Contrary to popular belief, blue light may not be as disruptive to our sleep patterns as originally thought. This is what scientists from the University of Manchester claim in a new study. According to the team, using dim, cooler light in the evening and bright, warmer blue light during the day may be more beneficial to our health. Twilight is both darker and bluer than daylight. The body clock uses both features to determine the appropriate times to fall asleep and wake up.
Blue light and technology
Current technologiesLimiting evening exposure to blue light, for example by changing the screen color on mobile devices, could therefore send us mixed messages, the researchers argue. This is largely because the small changes in brightness they produce are accompanied by colors more similar to daytime. When studying mice, scientists used special lighting. With their help, the team was able to adjust the color without changing the brightness.
This showed that blue colors had weaker effects on the body clock of the test animals than equally bright yellow colors. The results have important implications for the design of lighting and visual displays. This way we can ensure a healthy alertness and sleep pattern.
The study was published in “Current Biology” and funded by the Biotechnology and Life Sciences Research Council. The body clock uses a special light-sensitive protein in the eye to measure brightness. Melanopsin allows us to better detect photons with shorter wavelengths. For this reason, researchers originally suggested that blue light might have a stronger effect.
Research results
However, our color perception is based on the cells of the retina. The new research shows that the of themsupplied blue color signalsreduce the impact of light on the watch. “We believe that blue light has the strongest effect on the watch. In fact, the blue colors associated with twilight have a weaker effect than white or yellow of the same brightness. This information was shared by Dr. Tim Brown from the University of Manchester.
“There is great interest in changing the effect of light on the clock by adjusting the brightness signals sensed by melanopsin. However, current approaches typically do this by changing the ratio of short- and long-wavelength light. This results in a small difference in brightness at the expense of noticeable changes in color. “
He added: “We argue that this is not the best approach because the color changes may contradict any benefits that arise from reducing the brightness signals detected by melanopsin. “Our results suggest that using dim, cooler lights in the evening and bright, warmer lights in the day may be more beneficial.
“Research has already shown that aligning our body clocks with our social and work schedules is good for our health. Proper use of color could help us achieve this better.”Read more about it here.
