When the lighting fixtures where I live were swapped out, they threw away all the incandescent bulbs and replaced them with LED bulbs. I didn’t think too much about it until I noticed that after the switch I was having tremendous difficulty falling asleep.
I suspected it might be the new bulbs and learned that the blue light waves that are emitted from this type of bulb suppress melatonin production. Worse, it’s not only light bulbs that are an issue. Television, computer, and smart phone screens all send out these types of waves.
During the day you want your eyes exposed to natural blue light (from the sun and sky) to keep you alert and to trigger hormone production for melatonin. But when the sun sets and the sky darkens, we turn on our artificially lit world. For some of us, this is when the trouble begins.
Red Skies at Night
I researched what I could do about these bulbs and my sleeping issues. Aside from changing all the bulbs back to incandescent, I learned that wearing a certain type of glasses with red lenses helps filter out the blue light that LED and fluorescent lighting emits.
I then discovered an Australian company called BON CHARGE (formerly BLUblox) that sells blue-blocking glasses you wear at night. I bought the Galaxy Blue Light Blocking Glasses and tried them out. When I say you’ll be seeing the world through rose-tinted lenses, it’s true! Every light, inside and out, casts a reddish-orange glow when you wear these glasses. Unfortunately it also means that when you’re watching television or looking at a computer screen, the blue and green hues will be blocked out.
The tradeoff is worth it for me. I try to limit screen use at night anyway. But if I can’t or don’t want to, these glasses are indispensable.
I take them with me when I travel, since so many hotels these days have LED lights in their rooms. I’ve even worn them out to big box stores in the evening to take the sting out of the giant fluorescent lights beaming down on me.
Wearing these glasses makes me feel sleepy, like my body is naturally falling into slumber. The opposite is true when I don’t wear them and am exposed to artificial blue light. I start to feel awake and not at all tired.
Stylish Blue Light Blocking Glasses
BON CHARGE’s blue-blocking glasses come in many styles, and they’re available as non-prescription, prescription, or readers. The Galaxy version I bought retails for $121.95. Free shipping to the US from their headquarters in Australia is offered for purchases over $125.
Admittedly, these glasses aren’t cheap. I see them as an investment in my health and a necessity for navigating a light polluted world. There are less expensive brands out there. But I like how BON CHARGE’s glasses block up to 100 percent of blue and green lights, and they protect the eyes from shortwave blue-violet and green frequencies.
