How to sleep better? Science-backed guide on how to get a quality sleep

This is certainly the Digital Era and it shouldn’t come as any surprise that an average person spends around two hours browsing the Internet on their digital devices every day. From reading the news on Guardian, browsing feeds on Facebook, watching videos on YouTube, or going through the pictures on Instagram – digital devices have come to be an indispensable component of our daily lives.

Scientists all over the world, though, are prompting people to stop using their devices prior to bed. Why?

While displays of the modern devices have become more energy efficient and produce better lighting, they can have an adverse effect on the quality of your sleep. There are practical means, such as, light dimming applications and blue blocking glasses, which can defend your eyes against the damaging consequences of blue light. However, it’s essential to obtain a thorough understanding of why blue light is harmful and how it affects your sleep.

How does blue light affect your sleep?

Digital devices release an artificial blue light which has the shortest wavelength in the visible light spectrum – that could obstruct your brain from producing melatonin, the compound that is responsible for inducing a restorative sleep.

Brain sets its sleep patterns in accordance with when it is exposed to light and when it is exposed to dark. When the ambiance gets dark, brain signals the body to start producing melatonin and to lower body’s temperature for sleep. Blue light can alter this cycle by confusing the brain. Regardless of what time of day it is, blue light can stir the state or reset the time of your body’s physiological clock. Blue light suppresses the production of melatonin, inducing impediments - delays and advancements, in your body’s routine sleep and wake cycle, also known as its circadian rhythm.

Any variation in your sleep patterns may alter its circadian rhythm. These interruptions to your body’s biological clock can have devastating health effects considering circadian rhythm not only regulates physiological cycles but also defines brain actions, hormone reproduction and cell regeneration. This means that exposure to blue light can have much more serious repercussions than many people think.

What’s the solution?

Even though the best solution would be to just turn off your devices prior to bed and quit using artificial light altogether, but that is not plausible in recent times. For those of you who use digital devices for an extended period of time, there are a number of technologies that can help you bar blue light and get a quality sleep. Blue light filter glasses are an excellent means for people who don’t want to risk undermining the vitality of their eyes and disrupt their sleep.