleep. The right kinds of exercise can increase human growth hormone, which has the ability to blunt potential cortisol spikes and to increase your body’s repair.
- Pick relaxing teas, such as chamomile or sleepy tea, before bed. These types of teas contain particular amino acids, such as L-theanine, which help to increase certain neurotransmitters like GABA to help promote relaxation.
- For certain individuals melatonin can be a great choice. I recommend using a sublingual variety, which helps increase absorption as well as increasing activation time. However, melatonin may not be right for every single person. For some individuals, taking melatonin actually makes sleep issues worse! When this occurs there’s usually an underlying hormonal imbalance present.
- Many of my menopausal female patients have hormonal imbalances that need to be addressed. Low progesterone is a common cause of sleep deprivation and insomnia. Progesterone has a relaxation effect that occurs by opening the GABA chloride channels in the brain, and can have an effect similar to taking a Xanax– without the side effects. Running a female hormone test can help evaluate this imbalance as well as provide the specific dosing information.
- Buy a white noise machine or even download a white noise app- there are plenty available for free! White noise can be very helpful at blocking out ambient noise that could potentially wake you up throughout the night. If you opt for an app, please be sure to keep your phone in airplane mode while you’re sleeping (you should be doing this at night regardless). The EMF from your phone can disrupt your sleep and can even prevent you from getting into deeper phases of sleep!
- Eating a little bit of protein and fat within two hours of your bedtime can help stabilize your blood sugar and prevent cortisol spikes during the night. The suggestion may go against conventional wisdom in regards to eating right before bed, but low blood sugar throughout the night will cause your cortisol to go up, and that cortisol spike can disrupt your sleep and cause you to wake up. A little bit of protein and fat before bed can make a big difference.
- Give yourself at least one hour before bed to wind down. Turn off the TV, tablets, computers, phones, etc. and pick up a non-stimulating book instead. Engaging in meditation and prayer before bed can be very helpful as well. It doesn’t have to be complicated- a simple meditation is simply counting backwards from 10 to 0 with all of your attention focused on your breath, not the problems and stressors of yesterday or tomorrow. Engaging in prayer- especially focused on gratitude and all that you have to be thankful for in your life- can provide a natural neurotransmitter and hormonal boost that can set you up for a great night sleep!
To receive my full handout entitled “33 secrets to a good night sleep,” click here!
To help get your sleep and energy back on track click here!
Natural Solutions To A Good Night Sleep
By Dr. Justin Marchegiani
Did you know that over 40% of Americans suffer from insomnia on a daily basis? According to the national Center for sleep disorders over 10-15% of people deal with chronic insomnia on a daily basis. Another staggering statistic, the WHO considers shift-work or sleep deprivation the only non-substance carcinogen known to man. Essentially in the same class as cigarettes, asbestos and other known carcinogenic chemicals… That’s real scary!
Sleep is vitally important to help repair the body physiologically as well as psychologically. Physiological repair such as building muscles, bones, tendons, joints and ligaments etc. occurs between the hours of 10 PM and 2 AM. During this timeframe, HGH (human growth hormone) predominates. You can think of HGH is your ant-aging hormone and by maximizing sleep we can make about $2000-$3000 worth per month for free. Between the hours of 2 and 6 AM the body psychologically regenerates, essentially meaning neurotransmitters and other hormones neurochemicals that help with mental health become recycled and repaired.
Cortisol and it’s Circadian Rhythm
The accelerated health risks for poor sleep
An increased risk of diabetes
Accelerated aging
An increased risk of cancer
Decreased immune function
Obesity and overweight
Poor physical performance
Slow mental acuity
It’s estimated that over $100 billion is lost each year due to the loss productivity that lack of sleep causes and is also the main cause of 100,000 vehicle accidents per year as well as 1500 related deaths from those accidents.
