These days more and more people are talking about blue light. Blue light cancelling screens and glasses are certainly on the rise. Our beloved energy-saving LED lights are helping the environment, but they’re also exposing us to more blue light than ever before.

But is blue light really harmful?

While there is no conclusive evidence that blue light exposure correlates to getting cancer, certain studies do seem to suggest a possible relationship. A recent Harvard study found a high rate of breast cancer and prostate cancer among people who exposed themselves to higher levels of this light. Future research will teach more about these issues – for now the findings are in the very early stages.

Because it occurs on the end of the color spectrum, blue light has more energy than other colors. Its wavelengths are similar to UV rays. Scientists hypothesize that this increased energy is responsible for blue light’s ability to limit your brain’s ability to produce melatonin and fall asleep.

The brain’s rhythm of knowing when to wake up and fall asleep has everything to do with light. Unfortunately, blue light’s high frequency signals the brain that it’s time to wake up. This explains why you may have trouble falling asleep if you tend to look at screens before going to bed.

What you can do

Luckily, many screens are now coming with the function that enables them to replace blue light with a lower-frequency colored light. We recommend that you enable this function for night-time screen use. Screen protectors and glasses may also be worth looking into. As further studies teach us more about a possible relationship between blue light and cancer perhaps more intense action will be necessary, but for now we hope that you and your family can mainly focus on taking care of your eyes in those night-time hours when the brain needs to get ready to fall asleep.