POPSUGAR

There's a Reason Why Everyone's Telling You to Unplug

Mar 24 2018 - 12:40pm

If it feels as though every guide on how to maintain your mental and emotional health [1] seems to be make some mention of "unplugging," it's because there's merit in the idea. Rather than completely doing away with your phone, TV, and tablets, unplugging can simply mean limiting how much unnecessary screen time you expose yourself to.

The science behind unplugging revolves around how our bodies respond to blue light. Although our biggest source of blue light — daylight — poses no problem because our bodies' own circadian rhythms are in sync with it, overexposure to artificial blue light through LED screens from things such as computers and phones can throw our bodies out of sync. Read on for two ways your bedtime scrolling is affecting your well-being everyday.

Increased Risk of Obesity

According to a study into the link between blue light and metabolism [2], prolonged exposure to artificial light in the evening can affect the body's ability to regulate its natural rhythm, which in turn throws many of our internal functions off balance. It can result in disrupting the body's leptin levels, thereby inhibiting your ability to tell whether you're hungry or full.

Disrupted Sleep

Nighttime exposure to blue light [4] can can trick the brain into the wakefulness you associate with daytime and suppress the production of melatonin [5], a hormone that aids in regulating the body's circadian rhythm. Our bodies run on internal clocks known as the circadian rhythm. Once that happens, you might experience trouble relaxing into sleep.


Source URL
https://www.popsugar.com/fitness/Health-Effects-Blue-Light-44470539