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“Once you get exposed to that first light in the morning, you are supposed to fall asleep" 16 to 18 hours later, Rodriguez says. When blue-sensitive receptors in our eyes are first exposed to light in the morning, that sends a signal to the pineal gland of our brain that shuts off the production of melatonin. “Light is a stimulant,” says Alcibiades Rodriguez, M.D., the medical director of the Comprehensive Epilepsy Center-Sleep Center at New York University. Light and darkness regulate this rhythm, triggering the release of a hormone called melatonin that serves as a cue for sleep. We all have an approximately 24-hour internal clock known as a circadian rhythm that, among other things, helps determine when we feel sleepy and when we feel awake. To understand how glasses or apps affect sleep, it helps to understand light’s role in the first place. “It just depends on how many problems a person is having with their sleep,” says Lisa Ostrin, O.D., Ph.D., an assistant professor at the University of Houston College of Optometry who has conducted research into ways that blocking blue light affects sleep. Still, they may help, though thinking about light exposure throughout the day may be even more useful.
#Sleep with light on effects how to#
Experts say much more research is needed on how well they work, who can benefit the most, and how to best use them. While that includes artificial light of all kinds, light from electronic devices that emit that blue light-such as the LED displays in smartphones, tablets, and modern computer and television screens-is particularly problematic for sleep, he says.Ī number of studies indicate that using blue-blocking glasses and apps like f.lux or Apple’s Night Shift mode may improve sleep in certain cases, but they won’t cure insomnia on their own.
#Sleep with light on effects driver#
“Our light exposure between when the sun sets and the sun rises is probably the primary driver of sleep deficiency in our society,” says Czeisler.