- Main health risks
- How blue light affects sleep
- How blue light affects the skin
- What to do to reduce exposure
Using your cell phone at night, before bed, can cause insomnia and decrease the quality of sleep, and also increase the chances of depression or high blood pressure. This is because the light emitted by electronic devices is blue, which stimulates the brain to remain active longer, preventing sleep and deregulating the biological sleep-wake cycle.
In addition, several studies prove that blue light can also accelerate skin aging and stimulate pigmentation, especially in darker skins.
But it is not only the cell phone that emits this bluish light that impairs sleep, any electronic screen has the same effect, such as TV, tablet , computer, and even fluorescent lights that are not suitable for indoors. Thus, the ideal is that the screens are not used before going to sleep, or for at least 30 minutes before going to sleep and it is also advisable to protect the skin throughout the day.
Main health risks
The main risk of using electronic screens before bed is related to the difficulty to fall asleep. Thus, this type of light may be able to affect the natural cycle of the human being, which, in the long run, may result in a greater risk of developing health problems, such as:
- Diabetes; Obesity; Depression; Cardiovascular diseases, such as high blood pressure or arrhythmia.
In addition to these risks, this type of light also causes greater tiredness in the eyes, since blue light is more difficult to focus and, therefore, the eyes need to be constantly adapting. The skin is also affected by this light, which contributes to skin aging and stimulates pigmentation.
However, more studies are still needed to prove this type of risks, and where there seems to be greater compliance is in the effect of this type of light on sleep and its quality.
Understand that other risks can cause frequent use of the cell phone.
How blue light affects sleep
Almost all colors of light can affect sleep, as they cause the brain to produce less melatonin, which is the main hormone responsible for helping to fall asleep at night.
However, blue light, which is produced by almost all electronic devices, seems to have a wavelength that affects the production of this hormone more, reducing its amount for up to 3 hours after exposure.
Thus, people who are exposed to the light of electronic devices until a few moments before sleeping, may have lower levels of melatonin, which can cause difficulty in falling asleep and, also, difficulty in maintaining quality sleep.
How blue light affects the skin
Blue light contributes to the aging of the skin because it penetrates deeply into all layers, causing the oxidation of lipids, consequently leading to the release of free radicals, which damage skin cells.
In addition, blue light also contributes to the degradation of skin enzymes, which results in the destruction of collagen fibers and the reduction of collagen production, making the skin more aged, dehydrated and prone to pigmentation, leading to the appearance of spots, especially in people with darker skin.
Learn how to avoid blemishes on your face caused by using your cell phone and computer.
What to do to reduce exposure
To avoid the risks of blue light, it is recommended to take some precautions such as:
- Install applications on the phone that allow the brightness to be changed from blue to yellow or orange; Avoid using electronic devices until 2 or 3 hours before bed; Prefer warm yellow or reddish lights to illuminate the house at night; Wear glasses that block blue light; Place a screen protector on the phone and tablet, which protects from blue light; Wear face protection that protects from blue light, and that has antioxidants in the composition, which neutralize free radicals.
In addition, it is also recommended to reduce the use of these devices.
