Blue-Light Blocking Glasses Improve Sleep-Wake Cycles in Male Youth

Written by Angeline A. De Leon, Staff Writer. BB glasses in male youths significantly improved negative impact of LED exposure on sleep-wake cycles by increasing melatonin secretion, sleep hours, and cognitive performance in male high-school students.

Among adolescents, the prevalence of chronic low-quality sleep and insufficient sleep duration is alarmingly high ^1,2. This is largely impacted by the pervasive presence of electronics in the home, school, and general social environment ^3,4. Usage of computers and mobile phones before bed, for example, is correlated with insomnia ⁵, due to the impact of light on the circadian sleep-wake system ⁶. Light-emitting diode (LED) screens emit short wavelength light, which has been shown to be sufficient to suppress melatonin secretion and enhance alertness in adolescents ⁷. To counteract the effects of LED screen exposure, the use of blue light-blocking glasses (BB glasses), glasses which filter out short wavelengths in the blue range of the light spectrum, is a growing area of interest. Early research suggests that BB glasses can attenuate light-induced melatonin suppression in young adults and even improve sleep quality after two weeks of continuous use in the evening ⁸. To better understand the role of BB glasses as a protective measure against sleep disturbance in youth, a study ⁹ in the Journal of Adolescent Health (2015) examined how wearing BB glasses at night might impact melatonin secretion, sleep, and cognitive performance in male teenagers.

A total of 13 male high-school students (aged 15-17 years) participated in a balanced crossover study, each portion involving a one-week long ambulatory period immediately followed by a day-long laboratory testing period, with each study portion separated by an intervening period of 1-5 weeks. During the ambulatory week, subjects were instructed to wear either orange-tinted BB glasses or control glasses with clear lenses during the evening (until sleep onset) while using LED screens. Rest-activity cycle was tracked using actimetry and a sleep-wake log. During the laboratory portion, participants were asked to wear the same pair of glasses as the preceding week during a 3-hour period of LED screen exposure. Sleep and wakefulness were recorded using polysomnography during an 8-hour sleep epoch. Before and after their sleep period, subjects completed assessments regarding their sleepiness and quality of sleep, performed cognitive tests of attention, and provided saliva samples every 30 minutes for a melatonin assay.

Data analysis indicated that while no between-group changes were apparent on behavioral measures and subjective reports of sleep quality in the morning, subjects reported feeling significantly sleepier at the end of the evening when wearing BB glasses vs. control glasses (p < 0.011). A significant main effect of glasses was observed for median reaction time (F(1,83) = 9.77, p = 0.002) and number of lapses (F(1,82.1) = 6.51, p = 0.013) on the psychomotor vigilance test. In addition, significant main effects of glasses (F(1,321) = 7.34, p = 0.007) and sampling time (F(16,320) = 27.24, p < 0.001) were found, as well as a significant interaction between glasses x sampling time (F(16,320) = 2.19, p = 0.006), indicating attenuation of LED-induced melatonin suppression by BB glasses, compared with clear glasses, in the evening. Melatonin levels measured from 90 minutes to 5 minutes prior to sleep were significantly higher for the BB condition vs. control condition (p < 0.014).

Findings from the study support the use of BB glasses in male youths to protect against the negative impact of LED exposure on sleep-wake cycles. By reducing LED screen-induced melatonin suppression and promoting subjective sleepiness at evening time, BB glasses can help support better sleep hygiene in young adults. One of the main limitations of the present study, however, is its relatively low sample size of 13 students. It is also important to note that the treatment conditions in the study differed not only in terms of blue light emission, but also in terms of light intensity, potentially confounding the observed effects. Replication of findings in a population of youth suffering from clinically diagnosed sleep disorders would be beneficial in the future.

Source: van der Lely S, Frey S, Garbazza, et al. Blue blocker glasses as a countermeasure for alerting effects of evening light-emitting diode screen exposure in male teenagers. Journal of Adolescent Health. 2015; 56: 113-119. DOI: 10.106/j.jadohealth.2014.08.002.

© 2015 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. All rights reserved.

Posted August 5, 2019.

Angeline A. De Leon, MA, graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2010, completing a bachelor’s degree in psychology, with a concentration in neuroscience. She received her master’s degree from The Ohio State University in 2013, where she studied clinical neuroscience within an integrative health program. Her specialized area of research involves the complementary use of neuroimaging and neuropsychology-based methodologies to examine how lifestyle factors, such as physical activity and meditation, can influence brain plasticity and enhance overall connectivity.

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