As has happened every night surrounded by salt lamps; my phone is set to maximum amber screen mode; and Iris in my tight latop in Kelvins temperature of zero - day and Kelvins temperature low at night (the more they are Kelvins, brighter and whiter screen / minus Kelvins, warmer the screen) has allowed me turn now very sensitive to blue / artificial light. (I highly recommend Iris; there is a free version, but the version of one -time purchase of $ 10 gives you a much greater control over the setting speed of light and flickering used. F.lux free for many years, but version $ 10 of the Iris program allows you to adjust the levels Kelvin yourself).
After only 15 minutes of squinting at a screen of blue light, and despite having reduced the overall brightness to low, my eyes felt dry, rough and strange, as if my eyeballs had popped a layer of MDMA. They also felt tense, as if he had been watching TV at night for hours. My skin exposed (my face and my neck) tinkling felt as if he had spent too much time on the beach and was slightly sunburned. And suddenly I felt very awake. I had to burn some lavender oil to return to bed.
This was all after a short period of time. I think that once spent every night in that state ... my usual body, it felt normal. Never connect the dots when I lie in bed, trying in vain to sleep, and instead of returning to play on my phone, hoping to get sleepiness, only to feel more and more awake.
Now I write about this issue quite frequently; because it is becoming more obvious to me that this is a big problem in our world and certainly seriously affects our sleep and our health.
- Blue light accelerates the oxidation process on your skin.
- Artificial light no matter the time of day, alters the blood sugar and sleep cycles.
- The gene BMAL1 and REV-ERBα gene do not function properly, then your cells can not rest; allowing cancer to replicate faster.
- Adequate sleep suppresses inflammation; weight gain may be related to the lack of quality sleep.
- Exposure to blue light, violet and green at night suppresses melatonin, the sleep regulator.
- A single bedroom light can suppress the levels of melatonin prior to sleep up to 72% and daytime melatonin levels by 13%
- The suppression of melatonin is much higher in children than in adults. (Having trouble with your children are too wired to go to bed ...?)
- When melatonin is suppressed, your natural sleep / wake is twisted and, as I recently learned, your body can not properly use autophagy (the blog about this fantastic process of the body will come soon).
- The total darkness goes to zero lux ( 'the total amount of visible light and its intensity present on a surface'). Moonless night sky has a rate of 0.002 lux. A light living room? 2,499,900% increase in intensity.
- If you combine lux intensity with a combination of blue and violet ranges (televisions, telephones, computers ... the harmful effects are stronger)
We are so sensitive to light, with only a pulse of purple / blue / green light at night, we can begin the process of a change in circadian phase. Meaning that natural sleep times were removed for later in the evening; completely going against the natural circadian order of the human body. When the brain is exposed to artificial light, it perceives that the day is longer; therefore, the night begins later and those dark hours are shorter. This is a big part of why you can not feel rested although technically slept for 8 hours, but the time I slept was 11 to 7 am
Do not spend weeks, months or years before changes begin to occur at the genetic level from the artificial light and change their circadian phases; our bodies can detect even just one photon. All you need is a night of artificial light to affect gene expression.
In 2000, Jamie Zeitzer made involving 23 volunteers in an experiment of 9 days. Volunteers were exposed to artificial light 6.5 hours before bedtime. The study found that the dim light before bedtime had little effect on melatonin production, while bright lights of high luminance room completely suppressed the production of melatonin.
In 2009, Burkhart and Phelps published a study of 20 volunteers. It was divided into two groups, one group used amber colored glasses before bedtime; and the other group wore yellow tinted glasses before bed. The data showed that the group using amber lenses experienced a sleep quality and significantly better than tinted yellow duration. They also claimed that blue light must be locked at night to increase the production of melatonin, improving sleep quality, circadian phases out and improve health problems such as depression and anxiety.
"As shown in the chart above, the biggest difference between natural sunlight and artificial light LED is the sharp peak of blue light around the wavelength of 450 nm. To permit the secretion of melatonin, we address this peak in blue, blue blockers with a lens block amber blue light so that the tip shown above disappears after dark.
One thing I know, because I experience it every Saturday and Sunday, I'm relaxed, showing signs of fatigue and ready to sleep between 8 and 9 pm. Monday through Friday, I'm not so calm and ready for a nap at this time. I need to burn oil and avoid eating after 7:30 (which is healthier anyway) and avoid artificial light completely, be as zen enough to sleep around 9:30 pm the difference between the two? Weekends'm home, living under normal sunlight during the day; salt lamps and arrive at dusk. And Monday through Friday, I'm under rows and rows of artificial lights (and flooded in WiFi ...) from 8:15 am to 5:15 pm
It is rare now that I'm out and under artificial light at night these days; but the times that I do feel what I have called a "false light hangover" the next day. I'm tired, thirsty, irritated and I feel connected as if in the queue of a drug superior. Some may laugh and say I'm exaggerating. However, one needs to try one month; heck, even just one week; testing this theory will see for yourself the difference it makes. And like food; the longer you go without it, the more sensitive you to him, and I feel stronger when you experience it again.
For tips on how to block and eliminate artificial light and its effects; along with ways to suppress the effects of WiFi; please see this blog
