When coming across an article about blue lights I naturally wanted to skip over it. However, when I read the full title about blue lights from cell phones causing sleep problems I was intrigued because my roommates and I all sleep with our cellphones by our heads at night. There were multiple studies on the effects of blue lights, which are emitted from cell phone screens in addition to other screens on electronic devices such as tablets. There was no contradictory evidence that suggested that the use of these blue lights at night have a positive effect when people are exposed to them at nighttime, which only furthered my desire to study further into the matter. It seemed like such a natural thing for teens to sleep with cell phones by their heads for alarms or to check times and messages. It was interesting to find out that teenagers often suffer from the seemingly harmless action.
Blue lights are emitted in wavelengths similar to those of daylight and they are especially beneficial during daylight hours because they “boost attention, reaction times, and mood” according to the Harvard Health Letter. However, at nighttime the pineal gland produces melatonin, a hormone that effects the circadian rhythm, or the biological clock. That clock naturally shifts for teenagers, but if it shifts enough, consistent problems with sleep can occur. According to the Washington Post, melatonin is released into the brain a couple hours before a person’s natural bedtime. The hormone reduces the earlier feelings of attention and alertness as one becomes more tired. Blue lights alter the effects of that release in that blue lights suppress the levels of melatonin released to a person. Therefore, while looking at the screen one stays more alert, for if less melatonin is released, one has trouble falling asleep as easily as he or she would if his or her cell phone is turned off in the first place. The hormone melatonin allows the brain to cause a sleepy sensation and help people fall asleep while regulating the sleep cycle.
Several studies have been conducted to show the effects of blue lights on melatonin levels. A study done by Mariana Figueiro of the Polytechnic Institute in New York did a study with laptops involving teenagers and adults. She found that teenagers had more sensitivity being exposed to the light, and even if they were only exposed to a tenth of the amount of light teenagers still suppressed more melatonin. Steven Lockley, a sleep researcher at Harvard Medical School, explained these findings with his findings about teenagers. He explains, “teenagers have all the same risks of light exposure, but they are systematically sleep-deprived because of how society works against their natural clocks”. By this he means that teenagers are more affected by the blue lights and the suppression of melatonin-causing their sleep schedules to be worse than those of adults. In another experiment, she had adults use iPads for multiple hours and after two hours there was a significant stunt in melatonin release. The University of Toronto released another study in which melatonin levels were tested and observed when people where a group was exposed to bright indoor light with goggles that blocked out blue light and a group who was exposed to regular dim light without goggles. The hormone levels were around the same measure in the same two groups revealing that it would be beneficial to wear blue-light-blocking goggles and it supported the idea that blue lights suppressed melatonin levels.
There are suggestions to avoid the effects of melatonin level suppression and they are often involved with the restriction of electronic use. ABC news suggested that storing technology away from the bedside while the Harvard Health Letter suggests stopping the use of technology a couple hours before bed. More technological solutions include getting apps that suppress the blue light and using dimmer red lights for nightlights.
Overall, there are harmful consequences to using electronics before bed and keeping them close by that may not be evident to most people. Perhaps the shift of the biological clock would not have such intense effects if electronic use is restricted at times that melatonin is released. Based on the studies done so far, it would be logical to avoid heavy cell phone and tablet use when going to sleep if one wants to get a greater amount of sleep as well as good quality sleep.
This blog was very interesting. I like it because most college students can relate to it. I keep my phone near my head at night as well. I remember my Mom always used to tell me not to sleep with my phone by my body because it could be harmful. I never really listened because I thought, “how bad could a phone be?” This blog opened my eyes, and showed that using electronics before bed can be harmful. I would like to learn more about how the lack of melatonin is bad for your body. I’m sure the blue lights interfering with your natural clock is bad, but what actually happens inside your body? Thank you for sharing this extremely relevant information with the class! I’m going to be sure to move my phone away at night!