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Effects of Blue Light on Young Adults Sleep Quality and Patterns

Kylee Burgess, Antonio Contreras Ruelas, Ryan Procious Tristan Rodriguez

Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi

English 1301.W10- Writing and Rhetoric 1

Dr. Frances Curcija Johnson

11/03/2022
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Effects of Blue Light on Young Adults Sleep Quality and Patterns

As the usage of technology increases, so does the exposure to blue light. Although the

research can only explain the short-term effects currently, there has been significant evidence

that blue light disrupts the sleep patterns and ability to enter a deep REM sleep state. (Shechter,

2020) Studies are being conducted on the long-term side effects of this increase in blue light

exposure, especially in young adults who have had access to these technologies for longer

periods of their life and are more prone to use it. (Wong, 2022) The purpose of this literature

review is to report on the current discussion among scholars about the effects of blue light on

young adults sleep quality and patterns.

How blue light affects sleep

The effects of blue light on sleep can cause difficulties in sleep patterns, affect our

circadian rhythm, and affect deep sleep. Circadian rhythm is known as our sleep-wake cycle

which is our 24- hour sleep schedule 16 hours of daylight and 8 hours of nighttime (Yin et al,

2021).  Studies have shown that short-wavelengths of blue light are important to maintain to help

balance your regular sleep-wake cycles and your circadian rhythm. (Silvani, 2022).  When

dealing with blue light for an extended time can result in these causes happening. (Silvani,

2022).  Blue light disrupts sleep by not being able to rest. Blue light mostly affects the deep sleep

portion of the sleep cycle by shortening its duration by about 7.6% (Ishizawa et al., 2021). This

short loss of deep sleep can mess up the natural circadian rhythm of our bodies causing you to
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wake up feeling tired and unmotivated leading to a less productive day and can cause further

health problems (Ishizawa et al.,2021). Blue light is affecting our human melatonin, alertness,

and performance (Chellappa, 2013).

Devices that give blue light effect

With blue light affecting sleep the way you can control blue light is knowing what

devices give off blue light: smartphones, computers at home and in your workplace, electric

lighting in schools, in your workplace, in homes, and television (Silvani, 2022). These are just

some common sources that give the blue light effect knowing some common devices with blue

light can help control your screen time and to input a sleep schedule to help process our circadian

rhythm ( Yin et al, 2021). The eye reacts to the devices that give off blue light which is known as

a risk factor because blue light can cause photochemical damage to the retina and retinal pigment

under certain conditions (Wong,2022). You may ask what does this all mean? Having

photochemical damage is from the absorption of light energy by the retina (Wong, 2022).

Who is affected by blue light the most

Common themes between studies show that most of the people affected by blue light are

between the ages of 12 – 21, which mainly affects sleep issues for the newer generation

(Lawrenson & Downie, (2017), Ishizawa et al., (2021). Many experiments have been done on the

younger generations to see how much blue light really affects them. Some experiments collected

a group of adolecents and keeps track of how much light they receive (Sharkey, K. M., et al

2011), and others are study the devices that would reduce the amount of blue light that one

receives ( Landers, J., Tamblyn, D., & Perriam, D. 2009). Regardless of what the experiment was
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most of the of the participants were young because they are the most used to devices that emit

blue light around them the most (Sharkey, K. et al., 2011).

How to maintain the use of blue light

Studies show that wearing blue light filter glasses and cutting out all screen time at least

1 hour before you go to bed can dramatically improve sleep performance (Ishizawa et al., 2021).

During the experiment, the portion of sleep that was most affected was the deep sleep portion

where it was decreased by 30% (Ishizawa et al., 2021) while also disturbing circadian rhythms

and sleep quality (Landers, J et al., 2009). Any device that has a screen can produce blue light

which will affect sleep performance (Lawrenson & Downie, 2017, Ishizawa et al., 2021).

Conclusion

In conclusion, by decreasing our exposure to blue light devices and using filtering or

blocking mechanisms, sleep quality and patterns can be improved. Young adults are more likely

to have high screen times and are experiencing the effects of this exposure the most. Having a

healthy sleep schedule and entering REM sleep for a few hours every night increases

performance academically and athletically. More studies should be conducted in order to truly

explore the effects of blue light over time, and as a more in depth understanding, more

preventative methods can form.

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References
Chellappa, S. L., Steiner, R., Oelhafen, P., Lang, D., Götz, T., Krebs, J., &

Cajochen, C. (2013). Acute exposure to evening blue-enriched light impacts

on human sleep. Journal of Sleep Research, 22(5), 573-580.

Downie, L. E., Keller, P. R., Busija, L., Lawrenson, J. G., & Hull, C. C. (2019). Blue‐light

filtering spectacle lenses for visual performance, sleep, and macular health in adults. The

Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2019(1), CD013244

Ines Silvani, M., Werder, R., & Perret, C. (2022). The influence of blue light

on sleep, performance and wellbeing in young adults: A systematic review.

Frontiers in Physiology, 1485

Ishizawa, M., Uchiumi, T., Takahata, M., Yamaki, M., & Sato, T. (2021). Effects of pre-bedtime

blue-light exposure on ratio of deep sleep in healthy young men. Sleep Medicine, 84, 303-

307

Jniene, A., Errguig, L., El Hangouche, A. J., Rkain, H., Aboudrar, S., El Ftouh, M., & Dakka, T.

(2019). Perception of sleep disturbances due to bedtime use of blue light-emitting devices

and its impact on habits and sleep quality among young medical students. BioMed

Research International, 2019.

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Landers, J., Tamblyn, D., & Perriam, D. (2009). Effect of a blue-light-blocking intraocular lens

on the quality of sleep. Journal of Cataract Refract Surgery, 35(1), 83-88.

Lawrenson, J. G., Hull, C. C., & Downie, L. E. (2017). The effect of blue-light blocking

spectacle lenses on visual performance, macular health and the sleep-wake cycle: A

systematic review of the literature. Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics, 37(6), 644-654

Sharkey, K. M., Carskadon, M. A., Figueiroc, M. G., Zhud, Y., & Reac, M. S.

(2011). Effects of an advanced sleep schedule and morning short wavelength

light exposure on circadian phase in young adults with late sleep

schedules. Science Direct, 12(7), 685-692.

Shechter, A., Kim, E. W., St-Onge, M. P., & Westwood, A. J. (2018). Blocking

nocturnal blue light for insomnia: A randomized controlled trial. Journal

of psychiatric research, 96, 196–202.

Shechter, A., Quispe, K., Mizhquiri Barbecho, J., Slater, C., & Falzon, L. (2020). Interventions

to reduce short-wavelength ("blue") light exposure at night and their effects on sleep: A

systematic review and meta-analysis. SLEEP Advances, 1(1), zpaa002

Wong, Nikita A.. & Bahmani, H. (2022). A review of the current state of research on artificial

blue light safety as it applies to digital devices. Heliyon, 8(8).

Yin, J., Julius, A. Agung. & Wen, John T. (2020). Time optimal entrainment control for

circadian rhythm.t. In Tjeerd Olde Scheper. Optimization of light exposure and sleep

schedule for circadian rhythm entrainment, 14(12), e0005988