4 Ways to Avoid Blue Light and Boost Metabolism (Research Proves it)

In this post:

Why I wear blue blockers
Sources of blue light and its affect on melatonin
Issues with blue light exposure at night including its effects on our metabolism, obesity and insulin resistance.
4 Ways to Avoid Blue Light and Boost Metabolism (Research Proves it)

It should come as no surprise to many of you that I am a blue blocker wearing fit chick after the sun sets (and so is my family). Why? Long term health goals of course. Check it out:

Blue light exposure during the day is crucial but after the sun sets, blue light is crummy for your health.
Our body’s “internal clock,” aka circadian rhythm is regulated by this blue light (ref 1).
This circadian rhythm, triggered primarily by the blue spectrum of light (aka the sun), is very important to maintain. It primes our body to be awake, alert, productive and improve performance during the day (ref 3) but sets us up for quality sleep and recovery at night (ref 2). Don’t mess with my gainz!

Quality and quantity of sleep is of the utmost importance and completely underrated in our society. And, the majority of Americans, including our developing children are exposed to electronics into the wee hours of the night.

When it gets dark in the evening, the pineal gland (das in yer brain) secretes the hormone melatonin. This ready’s your bod to get tired and sleep BUT, the exposure to these sources of blue light.…

Indoor artificial lights
Digital Screens such as computers, cell phones, laptops & tablets.
Any electronic device
Fluorescent light
LED lighting

…does a great job of shutting down that melatonin production (ref 4, 5). Bad news bears. Check out this study published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (ref 14) that found bright light in the evenings suppressed melatonin to nearly nothing through out the entire night relative to dim light or wearing blue blocking goggles.

Ref 14.

Issues with blue light exposure at night

Our brain thinks is daytime and suppresses melatonin (ref 14).
Reduction in quality and quantity of sleep.
Lack of sleep quality is linked to chronic diseases such as heart disease and type II diabetes as well as various health issues including cancer, depression, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome and obesity! (ref 6, 7,8,9, 12,13)

and there it is…. blue light exposure can affect our metabolism and cause us to maintain a fluffier physique than we really should (ref 9, 10).

Research shows that groups of people exposed to blue light in the evenings had significantly higher glucose levels than those not exposed to blue light in the evenings (ref 12, 13). “Our findings show that insulin was unable to acutely bring glucose levels back to a baseline level following a meal with bright light exposure in the evening,” said one of the researchers, Ivy Cheung.

Although research cannot conclude the exact mechanisms as to why insulin is not regulating blood glucose levels properly when individuals are exposed to blue light at night, many studies are showing us that night time blue light exposure is effing with our system and causing detrimental health outcomes.

Why work so hard during the day to eat healthy and hit the gym if we aren’t going to let our body rest, recover and let our hormones regulate properly. It’s like wasting your time. Follow these simple steps to improve your health!!!

4 Ways to Avoid Blue Light and Boost Metabolism (Research Proves it)

1.) Turn off electronics. Stop rolling your eyes. It can be done and you will survive without facebook. I promise.

2.) Get the TV out of the bedroom! Stop falling asleep with that thing on!

3.) Since you won’t turn off your phone or TV or wander around in the dark for that matter, wear blueblocking glasses like these Uvex glasses or the dashingly stylish Swannies when the sun sets. In the winter that’s like 4 PM, in the summer its more like 9 PM!

4.) Download programs onto your electronics that will automatically reduce blue light emitting from your phone based on the when sun rises and sets. I use twilight for my phone and flux for my computer.

Want to keep tabs on your sleep quality? Check out my FAVORITE fitness tracker. The Oura Ring!

Tracking my sleep quality keeps me motivated to make sure I do what I can to optimize sleep! Enter “HeatherGF2” for a 10% discount. I snapchat it all the time as well: heathergf2

Why did I choose a ring over a bracelet for a fitness tracker? Well, this smart little ring does not emit EMF unless I connect it to the app on my phone and download data. Super important to my health!!