How Your Light Environment Impacts Your Mental Health?

Mental health disorders are becoming more common by the day, especially among youngsters. A big reason for this is the circadian rhythm. Circadian rhythm is related to light and dark cycle, which means exposure to blue light at the wrong time of day or night can negatively impact your circadian rhythm and sleep.

When you are overexposed to artificial blue wavelengths after sunset, these rays inform your brains to suppress melatonin, resulting in sleep deprivation. A healthy and good quality snooze lasts 90 minutes and goes through light REM and deep phases. These phases release the appropriate levels of neurotransmitters needed for mental well-being.

Lack of natural rays' rays' exposure disrupts your circadian rhythms as your brain can't get essential light messages through Intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells or ipRGCs and Melanopsin. Sunlight also releases serotonin and dopamine, which helps enhance mood and get good quality sleep at night. Reducing natural light exposure with increasing time spent under artificial light and in front of digital devices not only disrupts your sleep quality and quantity but also leads to sharp rises in mental illness across the world.

Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD)

Many studies have shown that a disrupted circadian rhythm and poor sleep often go hand in hand with people living with ADHD - a neurodevelopmental disorder. Poor sleep quality in healthy children often results in reduced attention span and deficiency of focus on the next day. Additionally, lack of sleep can worsen the symptoms of ADHD.

But when people with ADHD wear blue-ray protection lenses before going to bed, they will see a significant decrease in their anxiety and improvement in their sleep quality. Sleep and disrupted circadian rhythms are tied to dangerous HEV rays exposure after sunset and overexposure to these wavelengths from artificial sources during the day and night.

Anxiety and Depression

Anxiety and depression are on the rise, and teenagers are most at the risk of these types of illnesses. It has been estimated that about 90% of all people with depression experience sleep problems. Sleep deprivation caused by overexposure to artificial HEV rays at night ruins the cortisol cycle – which is meant to be highest in the morning and lowest at night. But, disrupted sleep and circadian rhythms can increase your susceptibility to anxiety, stress, or depression by reversing this cycle.

How to reduce the adverse effects of ADHD, anxiety, and depression?

The best two ways to counteract the adverse effects of mental disorders is to limit the use of digital devices (smartphones, tablets, computers, and LED lights) at least three to four hours before going to bed. The second way to improve sleep and reduce these effects is to wear a pair of blue-blocking glasses for insomnia.

Hopefully, now you've understood how different lighting conditions impact your mental illness and how you can avoid its adverse effects. Mental health disorders are on the rise, and you need to ensure you fight against them. In one way or another, overexposure to artificial blue rays is linked to mental illnesses like ADHD, anxiety, and depression. So, if you experience any symptoms of mental health disorders, you should wear a pair of blue blockers to live a healthy and happy life.