Fending Off Blue Light With Multivitamins – InVite Health Podcast, Episode 208
The blue light from your screen can be extremely damaging for your eyes and overall wellness. Here’s how multivitamins can help.
Tag: Blue Light
New Study: Blue Light May Accelerate Aging, Even When Not Looking At Your Screen
New research reports that blue light damages cells in the brain as well as retinas.To the researchers surprise, results also showed that light accelerated aging.
The Importance of Healthy Vision on National Video Games Day
Are you noticing that your eyes are feeling dry, sore or just uncomfortable after staring at your screen all day? We’ve got news for you! The blue light emitted from your devices – your computer, tablet, tv or cell phone – can be harmful to your eyes. Here’s why and what to do for healthy vision.
What is Blue Light?
Most of us are using a device that emits blue light throughout the day, with studies suggesting that 60% of people spend more than 6 hours a day in front of a digital device.
According to BlueLightExposed.com, blue light waves are among the shortest, highest energy wavelengths, causing flickers that create a glare that have been shown to reduce visual contrast and affect sharpness and clarity. “This flickering and glaring may be one of the reasons for eyestrain, headaches, physical and mental fatigue caused by any hours sitting in front of a computer screen or other electronic device.” LED black-light technology – including TVs, computers, laptops, smart phones and tablets – help enhance screen brightness and clarify, emitting very strong blue light waves.
Here are the Top 10 Nutrients for Healthy Vision. Are you incorporating enough? >>
What to do
There are a few things you can do to protect your vision against these harmful blue light rays.
- Reduce the glare of your device by reducing its brightness. If you are on the computer for long periods of the day, you may want to invest in a glare reduction filter for your screen.
- Increasing the text size on your devices may help to protect against eye strain.
- Take a break every 20 minutes for your device!
- Limiting your screen time is the most effective.
Natural Support for healthy vision
In our retina, an essential region for crystal clear vision, the concentration of two carotenoids – Lutein and Zeaxanthin (abbreviated L + Z) – are essential for ongoing vision health. They are so important to vision that they are commonly referred to as macular pigments. The macula is a filter that helps protect the eye.†
Healthy, robust macular tissue, rich in L + Z, has key functions, including filtering out blue light and focusing on objects for our sharpest vision (such as in reading a newspaper). If it penetrates deep into our eyes, it damages the many small organs in our retina that are required for vision. Having a thicker macular tissue shields from blue light and this robustness is largely due to its L + Z content.†
How long are you staring at a device for each day? Are you noticing health concerns after a long day of staring at your computer? Leave us a comment below to discuss.
Could This Digital Detox Facial Undo Damage from Blue Light?
You’ve heard about the impact of blue light on your eyes and brain. But have you heard about what it can do to your skin? There’s a new trend called the Digital Detox Facial that many are trying – but is it worth it?
Your Phone and Computer’s Blue Light May Be Damaging Your Health
Photo by Oleg Magni on Unsplash Electronic devices like your cell phone, iPad and many other devices do more than just provide endless hours of entertainment and communication. These electronic devices may also be damaging your health – from your skin to your sleeping patterns. …
Three Ways to Get The Sleep You Need
Photo by Awar Jahfar on Unsplash
Do you have trouble falling or staying asleep? Or do you find yourself not waking up feeling rested? You’re not alone! A third of US adults report that they usually get less than the seven hours that is recommended. According to the CDC, not getting enough sleep is linked with many chronic diseases and conditions, including diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and depression. Ditch the caffeine! Here are three tips that might just help you what your body needs.
Turn off those devices!
If you’re someone who has trouble sleeping but finds themselves sitting on their phone, scrolling through their news feed in the dark, stop! The number one most important thing you can do to improve how long and well you sleep is to put your phones, laptops and tablets down before you get into bed (yes that includes your TV, too!). Blue light is the artificial light that is provided by your digital devices. A study from the Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston reports that blue light exerted by your phone and tablet may do more than take away from your precious hours in bed – it may increase your risk of harmful diseases and conditions. Try to put your devices away at least two hours before you head to bed – your mind and your eyes will thank you later!
Learn more about that sleep study by clicking here!
Fun in the Sun
You know those days when you spend the entire day at the beach to come home feeling exhausted? Well, it turns out that exposure to natural light (especially in the morning), helps to set your circadian rhythm, also according to the Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Your circadian rhythm is simply your 24-hour internal clock that tells your body when it is time to go to sleep and time to wake up. This system works best when you have regular habits, like going to bed at the same time each night. This is also the system to blame when your patterns are thrown off due to jet lag or day light savings.
Stay Cool
There is nothing better than getting into a bed with cool sheets on a warm night. And there’s a reason for this! Researchers believe if you sleep in a cooler environment, you can help your body fall into a restful sleep more easily. This includes your body temperature, as your circadian rhythm triggers your body’s temperature to drop when it’s time to sleep. Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine reported at the Associated Professional Sleep Societies (APSS) that keeping the brain cool may help people with insomnia to fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer.
Natural Sleep Remedies
If those three tips do not work, supplementation may be beneficial.
Melatonin is a hormone that regulates the body’s circadian rhythms, your body’s 24-hour clock that regulate your sleep-wake cycle. As a supplement, it re-calibrates your 24-hour body clock for shift workers or those who work nights. Excellent for jet lag and traveling.†
Valerian root has been used as a sedative and anti- anxiety treatment for more than 2,000 years. Extracts of the roots of valerian (Valeriana officinalis) are widely used for inducing sleep and improving sleep quality.†
L-Theanine, an extract from green tea, is excellent for persistent thoughts. Day or night, take for anxiety, panic and to calm down worrisome thoughts by increasing blissful alpha-waves in the brain, before bed or in the middle of the night.†