Blue Lights and Bras

Tips for Dimming Blue Lights at Night

My first experience with the blue light was the “Blue Light Special” at Kmart. This was a marketing strategy. The store manager would announce a sale of a particular item over a set amount of time and flash a blue light People would gravitate to the blue light to see what was on sale.

Now blue lights are all around us. Many cars have blue lights, and these lights can really cut through pitch black areas. Perfect for driving in rural forest dense areas. The sun also gives off blue light.

Then there are the blue lights on household appliances. You can find them on many household items like your :

Computer printer

computer monitor

television

clock,

toaster,

cable box

smartphones

gaming consoles

These lights seem to get brighter as the night progresses. These lights can disturb your circadian rhythm. It also blocks melatonin release thus making it more difficult to fall asleep. Melatonin is a , a hormone that promotes drowsiness. The human eye can easily see that blue light on the light spectrum. Blue light has the shortest wavelength and the most energy. The benefits of blue lights are increased alertness, performance, and productivity during the daytime. Hours of exposure to blue light during day hours can affect night-time sleep. Your body begins to release melatonin about 2 hours before your normal bedtime. Exposure to blue lights suppresses your melatonin. The best thing you can do for your sleep is to turn off devices that have blue lights 30 minutes to one hour before time. If we are honest with ourselves, the probability of turning off your smart phone or television is low. Many people look at the smartphone and television while lying in the bed.

In the city where I live, the cable company gives you a cable box that hooks up to your television to give you access to cable stations. That box has a blue light. I have tried putting electrical tape on it, wrapping a towel around it, and putting an object in front of it but the blue still shines through. One day I was going through my lingerie drawer. I pulled out a soft padded sports bra. I was standing in front of the cable box with the bra in my right hand. I looked at the light and looked at my hand. A light bulb went off in my head. I put the black bra cup over the light. Full coverage! Instant darkness!

Now some of you may not have a bra available to completely seal in the blue light on the electronic devices in your bedroom. There is still hope for you to get rid of the blue light.

Tips for Reducing Blue Light Exposure at night

1. Shift light mode on electronic products to “night mode.

2. Avoid apps that stimulate you.

3. Use the blue light filter app on your smart phone.

4. Purchase blue light blocking glasses with amber or orange lenses for reading in bed.

5. Use Restful Bedtime bulbs instead of incandescent bulbs for your lights and lamps.

If all else fails, put the device in a drawer. That was an action people would do with a ticking clock in the old days.