Exposure to blue-enriched light before bedtime has negative impact on sleep quality, circadian clock and next-morning alertness

Abstract

Sleep-related problems have haunted contemporary people worldwide.(Hysing, Pallesen et al. 2015) To explore potential risk factors of poor sleep, healthcare professionals have used diverse studies to generate and test relevant hypothesis for a long time. As reflected by cross-sectional studies did before, using electronic devices before bedtime is a common habit, but may have unintended impact on sleep quality and circadian rhythm unconsciously.(Grandner and Pack 2011) Moreover, while more articles have been focusing on physiological variation after electronic devices using in the evening, few attention have been paid on the cognitive performance in of following day.(Uchiyama, Okawa et al. 2000, Cajochen, Kräuchi et al. 2003) As blue light generated by electronic devices is the underlying mechanism that leads to relevant changes, (Waldman 2002) this literature review aims to discuss its impact on sleep quality, circadian clock and alertness in the next day when expose to blue-enriched light before go to bed. Briefly speaking, melatonin is significantly suppressed while sleep quality is negatively influenced. Public health implication would also be mentioned as well.