The major underlying causes of sleep deprivation:
17% of all US employees are shift workers that have to stay up working during the night instead of sleeping. If I can urge anyone to make an investment in their health, the first thing would be finding a job that allows flexibility to sleep during normal sleep hours. The research is very clear, the increased risk of chronic degenerative diseases and lack of performance will cost you more in the long run financially and physically.
Chronic stressors can be huge underlying cause of sleep problems this could include (relationship stress, caffeine, chronic illness, infections, blood sugar imbalances, family stress and hormonal imbalances). One thing that all stress has in common whether it’s internal stress or external stress is the increase of cortisol and adrenaline. Knocking your cortisol and adrenaline out of balance puts a great deal of stress on your adrenal glands. Your cortisol rhythm at night is intimately tied in with your melatonin rhythm (melatonin is your night time hormone the keeps you sleep) and the more you push your cortisol and adrenaline out of balance your melatonin will also be negatively impacted and so will your sleep. More research is coming out daily on the anticancer effects of melatonin so optimizing your sleep will help lower your risk of cancer.
Stimulants such as caffeine can affect you from getting to sleep on time. Caffeine has a half-life of up to eight hours, so consuming your 1 to 2 cups of coffee or tea before 2 PM in the afternoon gives your body enough time to metabolize the caffeine before your bedtime.
Certain medications can also interfere with sleep like antidepressants corticosteroids, allergy medication and blood pressure medication. If you are currently taking a medication and also have a sleep problem please look up the possible side effects of the medication you are taking and see if sleep disturbances are potential side effect.
Click here if you are having sleep difficulties.
Dr. Justin’s top 7 sleep enhancing tip
1. Exercise every single day, especially using the peak eight program. Using peak eight (burst training) program as well as a combination of resistance training can make a significant difference. The right kinds of exercise can increase human growth hormone which has an excellent effect at blunting cortisol and increasing the repair of your body.
2. Picking relaxing teas such as chamomile or sleepy tea before bed. These types of teas contain certain amino acids such as L-theonine, which help to increase certain neurotransmitters like GABA which help promote relaxation.
3. For certain individual’s melatonin can be a great choice. I recommend using a sub-lingual version, this helps increase absorption as well as increasing activation time. Again, melatonin may not be right for every single person. Some individuals taking melatonin actually makes sleep issues worse. When this occurs there’s usually an underlying hormonal imbalance present.
4. Many of my menopausal female patients have hormonal imbalances that need to be addressed. Low progesterone can be a common cause of sleep deprivation and insomnia. Progesterone has a relaxation effect by opening the GABA chloride channels in the brain and can have similar effect as taking a Xanax with out the side effects. Running a female hormone test can help evaluate this imbalance as well as provide the specific information in regards to dosing and timing of when the natural female hormone support should be administered.
5. Download a free app for your phone entitled “white noise.” White noise can be very helpful at blocking other ambient noise that could potentially wake you up throughout the night. Again if you keeping your phone plugged-in in your bedroom, please make sure it is across the room and if it’s a smart phone also make sure it is in airplane mode. The EMF from the phone can disrupt your sleep and even can prevent you from getting into deeper phases of sleep.
6. Eating a little bit of protein and fat within two hours before bed can help stabilize your blood sugar and prevent cortisol spikes during the night. The suggestion may be against conventional wisdom in regards to eating right before bed but low blood sugar throughout the night will cause your cortisol to go up and increasing cortisol can disrupt your sleep and cause you to wake. A little bit of protein and fat before bed can make a big difference.
7. Give yourself at least one hour before bed to wind down. Turn off the TV, tablets, computers and phones and pick up a non-stimulating book instead. Engaging in meditation and prayer before bed can be very helpful. A simple meditation can include just counting backwards from 10 to 0 with all of your attention focused on your breath and not the problems and stressors of yesterday or tomorrow. Engaging in prayer especially focused on gratitude and all that you have to be thankful for in your life can provide a natural neurotransmitter and hormonal boost that can set you up for a great night sleep.
To receive my full handout entitled “33 secrets to a good night sleep,” click here!